California early yesterday executed by lethal injection a double murderer, Robert Lee Massie, after he had spent 28 years on death row, longer than any current prisoner facing execution, writes Patrick Smyth.
Massie last year gave up a 21-year struggle to avoid the death penalty, waiving further appeals in protest at the snail's pace of the American judicial system. But a journalist who befriended him argued that he was not mentally competent at the time of his decision to do so and hired lawyers who took the issue to the Supreme Court.
The latter ruled on Monday that Massie was competent and accepted a request from the Associated Press agency that the full execution process be viewed by witnesses. San Quentin had in recent years only permitted witnesses to view executions from the point at which the accused was already strapped down.
Massie (59) was sentenced to death for the killing in 1979 of a liquor-store worker while he was out on parole after a 13-year sentence for another robbery-related killing.
Yesterday he pumped his fist to help his executioners find a vein, and told the warden he was ready to die.
