how did willie francis die

Having miraculously survived, Willie was soon informed that the State would try to kill him again in six days. Willie Francis had been charged with murder; his trial had been brief; his death sentence never in doubt. He was asked if he had any final words. Kindle Edition. These included violations of equal protection, double jeopardy, and cruel and unusual punishment. The true story of Willie Francis, a sixteen year-old African American with no prior record who was sentenced to the electric chair in 1946... and survived. He was pronounced dead in the chair at 12:10 p.m. The electric chair-three hundred pounds of oak and metal- had been dubbed “Gruesome Gertie” and was moved from one jailhouse to another throughout the state of Louisiana. For one, Francis couldn’t even drive. When the executioners flipped the switch, Willie screamed and writhed as electricity coursed through his body. Willie Francis (January 12, 1929 – May 9, 1947) is best known for surviving a failed execution by electrocution in the United States. Subsequently, Willie Francis was returned to the electric chair on May 9, 1947. [4] The portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie," was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Directed by Allan Durand. When the executioners flipped the switch, Willie screamed and writhed as electricity coursed through his body. When Francis was still breathing minutes later, Foster shouted, “I missed you this time, but I’ll get you next week if I have to use a rock!”. Close. He was found guilty for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a Cajun pharmacy owner in St. Martinville who had once employed Francis. After the botched execution, a young lawyer took the case up to the Supreme Court. The sheriff, E.L. Resweber, was later quoted as saying: "This boy really got a shock when they turned that machine on."[4]. Wikimedia CommonsAssociate Justice Felix Frankfurter of the United States Supreme Court, who attempted to get Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis to grant Willie Francis clemency. Daniel Rennie is a freelance writer residing in Melbourne, Australia. [1] He was a juvenile offender sentenced to death at age 16 by the state of Louisiana in 1945 for the murder of Andrew Thomas, a Cajun pharmacy owner in St. Martinville who had once employed him. Bettmann/Getty ImagesWillie Francis reading in his cell. He had four siblings. Francis supposedly murdered 53 year old pharmacist Andrew Thomas in St. Martinville, Louisiana in 1944. He had even threatened to kill Thomas, whom he suspected of trying to have an affair with his wife. They say I said, “Take it off! The teenager was Willie Francis, the youngest of 13 children in a poor black family living in Louisiana. The crime: He allegedly killed a white man in his hometown, St. Martinville, La.—and not just any white man, but Andrew Thomas, the well-liked pharmacist. The 17 year old black youth had been sentenced to death by electrocution in 1945 for murdering a white drugstore owner in his native St. Martinville, Louisiana, but faulty wiring and drunken executioners prevented the chair from completing its gruesome work. The petitioner, Willie Francis, is a colored citizen of Louisiana. Willie Francis' life was the subject of a 2006 documentary, titled Willie Francis Must Die Again, written and directed by filmmaker Allan Durand. Archived. Subsequently, Willie Francis was executed at 12:05pm (CST) on May 9, 1947. Furthermore, Thomas’ neighbors were woken by gunshots on the night of the murder. Wikimedia Commons Willie Francis, the “teenager who was executed twice.”. Then, read about some of the worst execution methods of all time. Next, read about Hans Schmidt, the only Catholic priest executed in history. The film, narrated by actor Danny Glover, chronicles the full story of his case and the unprecedented court battle that followed his failed execution. Willie Sutton was born into an Irish-American family in Brooklyn to William Francis Sutton Sr., a blacksmith and his wife. Little did he know that his survival would start a year-long court battle that would take his case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, one that would ultimately fail and brand him ‘the teenager who was executed twice.’, Wikimedia CommonsThe electric chair that failed to execute Francis, known as “Gruesome Gertie.”. But Willie Francis did not die. Having miraculously survived, Willie was soon informed that the State would try to kill him again in six days. With the help of a lawyer friend, he sought to persuade the Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis to grant Francis clemency. DeBlanc had a difficult battle ahead of him. Remarkably, Willie Francis did not die! Produced by regional film director/producer Glen Pitre, the film includes first hand accounts of Francis' original trial, interviews with Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, a book about the death penalty, and Gilbert King, author of The Execution of Willie Francis (2008); and cultural perspective provided by director Allan Durand. After the chair failed, it was discovered that “Gruesome Gertie” had been set up incorrectly. Born in a segregated Louisiana, Willie initially confessed to the murder of a pharmacist before eventually pleading guilty. Three weeks after his arrest, Francis found himself in front of a grand jury of white men. Four of the seven opinions looked to the 1947 Supreme Court case of Louisiana ex rel. He replied, “Nothing at all.” At 12:05 pm, the switch was pulled and five minutes later Francis was pronounced dead. The New York Times Archives. After the botched execution, a young lawyer, Bertrand DeBlanc decided to take Francis' case. Francis supposedly murdered 53 year old pharmacist Andrew Thomas in St. Martinville, Louisiana in 1944. When DeBlanc informed Francis he would take this to the Supreme Court again, Francis told him not to bother. Legitimate questions existed on whether or not Willie Francis did, indeed, commit the murder. He felt it was unjust, and cruel and unusual punishment, as prohibited in the Constitution, to subject him again to the execution process. Charged with the murder of a local Cajun pharmacist, Willie Francis's trial had been brief and a guilty verdict was never in doubt -- strapped Willie into the electric chair. It belonged to a deputy sheriff in St. Martinville who had once threatened to kill Thomas. Francis, who was poor, black, and not yet an adult (like many inmates) had few legal protections available to him. May 9th, 2009 Gilbert King (Thanks to Gilbert King, author of The Execution of Willie Francis (), for the guest post, the second of two. How did Willie Francis become the first person to not die in this particular kind of incident on May 3, 1946, only to ultimately succumb to the same reason fourteen months later? But Willie Francis did not die. For two years after he became national news and his case forced the nation to take a hard look at its views on capital punishment. “It felt like a hundred and a thousand needles and pins were pricking in me all over and my left leg felt like somebody was cutting it with a razor blade. Francis later directed the police to where he had disposed of the holster used to carry the murder weapon. Execution attempt, appeal, and second execution, "Court to Study Strange Case Of Willie Francis", "Louisiana ex rel. On May 9, 1947, Willie Francis was executed in the same electric chair that he had walked away from a year and a week earlier, when a drunken prison guard and trustee bungled the wiring. DEATH PENALTY STORIES, John H. Blume & Jordan M. Steiker, eds., pp. … The Execution of Willie Francis: Race, Murder, and the Search for Justice in the American South. The police allegedly found the murdered pharmacist’s wallet and identification card in Francis’ possession. Zst!” he said. On May 3, 1946, in St. Martinsville, Louisiana, a seventeen-year-old black boy was scheduled for execution by electric chair. In 1944, Andrew Thomas, a pharmacist in St. Martinville, Louisiana, was shot and killed. He was duly convicted of murder and in September, 1945, sentenced to be electrocuted for the crime. A sixteen year-old African-American is arrested for the murder of a white man, has a one day trial, and goes to the electric chair in 1946. The switch would be thrown at 12:08 P.M., but Willie Francis did not die. Police claimed that he was carrying Thomas' wallet in his pocket, though no evidence of this claim was submitted during the trial. With such a miscarriage of justice, Francis’ bungled execution just over a year later seemed heaven-sent to his father, Frederick Francis. He managed to hire the services of the lawyer Bertrand DeBlanc, who despite being best friends with the slain pharmacist, agreed to fight for Francis in court. DeBlanc would prove a stark contrast to Francis’ earlier legal representation. And to add further doubt, the coroner noted that Thomas was most likely killed by a professional, someone experienced with a gun. At the time, the electric chair was portable and was transported by truck from jail to jail in Louisiana to perform executions. The two executioners responsible – Captain Ephie Foster and an inmate named Vincent Venezia, who worked as an assistant electrician within the Louisiana prison system – had been drinking the night before. The Court quoted witnesses of the first execution: '' . Today I found out about a 16 year old sentenced to death who had to have that sentence carried out twice.. In fact, the gun linked the deputy to the murder. He didn’t want to suffer any more disappointments and said, “I’m ready to die.”. The electric chair-three hundred pounds of oak and metal- had been dubbed Gruesome Gertie and was moved from one jailhouse to another throughout the state of Louisiana. The executioner threw the switch but, presumably because of some mechanical difficulty, death did not result. Zst!” he said. But, Willie Francis wasn’t executed the next week. [2]. … After the botched execution, the state planned to execute him a second time. The switch would be thrown at 12:08 P.M., but Willie Francis did not die. Unfortunately, he failed. Young Willie Francis had been charged with the murder of a local pharmacist. [3] Two days after the trial began, Francis was quickly convicted of murder and was sentenced to death by twelve jurors and the judge despite Francis having been underage at 15 at the time of the crime. As he was strapped into “Gruesome Gertie,” Louisiana’s electric chair, too scared to say his goodbyes, Francis just clenched his fists and awaited the inevitable moment when the switch would be flicked. Willie Francis to Die on May 9. DeBlanc had been best friends with Thomas and his decision was greeted with dismay by the citizens in the small Cajun town. One of them claimed to have seen a car’s headlights in Thomas’ driveway. It’s unlikely a poor black teenager had access to a car. Let th Hiskey, Daven. Despite their misstep, the executioner was furious at Francis. He was a juvenile offender sentenced to death at age 16 by the state of Louisiana in 1945. Miller, Arthur S. and Jeffrey Bowman. Take it off! He did not study beyond the 8th grade at school and dropped out to find a job. Discount books. The gun used to kill Thomas was found near the crime scene. After his first botched execution, Francis gave a rare insight into what it felt like to have electricity surge through his body. It was one day after Willie Francis’ eighteenth birthday. He was removed from the chair and returned to prison; but another warrant for his execution at a later date was issued. When the executioners flipped the switch, Willie screamed and writhed as electricity coursed through his body. He was prepared for electrocution, placed in the electric chair and subjected to a shock which was intended to cause his death, but which failed to do so, presumably because of some mechanical difficulty. Willie Francis had been charged with murder; his trial had been brief; his death sentence never in doubt. First, he faced the Louisiana Pardons Board on May 31, 1946. Despite DeBlanc’s passionate arguments, Francis was scheduled for another execution on June 7, 1946. Willie Francis (January 12, 1929 – May 9, 1947) is best known for surviving a failed execution by electrocution in the United States. Threatened to kill Thomas was found shot five times at close range just of... 1946 the chair malfunctioned what it felt like to have electricity surge through his body Buy Reprints Francis’ death never. To die American, sat in an electric chair, about to die, Bertrand DeBlanc decided to Francis. 12:08 P.M., but Willie Francis did not study beyond the 8th grade at school and dropped out find. 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