Stanley “Tookie” Williams Watch: Execution Details
Caution: This Post contains violent graphic images
DEATH CHAMBER: The lethal injection table at San Quentin. The identity of the person who inserts the poison is not revealed.
The Los Angeles Times has Every Execution Detail Prescribed
Barring clemency from the governor or a last-minute stay, Stanley Tookie Williams will be expected to walk on his own to the death chamber Monday at San Quentin State Prison.
If all goes according to procedure, Williams will not struggle as prison officers strap him to the injection table, connect the monitors that will record the final beats of his heart and insert the needles through which lethal chemicals will flow into his arms, once massive from lifting weights.
The death chamber will be equipped with 12 rolls of adhesive tape, 20 syringes, 10 needles, 15 tubes of varying sizes, four bags of saline solution, scissors, six tourniquets, two boxes of surgical gloves and one box each of surgical masks and alcohol wipes. There will be handcuffs and leg irons.
Nothing is left to chance. The choreography has been refined over the course of 11 executions at San Quentin since 1992 and hundreds before that. The smallest detail — including the dose and combination of chemicals that will sedate Williams, paralyze him and cause his death — is set forth in a 43-page document, San Quentin Operational Procedure No. 770.
But, just so the reader is not grossed out about these morbid details, Flap wants you to reflect on the damage done to the four victims of Tookie’s murderous assault over 25 years ago:
Albert Owens
Yen-I Yang
Tsai-Shai Chen Yang
Yu-Chin Yang Lin
On the third day before an execution — today — the chamber will be closed to anyone not cleared by the warden. The lieutenant in charge of the chamber controls the keys.
The chamber is in a self-contained unit at San Quentin. It has two holding cells, in case two executions are scheduled for the same day. There is an officers’ area and a place for witnesses to stand. The unit is cleaned and sanitized daily.
On Sunday, the lieutenant must inventory the equipment and chemicals. Outdated items must be replaced immediately.
On Monday, the 5,500 inmates at San Quentin will stay locked in their cells.
Tookie will receive much better treatment towards his impending death than his victims. In a way it is dignifed in others it is ridiculously politically correct and sublime.
So far, Williams “has not agreed to be a part of any of the normal procedures,” said Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Todd Slosek. The prisoner declined, for example, to specify whether he wanted to be executed by gas or injection. The default method is injection, Slosek said.
On Thursday, when procedure dictated that Williams’ belongings, including a toothbrush, be taken from his cell, he was “upset,” according to Slosek. Officers will return the items if he requests them, but he must give each back when he’s done with it.
Removal of such objects is “a security issue,” Slosek said.
Barbara Becnel, Williams’ close friend and confidant, said it’s a question of dignity; he must even give up his bedding when he wakes in the morning. And when she visited him Thursday, he was shackled, unlike on past visits.
Becnel said the prison has “created a more harsh reality for Stanley Tookie Williams.”
Oh PLEASE…..what about the HARSH REALITY OF DEATH for his victims above.
Tookie has not redeemed himself – this is a BIG CON!
On Monday, one member of the execution team — whose identities remain secret under Procedure 770 — will take possession of the drugs needed to perform it, until the substances are needed or returned unused.
Officers will test the phone lines that run from the execution chamber to the California Supreme Court and the state attorney general’s office. That’s in case a stay is granted, as it was in 1992, after Robert Alton Harris, the first person executed in California after a 25-year gap, had been strapped in the gas chamber.
On Monday, an escort team will strip-search and shackle the prisoner in his cell. Then “the inmate, wearing only underwear, is escorted to the holding cell, where he is retained pending an unclothed body search, which includes a metal detector scan,” says Procedure 770.
The prisoner receives new clothes: undershirt, shorts, socks, blue jeans, blue shirt and canvas slippers. Once clothed and placed back in restraints, the inmate is walked to the elevator and rides down six tiers, to the death-watch cell.
The cell has a bed and mattress, blanket, pillow, heater, radio, television, three sets of state-issued clothes, towels and a chess and checkers set. A lieutenant will tell the inmate that dinner is served at 6 p.m., and introduces the sergeant and two officers who will stand watch throughout Monday evening.
Valium or another relaxant will be available if the inmate requests it and health authorities approve.
The condemned inmate is also allowed “reasonable last requests,” including special food and a choice of radio or television programs. Some inmates refuse last meals; Williams had not ordered one as of Friday.
Robert Lee Massie, executed in 2001, requested well-done fried oysters, french fries, two vanilla milkshakes and soft drinks. Harris’ 1992 meal included Domino’s pizza, KFC chicken and Pepsi.
Two hours before the execution — scheduled for one minute past midnight — the injection team will check that supplies are in place. An hour before the execution, the team readies the tubes and needles.
Visits to Williams will have ended, but the inmate’s attorney can call, and a spiritual advisor, if Williams wants one, can stay with him until 45 minutes before the execution.
The warden will arrive, speak briefly with Williams — perhaps hearing his last words — and direct that witnesses take their places.
There is space for 50 witnesses, whose identities the prison does not reveal. Among them may be five witnesses and two spiritual advisors chosen by the inmate, victims’ family members and reporters. Williams has not requested that any of his own family members or close friends be permitted to witness his execution, should it occur.
If it does, Williams will walk to the death chamber once witnesses are in place. The execution team will strap him to a gurney and connect him intravenously to two bags of saline solution. No member of the San Quentin staff may address team members by name or ask them anything that would require an oral response.
After a final time check, Warden Steven Ornoski will order that the flow of saline cease and be replaced with lethal agents: first, the sedative sodium pentothal, then potassium chloride to paralyze Williams and, finally, pancuronium bromide to stop his heart.
The identity of the person who has inserted the poison will not be revealed. The infusion will continue until the prison doctor pronounces Williams dead. The execution chamber will be shut with a curtain.
“The body shall be removed with care and dignity and placed in a body bag,” says Procedure 770. “The chamber should then be cleaned thoroughly.”
In the meantime at San Quentin:
Stay tuned…….
Previous:
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Los Angeles Councilmembers Urge Calm over Tookie Clemency
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: FATE in the Hands of California Governor Schwarzenegger
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Schwarzenegger Considers Tookie’s Fate
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Scenes from the Clemency Hearing
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: A Question of Mercy @ 10 AM Clemency Hearing?
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Cobb – But That’s Different
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: NAACP Chief Bruce Gordon Champions “CRIPS†Founder
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Political Risks
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Clemency Hearing to Include Claim there were Errors in Trial
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: NOT Afraid to Die
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: A Tookie Store for Conservatives is NOW Open
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Stars rally around Condemned Killer
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: California Supreme Court Refuses to Halt Execution
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: NO REMORSE
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Tookie’s “Human Angelâ€
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Isn’t it The Truth By Cobb
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Schwarzenegger to Hold Private Clemency Hearing
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: California Governor Schwarzenegger MULLS Clemency
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: FLAP Over “Tookie Must Dieâ€
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Jesse Jackson, Bianca Jagger Plead for LIFE
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: SNOOP DOGG BEGS SCHWARZENEGGER FOR CLEMENCY
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: California’s Life-and-Death Politics
Stanley “Tookie†Williams Watch: Death Warrant Signed
Technorati Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stanley Tookie Williams, Crips
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6 Comments
Bob
They should execute that joker Williams on general principles; e.g., being an all around troublemaker, thug and gangster, not to mention a very poor writer. The only thing bothering me about the entire situation is that he was convicted of the above murders on circumstantial evidence alone. It does leave room for doubt, albeit a small one, considering his colorful record.
Nevertheless, you can bet old Arnie will permit William’s scheduled “termination”, sending yet another useless relic of violent sub-humanity to the ranks of the unbreathing for the benefit of all.
On the other hand, maybe they should just bump him off for having a stupid name like “Tookie”, hell, I’d be comfortable with that!
Bob Neville
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Concerned Citizen from Georgia
Stanley Williams has had +50 years to prove his worth on earth. He made sure that the entire world realizes that God does make mistakes. By being an example that a human being ( i use that term loosely ) can be as worthless as camel dung – Williams will soon join the ranks of the dead and worthless despite the efforts of the washed up and drug addicted, has been semi talented actors from Hollywood ( ie Farrell and Glover. ) My only hope is that the afore mentioned actors foot the bill to have “Tookie’s” remains interred at a California Waste Treatment Plant – exactly where his worthless remains belong. Roast in Hell – no one will ever remember you even existed in a few days.
Jada
I believe that by killing Stanley Williams the government has proved to everyone just how barbaric and hypocritical this country really is. I believe that the man is innocent and was convicted and executed only because of the crip gang issue. He really had changed his life and was trying to make a difference for today’s youth. He was making amends by trying to save lives. I have heard that the laws of this country were built on the ten commandments. If this so, then what ever happened to the one that states “Thou shalt not kill”? Murder is murder no matter how it carried out or for whatever reason it was commited. All I know is that we are not here to judge anyone. The real judge is GOD and that is also who forgives all of us, for we are all sinners. But, the main point that I wanted to get across is; What kind of hope do we offer to today’s youth caught up in the gang life now that we have proven to them that no matter how much they change their lives, they will always be looked at in the same negative way? GOD bless Stanley Williams and may he rest in peace.
Carl Yaddow
Hey Jada, Go to a country that you think you will like better please. The whole “redemption” thing was just a sham. He had no better shot than that. He WAS a punk murderer, and the world is a better place now. Your logic “What kind of hope do we offer to dodays youth…” is illogical. The message is do not kill people. Do not start/join murderous gangs.