A convicted murderer’s head burst into flames during a botched execution as he was killed using the electric chair. Pedro Medina’s final words were “I am still innocent” before blue and orange flames shot from his face mask.
The Cuban refugee, 39, was sentenced to death for the murder of his neighbour Dorothy James, who died in 1982. When he was finally executed in 1997, his death echoed the iconic scene from The Green Mile where Eduard Delacroix’s head catches fire.
Flames up to a foot long shot from the right side of Medina’s head and flickered for 6 to 10 seconds, filling the execution chamber with smoke. An autopsy later revealed that the current had destroyed Medina’s brain, killing him instantly.
The flames were sparked minutes after 2,000 volts of power were turned on. He was reported to have lurched back in the three-legged oak electric chair – dubbed ‘Old Sparky’ – and clenched his fists when the current hit.
He was pronounced dead four minutes later. The smell of burnt flesh filled the witness room in the Florida State Prison and lingered as observers left two minutes after the execution.
Florida Governor Lawton Chiles said the state would consider other methods of execution after the incident, but it is still in use to this day. Mr Chiles said he was told by the attending doctor that ”the burns were no different than you’d see at any execution and, in his opinion, he felt no pain.”
Attorney General Bob Butterworth said at the time that the death would be a deterrent to crime. He said: ”People who wish to commit murder, they better not do it in the state of Florida because we may have a problem with our electric chair.”
It was the second time an inmate’s mask burst into flame in a Florida execution. After the first incident in 1990, executions were suspended for three months.
Medina was indicted for the murder of Dorothy, who had been gagged, stabbed and left for dead on April 4, 1982. He was arrested for the theft of her car.
During his pretrial confinement, Medina exhibited signs of mental instability, including eating his own feces and was once placed on suicide watch.
He requested a psychiatric examination and was examined by two psychiatrists. Each determined that Medina met the statutory criteria for competence to stand trial, but was pretending to be insane. The trial court found Medina competent to stand trial.