Lafayette County

Saturday February 24th 11:06.P.M. Lafayette County Jail house.

Brenda Taylor sat in her tiny cell contemplating her situation. She was going to be executed at Midnight for the crime of murder. She sat there trembling in frustration and fear. Anger inside her began to swell. She had been falsely accused in the Woodrow murders over a year ago. The Woodrows were neighbors of her just outside of the town and it was a well-known fact that they didn’t get along. When an unknown assailant brutally murdered the couple, Brenda took the fall and the real killers got away. The small southern town became enraged in this story and was ready to throw the switch on poor Brenda even before the newspapers got to the story. Brenda had a long history of being loose and mischievous. She had a few run ins with the law, but nothing near as serious as murder. She felt betrayed that the whole town wouldn’t give her the time of day to explain herself. She had been fighting for a new trial ever since she was convicted, but it only fell on deaf ears.

And now she found herself the target of the whole town. As her death crawled closer, the tension in the air grew thicker. Outside on the front lawn in front of the courthouse, patrons of the community gathered and mingled among the crowd waiting for the confirmation of her death. This was big town news and had garnered quite a bit of response from the tri county area. Just yesterday, they had shipped in Alabama’s electric chair. It arrived on loan from the Huntsville correctional faculty along with two matrons and a skilled executioner. It had arrived carefully packed away in a giant crate on the back of a semi truck. The generator and accessories were also packed away in an equally sized crate. The whole town gathered as the crate was lifted off the back and brought into the courthouse. They knew what was inside of it. Brenda could see it from the window of her cell. She knew that her fate was drawing close.

They chose an empty room in the back of the courthouse to set up execution quarters. The chair was brought in and bolted to a platform built for this just occasion. That rested in the middle of the room while the executioner situated the high-powered generator about 6 feet from behind the chair. Thick black cables ran down the middle of the floor to the back of the chair where they connected to a copper headpiece and thigh attachment. The chair was gruesome and dark with a tall back. Brown leather straps draped over various parts of the chair and the silver buckles gleamed in the fluorescent lighting. The backrest and seat were padded with black leather. The generator was housed in a big metal container to help cut down on noise. A control box protruded from the top of it and encompassed a variety of knobs and buttons. The executioner explained the process to the officials and instructed them as to how the execution was to take place. The two matrons have helped many women into this chair and they knew exactly how to handle the job. Later a news crew showed up to cover the story and to take a few pictures of the chair.

The matrons visited Brenda the day before her execution and tried their best to explain to her the situation. She felt somewhat comforted by them and put her trust in that they knew what they were doing. She had seen the electric chair in movies and pictures before, but never in a million years did she think she’d ever have to face it.

Saturday February 24th 11:18.P.M. Lafayette County Jail house.

Brenda sat in her jail cell spending her last moments in solitude. She had barely touched any of her last meal and gave a bad attitude to anyone willing to lend her a hand. She was quiet but defiant. She had reused to see the priest and decided to go at this alone. Still, anger towards the town and its justice system swelled strong in her. The matrons came into her cell and prepared her. She slipped into a light blue hospital gown and firm fitting white bra. She was instructed to wear a thin diaper and plastic waterproof panties. It felt awkward, but the matron insisted as the victim may lose control when the juice hits. The executioner readied the generator by clipping a testing device to each of the copper electrodes. He dialed in the correct voltage and flipped the switch. A slight clunking sound popped and then a buzzing sound ensued. He turned off the machine and read the meter that from the testing device.

“20 amps at 20,000 volts. Perfect. I’m ready if you are.” The executioner said.

Saturday February 24th 11:42.P.M. Lafayette County Jail house.

Brenda could hear the footsteps walking down the hall. She knew what they were coming for. She sat upright on the bed and scowled. One of the matrons reached across to hold her hand, but Brenda simply turned away. The judge stood in front of the cell door as one of the guards unlocked it. “Okay Brenda, it’s time to go.” the judge said. One of the matrons reached for Brenda but she resisted. “I can do it myself.” She said as she stood up and smoothed out the front of her gown. “Let’s just get this over with.” Brenda walked out of her cell with the matrons following close by. They made their way down the hall towards the death chamber. Brenda shuffled her feet slightly in nervousness. They reached the door where the guard opened it to reveal the ghastly looking contraption situated in the middle of the room. The executioner stood near the generator wearing a black hood. A few witnesses sat facing the death chair. Brenda was pushed inside and she made her way towards the chair.

Saturday February 24th 11:49.P.M. Lafayette County Jail house.

Brenda paused for a moment to examine the chair that sat in front of her. She was scared now. Suddenly the reality of things began to sink in. She could hear the quiet hum of the generator over the beating of her heart. She felt faint. Her hands began to get clammy and she wiped them on the gown as she turned around to face the witnesses. The matrons bowed their head in anticipation for Brenda to make a few last statements. “I guess we all know why were here. I’m being crucified today. For a crime that I had no part in. I’ve told you that thousands of times. But you’ve labeled me a killer from the start. I’m done fighting with this justice system. You’ve got exactly what you’ve wanted.” She said gazing back and forth over the few witnesses seated before her. “Someday you’ll see what you’ve done is wrong. …And I hope you suffer immensely because of it.”

The two matrons moved forward and grabbed Brenda’s arms to lower her frail body into the gruesome chair. She inched her ass over the seat and sat back against the leather-padded rest. With Brenda starring forward into nothingness, the matrons proceeded to buckle her in. They started by fitting her legs into the indented stockade and strapped the leather belts across the front. Next, they grabbed each wrist and belted the strap tightly against her skin. Brenda started to tremble and shake a little. Another set of straps were attached across her biceps and tightened. After applying two more straps around her torso and upper chest, the matrons went around and pulled slightly on each strap to make sure they were tight enough. Brenda was now completely immobilized by the chair and knew she had only seconds before that deadly voltage coursed through her. A matron reached into a bucket behind the chair and pulled out a saline soaked sponge. After ringing it out, she pressed it firmly on Brenda’s right leg and attached the copper electrode, which buckled, tightly on the back of her calf. She then reached around and grabbed another sponge to place on top of her head. The other matron held her hair back. The copper headpiece was brought down over her skull securing the wet sponge directly on underneath. As the matron bucked the leather straps under her chin, some of the salty water ran down the side of her face. Brenda winced a little bit as the cold water began to soak into her hair. By now, her eyes were speaking of horror. They began to swell with tears as she bit her lower lip. As one of the matrons set in place a leather mouthpiece in front of her face, the other buckled it behind the chair making her head immobile. Only her eyes and nose were now visible. Brenda let out a small squeak and tightly shut her eyes.

“Brenda Taylor. You’ve have been convicted of murder in the first degree and have been sentenced to death by electric chair. No more than a voltage of 20,000 will course through your body until you are dead. May god have mercy on your soul.” the judge read.

A matron stretched a black leather strap across her eyes and continued to tightly buckle it to the back of the chair. All Brenda could see now was total darkness. She heard footsteps walk away from her. It would be soon. The executioner dialed in the voltage and pushed a few buttons on his control panel. He waited for the judge to give the go-ahead. Brenda sat in the chair anticipating the worst. She felt hysterical, but kept it under wraps. She gripped the edge of the armrest in nervousness. The judge nodded toward the executioner where he pulled the switch down to make the connection. A clunking sound hit and all of a sudden an electric buzz rang in everyone’s ears. The voltage was let loose on Brenda and her body tensed up against the leather straps. All of a sudden a bright blue flash ran across her eyes and every muscle began to strain and flex. Her head jerked forward slightly, but the straps kept it firmly in place. Her hands jolted up like she was trying to break free from the chair’s trap. Her knuckles turned white while the rest of her body shook uncontrollably. Her toes curled up and a faint white smoke circled around her calf electrode. Her teeth clenched tight and her jowls tightened as the electricity took a hold of her tiny frame. About 17 seconds later after enduring a hardcore jolt of stinging electricity, the executioner turned the generator off and her lifeless body jerked back against the chair. Brenda’s unconscious body sat there as little pearls of sweat gathered on her skin. The matron stepped forward and checked for a heartbeat. There was one, but too weak for anyone to survive through. The executioner switched the machine on one more tie to deliver another dose of lethal electricity into Brenda. Her body once again jerked hard against the straps and her body shook from the pulsating pain. White smoke started to dance in the air above her head and the electric buzz became a bit louder. Another 17 seconds went by and the executioner once again turned off the switch. After checking her heartbeat once more, the matron pronounced her dead at 12:11.