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Atmore, Alabama - May 10, 2022 - During his botched execution that leads to fire, a serial killer on death row saves the life of the sister of one of his victims who was present.
This is not the first time Alabama has failed to carry out a death sentence. But this one will no doubt go down in the grim history of this increasingly rare practice. James S., sentenced to death on March 21, 2014 for the murder of 7 young women was finally scheduled to undergo the death sentence by electrocution. But nothing went as planned.
At the moment of execution, while the whole process was proceeding without incident and the condemned man had not expressed any last words, the executioner, David C. announced that he was refusing to administer the lethal electric shock. He explained that he was tired of killing and that by this gesture of ethical civil disobedience, he was committing himself not to take any more lives, regardless of whether it was a human being or a spider.
The authorities decided in their embarrassment to continue the execution. The show must go on. The warden and the chaplain attempted to trigger the electrocution, but probably set the wrong switches and the control panel exploded and triggered a fire which spread through the building, while also cutting the power to the whole city. Prison officials, the manufacturer of the electric chair and the Southern Company said that such an incident was impossible. Nevertheless, within fifteen minutes, the building was on fire. Even more incomprehensible: the death row inmate was immediately released from his restraints the moment the fire broke out.
All the occupants of the building were evacuated, except for the sister of James S.'s last victim, who was trapped in the toilet where she was vomiting.
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Excerpt from the testimony of James S. interviewed by the police after the fire:
"I was overwhelmed by terror, I closed my eyes and it was as if all the cells in my body were trying to flee from me, I concentrated on holding myself together, to tremble as little as possible, not to piss my pants, I wanted to remain dignified in front of God, despite everything. When I heard the explosion in the room and my bonds were loosened, the first thought that came to me was that the moment of forgiveness had arrived. I thought I was already in the afterlife, I don't know, it's confusing. It wasn't until the smoke started to make me cough that I realized what was happening: the accident, God damn, I wasn't dead, I could hear the screams of people evacuating, the sound of the flames devouring the walls and furniture, I could see the steel melting, I thought to myself, holy shit, you've escaped the electric chair simply to die on the stake, I thought, holy shit. So I did like the others, I wanted to save my skin, but when I got out of the room, I heard this woman screaming in the toilets, behind a fucking wall of flames and smoke. I didn't hesitate, I don't know why, maybe because deep inside I was on borrowed time. We're all on probation, right ? We all have to die one day, and my country had decided that it was today. So I jumped towards the voice, I ran through the flames and crashed against the door of the ladies' bathroom which gave way under my weight. I found myself in front of that chick, the sister, the one who in court screamed her hatred for me. Fuck, I thought, what am I going to do? And she, I don't know, when she saw me, what was going on in her head? I don't really like to think, so I took the girl and I splashed toilet water all over her,and myself. I wrapped my wet shirt around her head to protect her, then I carried her on my back and I said something like "hang on, baby, let's go". She didn't say anything, like it was choosing between the serial killer or death, and one seemed more trustworthy than the other and that was me. We went through the flames and the toxic fumes, I couldn't see a fucking thing, hitting the walls hurt more than burning. When I finally found the exit, I took the chick in my arms, I took off the shirt that was covering her head, she was fucking alive. She was alive and incredibly beautiful. She looked at me like an angel. Petrified. Was I alive? Or was I dead? I don't know anymore. Who was I? I don't know anymore. Where was I? In Sodom and Gomorrah, damn it! What had I done? Well that I knew, fuck yes, I won't forget what I had done. The past and the present are engraved in the world for eternity. Nothing is free on this earth, everything has a price. There is no forgiveness, there is only debt."
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