Murderer and convicted felon Ledell Lee did not simply kill and burglarize his neighbor, Debra Reese, but he repeatedly and gruesomely bludgeoned her with a tire iron a total of 36 times, before leaving the scene to spend the $300 he stole at his leisure.
According the Blaze, he was arrested by police less than an hour later. Now, in the wake of Lee’s execution by chemical means Thursday in Arkansas, the state’s first death by capital punishment since 2005, the full philosophical and legal circus is in effect and highlighted by his bizarre choice to receive Communion as his final meal. Arkansas is one of eleven states that allow capital punishment.
In peeling back the layers of Lee’s ultimate and legal demise by the state, there of course exists the required sentiments and mawkish performance of the defense attorney in admonishing the death sentence and in doing so questioning the morality and authority of the functioning and lawful arm of humanity intentionally taking a life. After stomaching the Hollyweird creation of “Dead Man Walking” featuring neo-libs Sean Bullpenn and Susan Suranwrap in unacceptably and disturbingly transforming the violent perp into a victim, the real life hijinks and futile of the attorney are standard operating procedure in the execution debate.
The other fascinating aspect in the Lee case which reads like a bad script, is the current battle between the state of Arkansas and the pharmaceutical company, McKesson Medical Surgical, Inc., which produces the drug used in the first phase of the three injection process. Supposedly, the drug Midazolam, knocks the subject out and qualifies as a “humane” factor for pundits arguing against capital punishment and pushing for “death with dignity”. However, officials at McKesson are insistent that the heavy sedative, often used as an alternative to Valium, should be administered only for medicinal purposes and claim that in the process of placing an order for the drug, Arkansas Department of Corrections allegedly misrepresented themselves in stating that dosages would be utilized as treatment for inmate patients. With six more executions planned by the state this month, the developing plot is sure to gain more interest and devolve into a complex mess of legalism and multitudinous opinions.
In sticking with Lee’s rather unique choice for a last meal, The Richest.com has compiled a list of 20 of the most startling final prison meals of all-time.
Read the full Blaze article here.