Reader: I witnessed an execution and it was the most disturbing moment of my life

Our post about horribly botched executions, prompted by a lethal injection of convicted killer Joseph Rudolph Wood that dragged on for nearly two hours, inspired passionate responses from readers on the topic of capital punishment. Here the comment of someone speaking from personal experience. See also: Joseph Wood's botched lethal...

By Michael Roberts

July 25, 2014

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Our post about horribly botched executions, prompted by a lethal injection of convicted killer Joseph Rudolph Wood that dragged on for nearly two hours, inspired passionate responses from readers on the topic of capital punishment. Here the comment of someone speaking from personal experience.

Valerie Cates writes:

Lethal injection was supposed to be a "humane execution." And although many of us agree that some of these men deserve no such treatment I have witnessed an execution and it was probably the most disturbing moment of my life. I felt like an accomplice to murder. Even if the person did something to my loved ones I had a terrible time seeing him die. And to have it botched like this, I am not sure any human could have the ability to watch such a thing and be okay with themselves. Now I am probably wrong on that point because there are some pretty angry people out there but I know in my heart that I was not okay with what I saw and it was above board.

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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