This Day in History: 4 May 2020
4 May 1990
30 years ago, today, Jesse Tafero was executed in Florida, but his electric chair malfunctioned three times, causing flames to leap from his head. This incident sparked a new debate on the humane methods of execution, resulting in many states ceasing the use of the electric chair, and instead using the lethal injection. Tafero was wrongly convicted for the murders of Highway Patrol officers Phillip Black and his friend, Donald Irwin. These officers were killed during a traffic stop where Tafero, his wife, Sunny Jacobs, and their children were passengers. The driver, Walter Rhodes, confessed to the shooting after Tafero's execution.
The electrocution machine, nicknamed 'Old Sparky', malfunctioned. A member of the execution team had used a synthetic sponge rather than a sea sponge, which is needed to provide a quick death and greater conductivity. The process took seven minutes, and inmates later claimed that Old Sparky was tampered with to make the execution more like torture. This case became a widespread controversy among death penalty opponents. They said that the brutal circumstances of the execution gave reasons as to why it should be abolished. It has been rumoured that Tafero's execution served as inspiration for Stephen King's novel 'The Green Mile'.
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