Allen Lee Davis
Allen Lee Davis | |
---|---|
Mug shot of Davis | |
Born |
July 20, 1944 Florida |
Died | July 8, 1999 54) | (aged
Cause of death | Electrocution |
Other names | Tiny Davis |
Criminal charge | 3 counts of first-degree murder |
Criminal penalty | Death by Electric Chair |
Killings | |
Victims | Three (four, if unborn child is included) |
Span of killings | May 11, 1982– |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Florida |
Date apprehended | 1982 |
Allen Lee Davis (July 20, 1944 – July 8, 1999) was an American mass murderer executed for the May 11, 1982 Jacksonville, Florida murder of Nancy Weiler, who was three months pregnant at the time. According to reports, Nancy Weiler was "beaten almost beyond recognition" by Davis with a .357 Magnum, and hit over 25 times in the face and head.
He was also convicted of killing Nancy Weiler's two daughters, Kristina (9, shot twice in the face) and Katherine (5, shot as she was trying to run away and then skull beaten in with the gun). Davis was on parole for armed robbery at the time of the murders. He was executed on July 8, 1999. His last meal consisted of one lobster tail, fried potatoes, a half pound of fried shrimp, six ounces of fried clams, half a loaf of garlic bread, and 32 ounces of A&W Root Beer.[1]
Controversy
Davis' execution drew nationwide media attention after he bled profusely from the nose while being electrocuted. Also during his time in the electric chair, Davis suffered burns to his head, leg, and groin area. A Florida Supreme Court justice published photos of the aftermath of the incident in an attempt to argue that the practice of capital punishment via electrocution was outdated, and that any future executions should be carried out through lethal injection.
In 1999, the state of Florida heard a petition from Thomas Harrison Provenzano, another death row inmate, that argued that the electric chair was a cruel and unusual punishment.
Davis was the last Florida inmate killed by the electric chair; beginning in 2000, all subsequent executions were by lethal injection.
References
External links
- ClarkProsecutor.org, Prosecutor's description and photos of execution
- CCADP.org, photos of Allen Lee Davis after his execution
- DC.State.fl.us, Inmate Release Information Detail - Inmate 040174. Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- DC.State.fl.us, August 3, 1999 Order Upholding Constitutionality of the Electric Chair. Florida Department of Corrections (1999-08-03). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- J.J. Maloney, CrimeMagazine.com, The Execution Photos. Crime Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-11-13.