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What Happens To The Corpses Of Serial Killers?
Have you ever thought about what happens to the bodies of serial killers after they die? It's not your usual story. When someone passes away, it's usually straightforward—they're laid to rest or cremated, with friends and family attending the funeral. But it's a whole different ball game when someone happens to be a death row inmate just executed in the controversial world of capital punishment. When these deadly individuals meet their end, things get very weird. In this video, we will look at what happens to the corpses of serial killers.
What Happens To The Corpses Of Serial Killers?
Have you ever thought about what happens to the bodies of serial killers after they die? It's not your usual story. When someone passes away, it's usually straightforward—they're laid to rest or cremated, with friends and family attending the funeral. But it's a whole different ball game when someone happens to be a death row inmate just executed in the controversial world of capital punishment. When these deadly individuals meet their end, things get very weird. In this video, we will look at what happens to the corpses of serial killers.
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00:00Have you ever thought about what happens to the bodies of serial killers after they die?
00:04It's not your usual story. When someone passes away, it's usually straightforward.
00:08They're laid to rest or cremated, with friends and family attending the funeral.
00:12But it's a whole different ballgame when someone happens to be a death row inmate,
00:16just executed in the controversial world of capital punishment.
00:19When these deadly individuals meet their end, things get very weird.
00:24In this video, we will look at what happens to the corpses of serial killers.
00:28Aileen Wuornos
00:29Aileen Wuornos was born on February 29, 1956, in Rochester, Michigan,
00:35and was destined for a rough journey through life.
00:38Her early years were filled with chaos, instability, and a difficult upbringing.
00:43Wuornos never had the luxury of a stable family environment.
00:47Her parents divorced before she was born,
00:49and her father, Leo Dale Pittman, was incarcerated for sex crimes against children.
00:54Her mother, Diane Wuornos, abandoned her,
00:57leaving Wuornos and her brother to be raised by their grandparents.
01:02Wuornos' childhood was marked by hardship and abuse.
01:06Raised by her alcoholic and abusive grandfather,
01:09she experienced a traumatic upbringing that laid the foundation for her troubled adult life.
01:14School was no refuge either, as she engaged in promiscuous behavior and dropped out.
01:20At the young age of 15, Wuornos became pregnant,
01:24but her troubled circumstances led to her giving the child up for adoption.
01:29As Wuornos navigated adulthood, her life took a dark turn.
01:33Struggling with homelessness and engaging in sex work,
01:36she faced a series of abusive relationships.
01:39Her spiral into criminality escalated when she began a string of murders.
01:43Between 1989 and 1990, Wuornos claimed the lives of seven men,
01:48all of whom she alleged had assaulted her during attempted sexual encounters.
01:53The nature of her crimes sparked a nationwide manhunt.
01:56The authorities closed in on Wuornos in 1991,
01:59apprehending her at a biker bar in Florida.
02:02The nationwide hunt for the notorious female serial killer had come to an end.
02:07Wuornos did not resist arrest,
02:09and, during her interrogation, confessed to the murders,
02:13claiming self-defense.
02:14Her case garnered immense media attention.
02:17Aileen Wuornos faced trial for her heinous crimes,
02:20and her legal defense leaned heavily on the argument of self-defense.
02:24Despite her defense's efforts,
02:26the jury found Wuornos guilty of six of the seven murders.
02:30You sabotaged my ass, society,
02:33and the cops and the system.
02:36A raped woman got executed.
02:40It was used for books and movies and shit.
02:43Running into trouble,
02:44I'd shoot the guy if I ran into trouble.
02:49Physical trouble, the cops knew it.
02:51And she received a death sentence for each.
02:54In January 1992,
02:56Aileen Wuornos was sentenced to death.
02:58The gravity of her crimes,
03:00coupled with the media frenzy surrounding the case,
03:03solidified her place in the annals of criminal history
03:06as one of the few female serial killers on death row.
03:10Wuornos spent over a decade on death row,
03:12maintaining her innocence while grappling with the notoriety that surrounded her case.
03:16I robbed him, and I killed him as cold as ice.
03:20And I'd do it again, too.
03:22And I know I'd kill another person,
03:23because I've hated humans for a long time.
03:26It's no sense in keeping me alive,
03:29because I just would absolutely kill again.
03:32And I've got too much anger,
03:34too much hatred in me.
03:36Let's say the cops were following you.
03:38Yeah?
03:38Let's say they were following you,
03:39and they did everything that you're saying they did.
03:42Uh-huh.
03:42Nonetheless,
03:43Yeah.
03:44You killed seven men.
03:46Yes, you did.
03:46And I'm asking you,
03:47what got you to kill the seven men?
03:48And I'm telling you,
03:49because the cops let me keep killing them, Nick.
03:51Don't you get it?
03:52Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002.
03:57She passed on the usual extravagant options for her last meal,
04:00and chose a simple cup of coffee,
04:03keeping it under $20.
04:04Her final words were,
04:06Yes, I would just like to say I'm sailing with the rock,
04:08and I'll be back like Independence Day with Jesus.
04:11June 6th, like the movie.
04:13Big mothership and all.
04:15I'll be back.
04:16I'll be back.
04:17She passed away at 9.47 a.m.,
04:19becoming the second woman in Florida,
04:21and the tenth in the United States,
04:23to be executed since the 1976 Supreme Court decision
04:27reinstating capital punishment.
04:30Following her death,
04:31Wuornos' body was cremated,
04:32and her ashes were scattered beneath a tree in her native Michigan
04:36by her childhood friend, Dawn Botkins.
04:39At Wuornos' request,
04:41Natalie Merchant's song,
04:42Carnival,
04:43from the album Tiger Lily played at her funeral,
04:46it was a fitting choice,
04:48as Wuornos had spent many hours listening to this album
04:51during her time on death row.
04:52Ted Bundy
04:54Ted Bundy was a name that struck fear
04:56into the hearts of many during the 1970s.
04:59Ted Bundy was born Theodore Robert Bundy
05:02on November 24th, 1946,
05:06in Burlington, Vermont.
05:07He grew up in Tacoma, Washington,
05:09and was raised by his grandparents.
05:12Bundy grew up initially unaware of the societal judgment
05:15that came with being born out of wedlock.
05:17He believed his grandparents were his parents,
05:20and his mother was his sister.
05:21A secret kept to avoid social stigma.
05:24To the outside world,
05:26Bundy appeared like any other young man.
05:28He was intelligent and charming,
05:30and exuded a certain charisma
05:32that masked the lurking viciousness within.
05:35By most accounts,
05:36Bundy's childhood appeared unremarkable.
05:39He excelled academically,
05:40displaying a keen intellect and friendly demeanor.
05:43Bundy attended the University of Washington,
05:46and eventually became involved in politics.
05:48His seemingly ordinary facade
05:50masked a growing compulsion toward heinous acts.
05:53In 1974, at the age of 27,
05:57Bundy began his killing spree.
05:59His preferred victims were young,
06:01alluring college women in Washington,
06:03eventually expanding his hunting grounds
06:05to Utah, Colorado, and Florida.
06:08His modus operandi evolved from breaking into homes
06:11to more elaborate schemes.
06:13Bundy would feign injuries,
06:14use crutches or casts to gain sympathy,
06:17then lure victims to his car
06:19before unleashing his horrific desires.
06:21Other times,
06:22he would pose as a fireman or police officer
06:25and arrest the victim.
06:26Bundy's charm and good looks
06:28facilitated the luring of victims
06:30to secluded spots.
06:31In some cases,
06:33Bundy would take the corpses home
06:34to satisfy his necrophilic desires.
06:37He confessed to using a hacksaw
06:39to decapitate some victims,
06:41displaying their heads in his apartment
06:42before disposal.
06:44The exact count of Bundy's victims
06:46remains uncertain,
06:47with estimates varying from around 30
06:50to potentially higher.
06:51Bundy managed to evade authorities
06:53for a prolonged period
06:54due to his seemingly normal life.
06:57His involvement in charity work,
06:59law school degree,
07:00and political activism
07:01allowed him to stay under the radar.
07:03Bundy was first arrested on August 16, 1975,
07:07but he was released
07:08due to a lack of concrete evidence.
07:10He was later arrested in Utah
07:12and sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1976.
07:16Despite his imprisonment,
07:18Bundy escaped twice,
07:20continuing his killing spree in Florida.
07:22He was recaptured in 1978
07:24after a traffic violation.
07:26This arrest set in motion
07:27a series of events
07:28that led to his eventual capture.
07:30Bundy's trial was a media spectacle.
07:33His charm and intelligence
07:34were on full display,
07:36often creating a bizarre courtroom atmosphere.
07:38Despite mounting evidence
07:40in the testimonies of survivors,
07:42Bundy attempted to represent himself
07:44during the trial.
07:45Ultimately,
07:46he was found guilty
07:47of multiple counts of murder in Florida,
07:49which resulted in death sentences.
07:51I grew up in a wonderful home
07:54with two dedicated and loving parents,
07:57one of five brothers and sisters.
08:01A home where we as children
08:03were the focus of my parents' lives,
08:06where we regularly attended church.
08:08Two Christian parents who did not drink,
08:11they did not smoke,
08:12there was no gambling,
08:13there was no physical abuse
08:15or fighting in the home.
08:16That basically,
08:18I was a normal person.
08:21I wasn't some guy
08:23hanging out at bars or a bum.
08:26I wasn't a pervert
08:28in the sense that, you know,
08:29people look at somebody and say,
08:30I know there's something wrong with him
08:32and just tell.
08:32I mean,
08:33I was essentially a normal person.
08:36I had good friends.
08:37I lived a normal life
08:40except for this one small
08:44but very potent
08:45and very destructive segment of it
08:47that I kept very secret
08:48and very close to myself
08:49and didn't let anybody know about it.
08:51And part of the shock and horror
08:53from my dear friends and family
08:55years ago when I was first arrested
08:57was that they just,
08:58there was no clue.
09:00They looked at me
09:00and they looked at the, you know,
09:02the all-American boy.
09:04And it happens,
09:05it happened in stages.
09:07Gradually.
09:08It doesn't necessarily,
09:10not to me at least,
09:11happen overnight.
09:12My experience with,
09:13I say pornography generally,
09:16but with pornography
09:17that deals on a violent level
09:19with the sexuality
09:21is that once you become addicted to it,
09:26and I look at this
09:26as a kind of addiction,
09:28like an addiction,
09:29you keep craving something
09:30which is harder,
09:31harder,
09:32something which gives you
09:34a greater sense of,
09:36of excitement
09:38until you reach the point
09:40where the pornography
09:41only goes so far.
09:42You reach
09:44that jumping off point
09:46where you begin to wonder
09:48if maybe actually doing it
09:50will give you
09:52that which is beyond
09:53just reading about it
09:54or looking at it.
09:55Bundy was executed
09:56in the Rayford electric chair
09:58at 7.16 a.m.
09:59on Tuesday,
10:00January 24th,
10:021989.
10:03His final words
10:04were for his attorney,
10:05Jim Coleman,
10:06and Methodist minister,
10:08Fred Lawrence.
10:09Jim and Fred,
10:10I'd like you to give my love
10:11to my family and friends.
10:13As the execution took place,
10:15hundreds of people
10:16gathered nearby,
10:17singing,
10:18dancing,
10:19and even setting off fireworks
10:20in a field across
10:21from the prison.
10:22They even cheered
10:23as Bundy's body
10:24was taken away
10:25in a white hearse.
10:26Afterward,
10:27he was cremated
10:28in Gainesville
10:29and his ashes
10:30were scattered
10:30in the Cascade Range
10:32of Washington State
10:33in line with his wishes.
10:35Robert Alton Harris
10:36Robert Alton Harris,
10:38born on January 15th, 1953,
10:41in Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
10:43had a troubled upbringing
10:44marked by abuse
10:45and run-ins with the law.
10:47His father, Kenneth,
10:49an army sergeant,
10:50and his alcoholic mother,
10:51Evelyn,
10:52created a troubling environment.
10:54Reports suggest
10:55that Robert suffered
10:56from fetal alcohol syndrome
10:58and was the target
10:59of abuse from his father,
11:00who believed Robert
11:02was the result of an affair.
11:03Because of this suspicion,
11:05Robert's father
11:06physically abused
11:07his pregnant wife,
11:08leading to a premature birth.
11:10The troubled upbringing
11:10set the stage
11:11for a concerning life.
11:13The family moved
11:14to Visalia, California,
11:15in 1962,
11:17but Kenneth's
11:17repeated incarcerations
11:19for sexually abusing
11:20his daughters
11:20forced them into
11:22a transient life
11:23around the San Joaquin Valley.
11:24Robert's early brushes
11:26with the law
11:26began at age 13,
11:28when he spent four months
11:30in Juvenile Hall
11:31for stealing a car.
11:32The juvenile detention experience
11:34included repeated
11:35instances of sexual assault.
11:37In 1967,
11:39Evelyn abandoned
11:4014-year-old Robert
11:41in Sacramento,
11:42leaving him
11:43to fend for himself.
11:44After living
11:45with relatives
11:46in Oklahoma,
11:47Robert found himself
11:48in the Florida
11:49juvenile detention system,
11:51spending three years there.
11:52His troubled path
11:53led him to
11:54Chula Vista, California,
11:56where he married
11:57in 1973
11:57and had a son.
11:59However,
12:00his violent tendencies
12:01resurfaced in 1975
12:03when he beat
12:03a man to death,
12:05claiming it was
12:05to protect
12:06the man's wife.
12:07Paroled in January 1978,
12:10Harris,
12:11now 25,
12:12sought his brother
12:13Daniel's help
12:14with a bank robbery plan.
12:16The brothers,
12:17aware they needed firepower,
12:18stole two guns
12:19from a neighbor's house
12:20on July 2nd.
12:22Over the next two days,
12:23they purchased ammunition,
12:25meticulously planning
12:26their ill-fated venture.
12:28On July 5th, 1978,
12:30they initiated
12:31a practice session
12:32near Miramar Lake
12:33involving two
12:34unsuspecting teenagers.
12:36The Harris brothers
12:37abducted two 16-year-old boys,
12:40John Mayeski
12:40and Michael Baker,
12:42in San Diego.
12:43The victims,
12:44friends planning
12:45a day of fishing,
12:46were forced to drive
12:47to Miramar Lake,
12:48where Robert callously
12:49shot them on their knees.
12:51The brothers,
12:52seemingly unfazed
12:53by this heinous act,
12:54proceeded with
12:55their robbery plans.
12:56After stealing
12:57the victim's car,
12:58they successfully robbed
12:59the Miramar Mesa branch
13:00of the San Diego Trust
13:02and Savings Bank
13:03and made away
13:03with $2,000.
13:05The brothers then
13:06used the stolen car
13:07as a getaway vehicle
13:08for a bank robbery.
13:09Their fatal mistake?
13:11Parking the stolen car
13:12in their garage,
13:13leading the police
13:14straight to them.
13:15Within hours
13:15of the robbery,
13:17the authorities
13:17stormed their house,
13:18and Robert and Daniel
13:20were apprehended.
13:21Among the arresting officers
13:22was Stephen Baker,
13:24father of one
13:24of their victims,
13:26unaware of the tragedy
13:27that had befallen his son.
13:29Since his death,
13:3035 states
13:31and the federal government
13:32have reinstated
13:33the death penalty.
13:34The gas chamber
13:35was first introduced
13:36in California in 1938.
13:38On March 6, 1979,
13:41the San Diego County
13:42Superior Court
13:43convicted Robert Harris
13:44of two counts
13:45of first-degree murder
13:47and two counts
13:48of kidnapping.
13:48He received
13:49a death sentence,
13:50while his brother Daniel
13:51was sentenced
13:52to six years
13:53for kidnapping.
13:54Robert's appeals
13:55for clemency
13:56were rejected,
13:57and despite
13:57a temporary reprieve
13:59granted by the United States
14:00Court of Appeals,
14:02the Supreme Court
14:02reinstated his death sentence
14:04in 1984.
14:05The execution
14:06was scheduled
14:07for April 21, 1992,
14:09at 12.01 a.m.
14:11However,
14:11a series of stays
14:12from different judges
14:13delayed it until 6.01 a.m.
14:15For his last meal,
14:17Robert requested
14:17a bucket of Kentucky
14:18fried chicken,
14:19two large pizzas,
14:21and ice cream.
14:21In the early hours
14:23of April 21, 1992,
14:25he was escorted
14:26to the gas chamber.
14:28At 6.07 a.m.,
14:30the execution order
14:31was given,
14:31and by 6.21 a.m.,
14:34Robert Alton Harris
14:35was pronounced dead.
14:36Not even two hours later,
14:38his body was removed
14:39from the chamber,
14:40then from the prison grounds
14:41to a funeral home
14:42by 8.15 a.m.
14:44His last words were,
14:46You can be a king
14:47or a street sweeper,
14:48but everybody dances
14:49with the Grim Reaper,
14:50which is believed
14:51to be a line
14:52from a 1992 film
14:54titled
14:54Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey.
14:57John Wayne Gacy
14:58John Wayne Gacy
14:59was born on March 17, 1942.
15:03He earned notoriety
15:04as an American serial killer
15:05and sex offender,
15:07infamous for his heinous acts
15:09committed in Norwood Park Township
15:10near Chicago, Illinois.
15:12Known as the Killer Clown,
15:14Gacy's chilling acts
15:15involved the sexual assaults,
15:17torture,
15:18and murder of at least
15:1933 young men and boys.
15:22Gacy's troubled upbringing
15:23played a role in his dark path.
15:25Born to John Stanley Gacy
15:27and Marion Elaine Robison,
15:29he had a conflicting relationship
15:30with his father,
15:31who was verbally
15:32and physically abusive.
15:34Despite a close bond
15:35with his mother and sisters,
15:37Gacy struggled under his father's
15:39harsh treatment and accusations.
15:41Medical issues further marked
15:43Gacy's childhood.
15:44A heart condition restricted him
15:46from sports,
15:47and blackouts plagued him
15:48from the fourth grade.
15:50Hospitalizations,
15:51including one for a burst appendix
15:53in 1957,
15:55impacted his education,
15:56leading to a decline in grades.
15:58Despite a traumatic upbringing,
16:00Gacy initially found success,
16:02marrying and moving to Iowa.
16:04However, his criminal descent
16:06began in the 1960s
16:07with sexual harassment,
16:09leading to a 10-year conviction
16:11for sodomizing two boys.
16:12After 18 months in prison
16:14and a divorce in 1976,
16:17Gacy moved to Chicago,
16:18where he built a successful
16:19construction business,
16:21presenting an image
16:22of a model citizen.
16:23Yet, beneath the facade,
16:25he resumed his criminal activities,
16:27escalating to sexual assault,
16:29rape,
16:30and cold-blooded murder.
16:31Using various tactics,
16:33including posing as a clown
16:34named Pogo,
16:35he lured victims to his home,
16:37where he committed heinous acts,
16:39often ending in asphyxiation.
16:41The rope trick is not,
16:43the way I've described the rope trick
16:44is it's nothing more than a tourniquet.
16:47And I had explained it to them,
16:48I even demonstrated it to them.
16:50It would cut off the air.
16:52So if you're gonna kill somebody,
16:53you just put it on their neck
16:55and twist it three times
16:56or four times or whatever,
16:57until the person stopped moving.
16:59The investigation into Gacy
17:01started in December 1978,
17:04nearly a decade after his crime spree began.
17:06The police arrested him
17:07on December 22, 1978.
17:10Following the disappearance
17:11of a 15-year-old boy,
17:13Gacy eventually confessed
17:14to murdering around 30 young boys.
17:17The investigation uncovered
17:18the remains of 29 victims
17:20buried under his house.
17:22During the trial,
17:23Gacy faced 33 counts of murder,
17:25sexual assault,
17:27and indecent liberties with a child.
17:29His oldest victim was 21 years old,
17:32and his youngest was 14 years old.
17:35The jury took less than two hours
17:37to find him guilty on all counts,
17:39setting a record
17:40for the most murder convictions
17:41in U.S. history.
17:43Gacy was sentenced to death
17:45for each murder.
17:46On death row
17:47at Menard Correctional Center,
17:49Gacy turned to art
17:51and granted interviews
17:52to journalist Russ Ewing.
17:54In 1983,
17:56fellow inmate Henry Brisbane
17:57stabbed Gacy.
17:58He received treatment in prison
18:00and somehow survived.
18:02Gacy filed several appeals
18:04citing issues like the validity
18:05of search warrants,
18:07but none of them were successful.
18:09I have a lot of things
18:11that I've forgotten
18:11that I can't remember.
18:12For instance,
18:13I can go back to my childhood
18:15and stuff and I still remember that,
18:16but yet I can go into the 70s
18:19and there are a lot of things
18:20I can't remember.
18:21The same thing with the victims.
18:22I've looked at all of,
18:24I don't know if you notice here,
18:25we've got pictures
18:26of every one of the victims here
18:27and believe it or not,
18:28for the last 12 years,
18:29I've studied these photos
18:30of these victims
18:32and there is no,
18:36we have a shot
18:37of all of the victims together here
18:40and when you look over
18:41at the photos,
18:42I have no recollection
18:43of any of them.
18:44Never met them
18:45and we've gone over this
18:47more than once.
18:47They're just names and faces
18:49and when you look at them,
18:54the thing of it is,
18:55we took it a step further.
18:56We went into their backgrounds.
18:58I wanted to know
18:58where they were at,
18:59what schools they attended,
19:01who they hung out with
19:03and what kind of activities
19:05they were into
19:05and that's what we dug up
19:07on each one of the victims
19:08but still there is no association.
19:11None of them never worked for me.
19:13None of them,
19:14they never went to any places
19:16that I ever hung around
19:17because I didn't hang around
19:18that many places
19:19unless you were involved
19:19in politics
19:21or if you were involved
19:22in clowning,
19:23then I might have ran into you
19:24but there's no way
19:25I could have run...
19:25The Supreme Court of Illinois
19:27upheld Gacy's conviction in 1984,
19:30setting an execution date
19:31for November 14, 1984.
19:34Appeals continued
19:35until the U.S. Supreme Court
19:37denied the final appeal
19:38in October 1993.
19:40On May 9, 1994,
19:42Gacy was transferred
19:43to Stateville Correctional Center
19:45for execution,
19:47having spent 14 years
19:48on death row.
19:49The execution,
19:51marred by technical difficulties,
19:53took 18 minutes.
19:54Gacy's last meal
19:55included KFC,
19:57shrimp,
19:57and strawberries.
19:59Despite his diagnosed psychopathy,
20:01Gacy showed no remorse.
20:03After his death,
20:05Gacy's brain was removed
20:06and kept by Helen Morrison,
20:08a defense witness at his trial.
20:10For research on serial killers'
20:12common traits,
20:13his body was cremated.
20:15Victor Harry Fager
20:16Victor Harry Fager
20:17was born in 1935.
20:19He grew up as a drifter
20:21from Michigan.
20:22In the summer of 1960,
20:24he landed in Dubuque, Iowa,
20:26renting a room
20:26in a run-down boarding house.
20:28Fager's actions
20:29transcended the realms
20:30of ordinary criminality.
20:32His method,
20:33a chilling ruse
20:34involving random calls
20:35to physicians,
20:36eventually leading him
20:37to Dr. Edward Bartles.
20:39Under the guise
20:40of a medical emergency,
20:42Fager lured the unsuspecting doctor
20:44to his doom in Illinois.
20:45Bartles' life ended
20:47with a single gunshot,
20:48his body abandoned
20:49in a desolate cornfield.
20:51Authorities believed
20:52that Fager's motive
20:53was to access any drugs
20:55Bartles might have carried.
20:56Fager was caught
20:57in Birmingham, Alabama,
20:59attempting to sell Bartles' car,
21:01thanks to a tip-off
21:02to the FBI.
21:03He claimed he was innocent
21:04and said a Chicago drug addict
21:06was the true culprit,
21:08but no evidence
21:09supported this claim.
21:10After a trial and conviction
21:12in federal court,
21:13Fager received a death sentence.
21:16He appealed,
21:16but all of them fell through,
21:19leaving President John F. Kennedy
21:20as the last hope for clemency.
21:22Despite efforts
21:23from Iowa's anti-capital punishment,
21:26Governor Harold Hughes
21:27and Fager's attorney,
21:28Kennedy upheld the sentence
21:30due to the brutality
21:31of the crime.
21:32Fager awaited his fate
21:33at Leavenworth
21:34before being transferred
21:35to Iowa for execution.
21:37On March 5, 1963,
21:40he reached Iowa State Penitentiary's
21:42death row,
21:43spending his last 10 days
21:44in quiet acceptance,
21:46earning praise
21:47as a model prisoner.
21:49Fager requested
21:49a single olive
21:50with its pit
21:51for his final meal,
21:52expressing a wish for peace
21:54symbolized by an olive tree
21:55growing from his grave.
21:57His execution day
21:58saw him spending
21:59a night-long vigil
22:00with a priest
22:00clad in a new suit.
22:02Fewer was executed
22:03by hanging.
22:04Witnesses included
22:05a journalist
22:05and a member
22:06of the Iowa
22:07House of Representatives,
22:08whose experience
22:09fueled efforts
22:10to abolish
22:10the state's
22:11death penalty.
22:12Post-execution,
22:13authorities found
22:14the olive pit
22:15in Fager's suit.
22:16His cause of death
22:17was listed as
22:18Execution Fracture
22:20Cervical Spinal Column
22:21on the death certificate.
22:23Fewer was buried
22:24in an unmarked grave
22:25in Fort Madison City Cemetery,
22:27adorned in another
22:28new suit
22:29provided for his burial.
22:31We can only hope
22:32that they had,
22:33at least,
22:34put the olive pit
22:35in the new suit.
22:37Fager's execution
22:38marked the end
22:38of capital punishment
22:39in Iowa
22:40for nearly four decades
22:42until Timothy McVeigh's
22:43execution in 2001.
22:45Timothy James McVeigh
22:47Timothy McVeigh
22:48was born in 1968
22:50in Lockport, New York.
22:52He was raised
22:52by his father
22:53after his parents' divorce
22:54when he was 10.
22:55As a youngster,
22:57he found solace
22:58in a world
22:58where he fantasized
22:59about standing up
23:00to bullies.
23:01Shy and withdrawn,
23:02he struggled
23:03to impress girls.
23:04McVeigh's interest
23:05in computers
23:06bloomed in his school years,
23:07leading to
23:08hacking escapades
23:09on his Commodore 64
23:10under the pseudonym
23:12The Wanderer.
23:13Despite being named
23:14Most Promising Computer Programmer
23:16in his senior year,
23:17his academic performance
23:19remained modest.
23:20His fascination
23:21with firearms
23:22began during high school,
23:23nurtured by his grandfather.
23:25Post-graduation,
23:26he harbored dreams
23:27of becoming a gun shop owner,
23:29immersing himself
23:30in gun rights
23:31and the Second Amendment.
23:32The turning point
23:33came when he enlisted
23:34in the U.S. Army
23:35in 1988.
23:36McVeigh's military journey
23:38revealed his obsession
23:39with firearms,
23:40leading to friendships
23:41with like-minded individuals,
23:43including Terry Nichols.
23:45Stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas,
23:47McVeigh's prowess
23:48with the 25mm cannon
23:50earned him promotions
23:51and accolades
23:52during Operation Desert Storm.
23:54However,
23:55his interest
23:56in Special Forces
23:57waned,
23:57and he left the Army
23:59in 1991.
24:00Post-service,
24:02McVeigh drifted,
24:03living with friends
24:04and harboring
24:05anti-government sentiments.
24:06He immersed himself
24:07in gambling,
24:08facing financial woes
24:10and grappling with rejection
24:11in his personal life.
24:13His anger towards
24:14the government
24:15intensified
24:16due to financial disputes
24:17and alleged microchip
24:19implantation fears.
24:20He saw the government
24:21as the ultimate bully.
24:23Failed romantic pursuits
24:25and financial woes
24:26frustrated McVeigh,
24:27and he quickly became
24:28anti-government.
24:30The anger brewed
24:31into a deadly plan.
24:32In April 1995,
24:34McVeigh executed
24:35the infamous
24:36Oklahoma City bombing,
24:37a devastating act
24:38of domestic terrorism
24:39that claimed 168 lives,
24:42including children.
24:43During his trial in 1997,
24:45McVeigh was found guilty
24:47on 11 federal counts,
24:49including the use
24:49of a weapon
24:50of mass destruction.
24:51The jury recommended
24:52the death penalty,
24:54emphasizing the severity
24:55of his actions.
24:56Incarcerated at USP
24:58Terehote in Indiana,
25:00McVeigh showed remorse
25:01for the victims,
25:02but remained resolute
25:04about his actions.
25:05McVeigh's appeals
25:06delayed his execution,
25:08but after 1999,
25:10McVeigh dropped his appeals,
25:12expressing a preference
25:13for death
25:14over life imprisonment.
25:15He eventually faced
25:16lethal injection
25:17on June 11, 2001,
25:20making him the first
25:21federal prisoner
25:22executed since 1963.
25:24President Bill Clinton
25:26had signed legislation
25:27preventing his burial
25:28in a military cemetery.
25:30McVeigh had contemplated
25:31scattering his remains
25:32at the bombing site,
25:33but he ultimately
25:34chose against it,
25:36citing it as too cold
25:37and vengeful.
25:38His wish to donate organs
25:40couldn't be fulfilled
25:41due to prison regulations.
25:43After McVeigh's death,
25:44his body was cremated,
25:46and the ashes
25:47were handed to his lawyer,
25:48but his final resting place
25:49remained undisclosed.
25:51Ronnie Lee Gardner
25:52Ronnie Gardner was born
25:54on January 16, 1961,
25:57in Salt Lake City, Utah,
25:59and had a tumultuous childhood
26:00marked by family instability
26:02and early exposure
26:03to a life of crime.
26:05The youngest of seven children,
26:07Gardner's father
26:07left the household
26:08when he was a toddler,
26:10leading to his mother's
26:11struggles in raising him.
26:12At 18 months old,
26:14Gardner was found malnourished
26:15and wandering the streets alone.
26:17His relationship
26:18with his father was strained,
26:20with doubts
26:20about his paternity,
26:22and Gardner often faced abuse
26:23from his siblings.
26:25Gardner was raised
26:26by an older sister
26:27and claimed to endure
26:28sexual abuse
26:29within the family.
26:30By the age of 10,
26:32he was entangled
26:32in a world of drugs
26:33and alcohol,
26:34having already faced
26:35juvenile detention
26:36for stealing cowboy boots.
26:38Gardner's early life
26:40was marred by instability,
26:41and he even resorted
26:42to running away
26:43and seeking refuge
26:44in a hobo camp
26:46with his sister.
26:47Amidst the chaos,
26:48Gardner's mother
26:49remarried Bill Lucas,
26:51who had a criminal history.
26:52Gardner admired Lucas,
26:54who involved his step-sons
26:55in criminal activities.
26:57Despite the troubled environment,
26:59Gardner considered this period
27:00the most stable in his life.
27:02However,
27:03his adolescence
27:04was fraught
27:04with juvenile detention
27:05and involuntary commitments
27:07to mental health institutions,
27:09including Utah State Hospital.
27:11Gardner's criminal record
27:13began to take shape,
27:14marked by a 1981 escape
27:16from Utah State Prison's
27:17maximum security unit.
27:19During his escape attempt,
27:20he was shot in the neck
27:22while trying to kill a man
27:23he believed
27:24had assaulted his partner.
27:25In 1984,
27:27Gardner escaped custody again,
27:28faking an illness,
27:30assaulting an officer,
27:31and fleeing on a motorcycle.
27:33This escape set the stage
27:34for a series of violent crimes
27:36that would follow.
27:37On the night of October 9, 1984,
27:40under the influence of cocaine,
27:42Gardner robbed
27:43Cheers Tavern
27:44in Salt Lake City,
27:45resulting in the fatal shooting
27:47of bartender
27:47Melvin John Otterstrom.
27:50Gardner's criminal spree
27:51continued with a failed attempt
27:52to escape custody
27:53during his trial in 1985,
27:56where he shot and killed
27:57attorney Michael Burdell.
27:58Convicted of two counts of murder,
28:00Gardner received a life sentence
28:02for the first count
28:03and the death penalty
28:04for the second.
28:05His troubled upbringing
28:06became a focal point
28:07during a series of appeals,
28:09with defense attorneys
28:10presenting evidence
28:11of a difficult childhood
28:12spent in and out of institutions.
28:15Despite efforts
28:16to commute his death sentence,
28:17Gardner's execution
28:18proceeded on June 18, 2010,
28:21at Utah State Prison.
28:22His choice of execution
28:24by firing squad
28:25drew media attention,
28:27being the first such execution
28:28in the United States
28:29in 14 years.
28:31The event reignited
28:32debates on capital punishment
28:34and Gardner's trajectory
28:35from a troubled childhood
28:37to a life of violence.
28:39His brother Randy Gardner
28:40emerged as a vocal opponent
28:42of the death penalty,
28:43using Ronnie's prison jumpsuit
28:45as a symbol
28:46in anti-death penalty demonstrations.
28:48Following his execution,
28:50Gardner's body was cremated.
28:52His ashes were released
28:54to his daughter,
28:55as per his request,
28:57Carla Faye Tucker.
28:58Carla Tucker was born
28:59into a troubled family
29:00on November 18, 1959,
29:03in Houston, Texas.
29:04Carla was the youngest
29:05of three sisters,
29:07born to a longshoreman father
29:08named Larry.
29:09Carla faced early challenges.
29:12She started smoking cigarettes
29:13at the tender age of eight,
29:15a habit she picked up
29:16alongside her sisters
29:17during her parents'
29:18troubled marriage.
29:19As her parents went through
29:20a contentious divorce
29:21when she was 10,
29:23Tucker discovered
29:23the unsettling truth
29:25that her birth resulted
29:26from an extramarital affair.
29:28By the age of 12,
29:30she delved into drugs
29:31and engaged in relationships.
29:33The descent continued
29:34as she dropped out of school
29:35at 14,
29:36following her mother,
29:37Carolyn,
29:38a rock groupie,
29:39into a world of prostitution.
29:41Her journey intertwined
29:43with the Allman Brothers Band,
29:44the Marshall Tucker Band,
29:46and the Eagles
29:47as she traveled with them.
29:48In her early 20s,
29:49Tucker's path crossed
29:50with bikers,
29:52introducing her to a couple,
29:53Sean Dean and Jerry Lynn Dean,
29:55who played pivotal roles
29:56in her life.
29:58In 1981,
29:58she met a man named
30:00Daniel Ryan Garrett,
30:01and at the age of 21,
30:03Tucker started dating
30:04the 35-year-old Garrett.
30:06The night of June 13, 1983,
30:09marked a horrible turn.
30:10After a weekend of drug use,
30:13Tucker and Garrett
30:13entered Jerry Dean's apartment
30:15with the intent
30:16to steal a motorcycle.
30:18The burglary escalated
30:19into a brutal attack on Dean,
30:21with Garrett striking him
30:22with a ball-peen hammer
30:23and Tucker delivering fatal blows
30:25with a three-foot pickaxe.
30:27Garrett left the room again
30:29to keep moving Dean's motorcycle parts
30:31into his Ford Ranchero.
30:33Tucker, once more alone in the room,
30:35then noticed a woman
30:35hidden under the bed
30:36covers against the wall.
30:38This woman,
30:39Deborah Ruth Thornton,
30:40had argued with her husband
30:41the day before,
30:43attended a party,
30:43and ended up spending
30:44the night in Dean's bed.
30:46When Tucker discovered Thornton,
30:48she lightly grazed her shoulder
30:49with the pickaxe.
30:50A struggle ensued
30:51between Thornton and Tucker,
30:53but Garrett returned,
30:54separating them.
30:55Tucker then proceeded
30:56to repeatedly strike Thornton
30:58with the pickaxe,
30:59ultimately embedding the axe
31:00in her heart.
31:01Shockingly,
31:02Tucker later told People
31:04and testified
31:04that she experienced
31:05intense orgasms
31:07with each blow of the pickaxe.
31:09The following morning,
31:10one of Dean's co-workers,
31:11who had been waiting for a ride,
31:13entered the apartment
31:14and found the victim's bodies.
31:16The police investigation
31:17led to the arrests
31:18of Tucker and Garrett,
31:20five weeks after
31:21the horrific killings.
31:22The trial began
31:23in September 1983,
31:25resulting in Tucker's conviction
31:26for the murders.
31:27Despite testifying
31:28against Garrett,
31:29she received a death sentence,
31:31sharing the grim fate
31:32with her accomplice.
31:33While waiting on death row,
31:35Tucker stayed
31:36in the Mountain View unit
31:37in Gatesville, Texas.
31:39On February 2, 1998,
31:42state authorities
31:42moved Tucker
31:43from the Gatesville unit
31:44to the Huntsville unit.
31:46For her final meal,
31:47Tucker asked for a banana,
31:49a peach,
31:49and a garden salad
31:50with ranch dressing.
31:52She chose four people
31:53to witness her execution,
31:55her sister Carrie Weeks,
31:56her husband Dana Brown,
31:58her close friend Jackie Unkin,
32:00and Ronald Carlson.
32:01Notably, Carlson,
32:03who had once supported
32:04the execution,
32:06changed his stance
32:07after a religious conversion
32:08and became opposed
32:09to all executions.
32:11Witnesses for the murder victims
32:13included Thornton's husband Richard,
32:15Thornton's only child,
32:17William Joseph Davis,
32:18and Thornton's stepdaughter Katie.
32:20Tucker's execution
32:21was also observed
32:22by members of the Texas
32:23Department of Criminal Justice,
32:25Warden Baggett,
32:26and various media representatives.
32:29Her final words were,
32:30Yes, sir.
32:31I would like to say
32:32to all of you,
32:33the Thornton family,
32:34and Jerry Deans family,
32:36that I am so sorry.
32:38I hope God will give you
32:39peace with this.
32:40To her husband,
32:41Baby,
32:42I love you.
32:43To Ronald Carlson,
32:45Ron,
32:46Give Peggy a hug for me.
32:47To others,
32:48Everybody has been
32:49so good to me.
32:50I love all of you very much.
32:51I am going to be face-to-face
32:53with Jesus now.
32:54Warden Baggett,
32:55thank all of you so much.
32:57You have been so good to me.
32:59I love all of you very much.
33:00I will see you all
33:01when you get there.
33:02I will wait for you.
33:04On February 3rd, 1998,
33:06she faced lethal injection,
33:08praising Jesus Christ,
33:10licking her lips,
33:11looking at the ceiling,
33:12and humming
33:13as the deadly chemicals
33:14took effect.
33:15She was pronounced dead
33:16at 6.45 p.m.,
33:19just eight minutes
33:19after receiving the injection.
33:21She was laid to rest
33:22at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery
33:24in Houston.
33:25Tucker's execution
33:26marked a historical moment
33:28as she became
33:28the first woman executed
33:30in Texas in 135 years.
33:33If you found this video intriguing,
33:35click the link on your screen
33:36to explore other amazing videos.
33:38Bye-bye.
33:38Bye-bye.
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