10 Horribly Botched Executions Through History 

I am a veterinarian and euthanize pets . It goes smoothly. Matter of fact the process is so smooth there are veterinarians that will come to your house to perform the euthanasia. I think the problem with people is that many who are executed are aware what is happening and their adrenaline is pumping. It can be difficult to sedate/euthanize an aggressive or extremely frightened animal. In veterinary medicine if we need to euthanize a dangerous or aggressive animal we give them a large amount of sedative and make sure they are unconscious/anesthetized before attempting the Also if the pet has poor veins we give the anesthetized pet an injection of the euthanasia solution in the heart, liver or kidney. Rarely there will be an a final gasp but if you have ever seen a person or animal die naturally- a few gasps are common-the people or pets that are “agonal” gasping have dilated eyes and are not responsive. They are unconscious/dead and the gasp is just the bodies reflexes trying to continue to provide oxygen in a dying animal. The euthanasia solution works so well that it has become the go to drug for veterinarians considering suicide. Medical doctors are not trained for euthanasia and there has been no stringent protocols set up. The American Veterinary Medical Association has time tested guidelines on how to perform humane euthanasia for many different animals. I’m sure there are guidelines for primates because zoos and other facilities will sometimes need to euthanize primates for humane reasons. Just some fun facts on euthanasia.

"Ten horribly blah blah blah I don't need to read the title". :D So glad I found your channels.

"Ten horribly blah blah blah i dont need to read the title." lmaoooo I love you Simon, never change

A thumbs up for that intro 👌

This reminds me a lot the really disturbing scene of "The Green Mile" where a prisoner is executed in the electric chair without previously putting a wet sponge on him, causing him to die charred in slow agony. The worst thing here is that one of the young guards almost commits the stupid idea of stopping the execution while the man is horribly burned, but still alive

Maybe the guillotine is not such a bad method of execution after all. The blade can’t miss, the head is always removed, ensuring death in under a minute….

Re: Mary Queen of Scots: As if all that wasn’t awful enough, when the executioner held up her head, it fell out of her wig and onto the platform.

Wait they can deny a guilty plea? Thats so wild! "Hey I did it im guilty" "No"

12:47 - "They removed her back to the execution chamber and a second firing squad completed the execution." This was 2002 and they had no one standing by with a stethoscope, or a least have the mercy guy who shoots them in the head at the end.

"...it appears the perfect answer continues to be elusive." It doesn't. It's inert gas asphyxiation with nitrogen (or helium if you want lean into the comic aspect).

I don't understand why veterinarians have been able to send our pets to sleep without problems for decades, but we have cases of failures with humans.

This was very entertaining! Thanks for sharing my friend!

There are some that probably could use a botched execution.

"we decline your confession because we want to execute you" it's like a surreal version of football rules

This was my favourite first 2 seconds of a Simon video.

How about Margret Pole, the Duchess of Salisbury, in 1541. That was REALLY gross. Poor woman.

That's "James I and VI," not "James I and II."

I enjoy your content quite a bit Simon. You rarely ever bore me, keep it up. :)

Guess heroine or fentanyl is just too cheap and easy.

Lethal injection fails at times because of two reasons, mainly. They didn’t get the vein or the condemned has a history of drug abuse. Medical professionals don’t place the needle or administer the lethal cocktail. The oath nurses and doctors take goes against anything that causes harm or death. So you have guards basically trying to do this when they realistically have no basic training. I’ve heard of quite a few cases where it just fails horribly. Makes the condemned and witnesses suffer more. There’s been death row inmates who have requested electric chair over lethal injection. Personally I’d go with guillotine over both and maybe firing squad as a close second place.

Best intro ever.

Electric chair fun fact: Emperor Melenik II of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) imported two electric chairs, having decided that this method of execution would be part of his modernisation of the nation (nice). Unfortunately, at that time, Abyssinia had no electricity, so Melenik adopted one of the chairs as his throne.

You missed Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum. He was "hanged" in 1901. However his weight was calculated at the beginning of his trial and while waiting for his execution day he put on a lot of weight. The hangman also used too long of a drop and so when Ketchum was dropped, his head came off instead of just breaking his neck.

Something like an anoxic chamber would be best, like the new Swiss Suicide Pods. The body reacts to a buildup of carbon dioxide rather than the lack of oxygen, so something that uses a gas like nitrogen to replace the oxygen in it would be "humane". Of course, the better answer is to treat the systemic indoctrination of violence in our culture, removing the stigmas around getting mental health help, and provide a better safety net for those who's circumstances in today's system lead to perpetual crime. Then, those who are truly depraved and beyond hope can be incarcerated.

#10.... I always wondered if Mary's "beheading" was botched at the orders of Elizabeth.

10 Horriby blalalah didn't even read the title! Wow thats interesting and so enthusiastic!:) Someone needs a holiday!

Almost 20 years ago, there was a man in Illinois whose execution by lethal injection was so botched up ( it was called off after 90 minutes of progressively worse and worse failed attempts to insert the IV lines) that the governor of the state of Illinois at that time, so horrified about what happened, commutted the death sentences of every prisoner in Illinois to life without the possibility of parole.

Love the intro Simon

“Likely, considerably more sober..” 😂🤣

Simon, you do a wonderful job as a presenter on all the channels you're associated with. One slip I'm certain may have been made was in the final story from todays program. I'm positive you said 1963 NOT 1983 - please correct me if I'm wrong, OK? That would put him on "Death Row" for an extra 40 years!! Keep up the great work!

About Damien François - there's a FANTASTIC manga series that heavily dramatises the life of his executioner. It's called Innocent and it's a work of art. Literally, the artistry behind it is insane

The perfect execution method was invented a _long_ time ago, and is usually synonymous with the French - despite actually being an English invention - and this method is called the guillotine. It's as painless/sufferring-free as one can get all things considered, it doesn't botch the job or entirely fail to do the job and it's over in a blink of an eye. Of course the downside is how bloody it is, not that great a method if you want civilian witnesses (which I still question why this is necessary, when it could be entirely done behind closed doors by medical professionals with perhaps a judge as the sole other witness to ensure nothing untoward happens).

You should do an into the shadows vid with lists of the most botched executions by execution method

Definitely love a long video Simon

I've read a few comments on here discussing how wonderful and effective the guillotine method of execution had worked in the past and I cannot dispute those claims, but the written eyewitness descriptions of seeing the eyes of those severed heads looking around as though the brain is still actively registering everything going on about the crowd around them is absolutely horrifying.

Don't they use a simple piston air gun to kill cattle? Reusable and inexpensive. About a tenth of a penny a shot. Sounds fairly perfect to me. One shot to them base of the skull at the junction where the medulla meets the skull. It is the human off switch. Fast, efficient, clean and 100% one shot kill rate.

Is there a reason why carbon monoxide isn't used for executions? The subject wouldn't even realize when it has been introduced and simply passes out peacefully.

I own the original confession letter #8 on this list, Damiens, wrote to his uncle, recounting in detail what happened and asking for money for a lawyer.

In this day and age, it's amazing that something so simple as ending a life has become so complicated. All that's needed for a fast painless termination of someone is a little fentynol. People are dying from it in record numbers on the streets. Why they don't just give the condemned a hotcap is beyond me.

A nice reminder of how savage we can be when we put our minds to it.

Perfect pronunciation of Fotheringhay Sir.

How fast can you talk? Simon: Yes

hahaaa wtf was that intro. loved that.

Michigan figured out the cheapest, most effective & least painful, or most…. Old age or when done properly @ the hands of other prisoners… life w/o parole.

Me if I was the executioner and couldn't find a vein: "gimme that boot lace"

What gets me, is when an execution is botched, how the people say, "oh, that poor person suffered needlessly". I say bull-sh**! What about the poor victims and family that the killer affected!? What about their needless suffering! They have to live with the fact, that their loved ones are gone and aren't coming back! To me, that's more suffering than the killer had to endure! I say, if the execution went wrong, oh well! They'll just have to learn from their mistakes and try harder next time! I know that supposedly sounds cruel, but it's cruel that the family of the victim has to suffer for the rest of their lives!

Showing in my feed for this video is a retrospective of the 'Garbage Pail Kids' movie. Seems appropriate...

Great videos and subject matter but could you please talk more slowly so that I do not miss any of the wonderful narration? Many thanks.

Electrocuted an elephant? Come on man 🤦

I always said that the guillotine is the best tool for a perfect execution. A very heavy blade of 40 kgs (88lbs) falling from a height of 2.30m (7.54 feet) and SCHLACK !! in a blink of an eye the head is separated from the body. Brutal but very quick and 100% efficient. The guillotine has been proposed in the US to replace the electric chair but was rejected because too barbaric (to be translated by too bloody)... 🤣🤣 Sure it is ”better” to see a human being grilled alive for long minutes or agonizing horribly because the injected lethal products are not ok.

Coming from someone who’s sister was brutally beaten and then shot in the head by her ex, who is still bullshitting his way out of going to trial when it should’ve been an open and shut case, I don’t understand why we waste tax payers dollars keeping these monsters alive on death row when a bullet to the back of the head would be quick, cheap and a way easier executions than most of these wastes of human lifes deserve. (Although, that might just be a strong opinion from someone who’s currently dealing with something along this subject. 🤷🏼‍♀️)

In a City Tour through Edinburgh, the Guide told me of a Woman, accused with the death of her child, and sentenced to death by hanging. She was hung, pronounced dead and loaded on a carriage. The two drivers stopped at a pub and had a cold one. It was then that Margaret woke up and started crawling off the carriage. They wouldn’t hang her twice, so she lived on, known as „Half-hanged Maggie“. 😂

Caliber to the cranium has always been the most effective...

Best intro EVER

Does anyone know if the Texas "old sparky" which is now in a museum was ever responsible for any botched executions?

Fun fact: there is only one official execution by guillotine in North America. Saint Pierre is a french archipelago, south of Newfoundland & Labrador Canada. In 1889 the region was under the rule of the Republic of France, the man sentenced to death was Auguste Neel. He and his accomplice killed a boat captain in a failed burglary, his accomplice got hard labor. They didn't have a guillotine so they had to ship one over from Martinique, they hired a local fisherman as an executioner. Neel was executed on August 24th, It was botched due to a dull blade and it didn't completely sever his head from his body. Because of the gruesome death, the Guillotine was never used again on the island and is still in Saint Pierre.

Lew Wallace was not present at the Battle of Gettysburg. He was grievously wounded at Shiloh the year prior, and saw minimal service after that, most in the Western theatre of the War.

"We had the courage to watch the dreadful sight for four hours." Explaining the success of modern television in one sentence.

Where are Allen Lee Davis and Jesse Tafero?? I would consider that one's head catching fire is a fail ( or not?)

'Regicide has been frowned upon throughout history'.. I think it's a bit more than 'frowned upon' *LOL*

My parents owned a business next door to the pawn shop in Alabama...I was there doing my homework in the back room when the murder/robbery occurred...I was ten years old or so...I don't recall anything about it... But i was surprised to hear about it here in this video... Haven't thought about it for decades...

"the punishment should fit the crime"

What's messed is executing someone 42 years after the crime

How about Anton Chigur's captive bolt gun?

Will/Have any of these turn up on Casual Criminalist?

I maintain that the best method of execution is the guillotine. Especially with modern technology, it would have a 100% success rate the first shot.

I just sang that entire William Kidd songg next to his pac bcs i cant turn down a shanty. I found a melody that worked very quickly actually

10 horribly blah blah blah I don’t need to read the title. Love the enthusiasm there Simon

Humane is a word used for the observers, not the condemned. Firing squad is probably the most humane execution for the condemned, but not for the observers.

One lesson from this video that transcends capital punishment issues is that there is no proceedure so simple that some dumb f**k can't screw it up.

In the 1970`s my Uncle took me to see his friend who was an Antique dealer. He had a document from a lady cira 1800 century plus a very small , dark blue/black waist coat with silver buttons. Also two small silver Buckles . All were in a glass wall hanging frame. The items were purporting to have belonged to Captain Kid?

How many RU-vid Channels does he host?? 10plus??

Interesting thing: when being burned alive, the executioner did have a choice of a fast or slow fire. The former was excruciating, in the form of third-degree burns. If however, the executioner (or the institution ordering it, usually the church) was feeling lenient, they could opt for a slow fire, which would suffocate the victim with carbon monoxide, before the fire took off. Just for the record, I am staunchly against capital punishment, but I subscribe to Casual Criminalist, so that belief gets tested on a regular basis. That said, I still think that killing people for judicial revenge makes us no better than the accused. (And don't even get me started on wrongful convictions.)

James VI & I. I thought you went to school in Scotland

Just an observation (and it may be off base) re McCoy and lethal injection. While possibly true when McCoy was executed, my impression is the lethal part of the injection is administered after a soporific is used to make the offender unconscious. This is the "humane" part of the execution in that the offender died in his sleep, so to speak. I'm sure this can vary by jurisdiction, etc. Cheers....

We don't do executions in my country, so I have never really though about it much; but given all the complications that can apparently happen with hanging, the chair and the injection; why don't they just shoot people in the head? It is gruesome yes, but surely very efficient and avoids all the complications associated with other methods? Or not? Genuine question! I don't know much about people being shot in the head either to be honest, so maybe not as quick and clean as I think it is?

No better punishment in the world! It ensures that murderers, rapists, and child molesters never so much as even think of committing a crime again.

Who edits these?

I don't get why we feel the need to give rapists & murderers a "humane" death. Their victims suffered horrendous deaths & multiple rapes. We need to take off the kid gloves & get medieval of these monsters.

Slight error: Lew Wallace fought at Shiloh but was not at Gettysburg.

Lol, after hours of listening to the Casual Criminalist, we know Simon went from anti- death penalty, to pro

I've had more that one surgery and, when they knock you out, you're gone till you finally come back. Just anesthetize the person then end them how ever you see fit, they're never going to know or feel a thing.

Most of these people committed horrible crimes. They made their victims suffer during and the families suffer after. Is it tragic these criminals suffered?

I don't understand why, where lethal injection is used, the drugs used to euthanize pets are not used on humans. Over the years we have had several large dogs put down when they became unable to walk, eat and everything else associated with the quality of life. While horribly sad to lose a pet, it was always for the best where the pet was concerned. The injections created a nearly instantaneous reaction, the dog or the cat going limp and being pronounced dead by the vet. Why can't humans use the same deadly cocktail on those who commit heinous crime instead of practicing procedures that could lead to a torturous and painful passing? While I'm all for the death penalty, I'm not for torture.

with Henry the 8th wanting to execution Anne Boleyn he hired a top sword expert from france to get the job right, for which he did in one sweep

You missed the famous botched executions of the main Nazi war criminals at Nuremburg. The executioner was never again used for his 'skills'.

Lol best intro ever

When it comes to the Death Penalty I have only 3 words to say about it. "Pay Per View"

being alive does not equal suffering, just something to keep in mind.

And all of this is why the French Revolution invented the guillotine: you can't botch that one.

I'd take shooting squad, hanging, or the chair over a lethal injection. They could give you a painkiller and enough sedative to kill a horse, but they don't. They give you a paralytic and something that will make your heart beat faster and faster until it breaks. You're awake and aware the entire time.

I think if you want to attend an execution you should be forced to watch every moment of it - no turning away, no leaving... You're locked in and can't avert your gaze.

*man tortures multiple people to death* Society: it's cruel to kill him

WTF since when can a guilty plea _not_ be accepted?! Wow way to go Alabama law ... wonder if that's still a thing in Alabama - or _any_ US State - today? The ability for the prosecution to refuse a guilty plea??

That intro!

The whole Edison and the Elephant thing is all bunk. One of his film crews just happened to be at Coney Island when a carny was planning on killing an elephant for publicity.

You would think if they were going to use capital punishment they would just shoot them in the head with something like a 45 or a 44 magnum or a desert eagle 50 caliber or even a captive bolt gun like they use at a slaughterhouse.

When Kidd was in London, getting his letter of marque, as they were exiting down stream. The entire crew mooned The King's Yacht. They were promptly arrested and dragged before James I/VI. He was a desperately crap pirate!

bit of brain blaze sneaking into that intro

What about high velocity lead brain " poisoning " ? Honest question