Death Row Inmate Suffers Excruciating Execution After Making Last Meal Mistake

Wesley Ira Purkey, executed at 68, spent his final moments in agony—not just from the lethal injection, but from fluid-filled lungs that caused a sensation akin to drowning, according to his autopsy.

Purkey was sentenced to death in 2004 for a series of horrific crimes. His first known victim was 16-year-old Jennifer Long, who vanished after school in Kansas City, Missouri. Purkey abducted her, committed unspeakable acts, and murdered her before disposing of her body—remains that were never recovered.

Later, he killed 80-year-old Mary Bales, a woman with polio who had let him into her home to fix a tap. She was brutally bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer—an act of kindness repaid with cruelty.

His arrest came after neighbors grew suspicious and contacted authorities. After years on death row, his execution brought a measure of justice to the victims’ families. Jennifer’s father, William Long, called it “long overdue.”

Purkey’s final meal—pecan pie—stood in stark contrast to his monstrous deeds. In the end, any remorse he expressed could not undo the irreversible harm he caused.