Allen Lee Davis (July
20, 1944 – July 8, 1999) was an American murderer who was executed for
the 1982 murder of Nancy Weiler, who was three months pregnant,
in Jacksonville, Florida. According to reports, Nancy Weiler was "beaten
almost beyond recognition" by Davis with a .357 Magnum, and hit more
than 25 times in the face and head. He was additionally convicted of
killing Nancy Weiler's two daughters, Kristina, age 9, who was shot
twice in the face, and Katherine, age 5, who was shot as she tried to
run away and then had her skull beaten in with the gun.
Davis, who had a lengthy criminal history, was on parole
for armed robbery at the time of the murders. He later admitted that his
initial motive was to rape and murder Kristina, kill her sister and
mother, and then ransack the house.
Davis was executed on July 8, 1999, via electrocution. His
execution was alleged to have been botched, with witnesses reporting
that Davis was still alive after the power to Old Sparky was switched
off. Blood had also leaked from Davis's nose during the execution
although prison officials alleged this was caused by a nose bleed.
Because of the controversy surrounding his execution, Davis
remains the last person executed by electric chair in Florida. All
subsequent executions in Florida have been carried out by lethal
injection, although inmates can still choose to be executed by electric
chair.
Earlier crimes
Davis had prior convictions for armed robbery, attempted
armed robbery, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and
involuntary manslaughter. He also had a history of child molestation.
Nancy Weiler's husband, John Weiler, would later call Davis a "deviant
animal that should have been permanently caged or executed many years
before May 1982."
Execution
Last meal
For his last meal, Davis requested and received a dinner
consisting 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
US fluid ounces (950 ml) of A&W Root Beer.
Electrical parameters
According to the licensed electrical engineer who managed
the equipment, the amount of electrical energy applied to Davis in three
steps was:
1,500 Volts, 10 Amperes, 150 Ohms, for 8 seconds (power = 15.0 kilowatts (kW), energy = 120 kilojoules (kJ))
600 Volts, 4.5 Amperes, 133 Ohms, for 22 seconds (power = 2.7 kW, energy = 59.4 kJ)
1,500 Volts, 10 Amperes, 150 Ohms, for 8 seconds (power = 15.0 kW, energy = 120 kJ)
The maximum power was 15.0 kW, which is approximately equal to 11.2
horsepower. For comparison, the maximum output of a standard U.S. 15
Ampere electrical outlet is 1.8 kW or 1.3 horsepower.
The total energy used was 299.4 kJ or 284 British thermal units (BTU), over a period of 38 seconds.
A BTU is defined as the amount of energy required to raise
the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. Davis
weighed 350 pounds. 284 BTUs are the amount of heat needed to raise 350
pounds of water 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit. An average male body contains
about 58 ±8% water.
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