Execution of Allen Lee Davis

Execution of Allen Lee Davis

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.