this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2025

213 points (98.6% liked)

Not The Onion

17504 readers

1455 users here now

Welcome

We're not The Onion! Not affiliated with them in any way! Not operated by them in any way! All the news here is real!

The Rules

Posts must be:

Links to news stories from...
...credible sources, with...
...their original headlines, that...
...would make people who see the headline think, “That has got to be a story from The Onion, America’s Finest News Source.”

Please also avoid duplicates.

Comments and post content must abide by the server rules for Lemmy.world and generally abstain from trollish, bigoted, or otherwise disruptive behavior that makes this community less fun for everyone.

And that’s basically it!

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

kescusay@lemmy.world

213

Tennessee executes man with implanted heart device despite concerns over shock risk (www.cbsnews.com)

submitted 22 hours ago by TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

46 comments fedilink hide all child comments

all 47 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Black was convicted in the 1988 shooting deaths of his girlfriend Angela Clay, 29, and her two daughters, Latoya Clay, 9, and Lakeisha Clay, 6. Prosecutors said he was in a jealous rage when he shot the three at their home. At the time, Black was on work-release while serving time for shooting Clay's estranged husband.

Yeah, he is infirm now. But he was a piece of shit then and, in my opinion, the only thing to take issue with is that it took 37 years to carry out his sentence.

[–] painteddoggie@lemmy.world 19 points 13 hours ago

Could I please not read the most heinous headline ever for five fucking seconds

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 146 points 21 hours ago (4 children)

Black, 69, was in a wheelchair, suffering from dementia, brain damage, kidney failure, congestive heart failure and other conditions,

Oh, well, yeah, then I can see why he needed to be executed. Clearly he was an imminent danger to society and everyone around him.

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 6 points 6 hours ago

Well sure he never to be executed before he could commit the heinous crime of euthanasia!

That would be inhumane!

::: spoiler

[–] cjoll4@lemmy.world 31 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

It's hard for me to find sympathy for someone who murdered two children and their mother.

But even I have to admit that it feels fucked up to wait 40 years for a man to develop dementia and heart disease before executing him.

[–] sad_detective_man@leminal.space 29 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (3 children)

depends on what capital punishment does for you personally. it's honestly not corrective or even preventative in any way. I know some living people I would wish that on and they didn't even commit murder. but I think I would rather live in a society that instead invested in making sure these crimes never happen

[–] TheDoozer@lemmy.world 13 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Wishing someone was dead and believing that the government should have the authority to do that are two very different things, though.

[–] sad_detective_man@leminal.space 4 points 8 hours ago

correct. so fucking correct, I want to hold what you just said up on the mountain top like simba

[–] cjoll4@lemmy.world 13 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (2 children)

I've wrestled with myself and reversed my own position several times throughout my life, to the point that I can't confidently advocate for one side of the issue or the other right now.

In theory, capital punishment would only be used against those who are incontrovertibly guilty. In practice, it has been used against many innocent people who would have been exonerated by later evidence.

In theory, the point of capital punishment would only be to protect society from someone who is actually too dangerous to live, not to exact vengeance. In practice, for most of the people involved, vengeance is a strong motivation.

In theory, capital punishment would be painless and humane, especially compared to a lifetime rotting in prison. In practice, executions are too-often botched, in which case they're torturously painful.

In theory, capital punishment would be carried out swiftly. In practice, inmates typically spend decades on death row, effectively punishing them with both life in prison and execution.

In theory, capital punishment should be cheaper and less of a state burden than a life sentence. In practice, it's more expensive due to the appeals and legal review process to which someone on death row is rightfully entitled.

In theory, if I myself were convicted of a capital crime today regardless of whether I was innocent, I would rather die than live the rest of my life in prison without chance of parole. In practice, I have no idea how I would actually face that situation.

In my heart, I want to believe that the world would be better-off if we swiftly and cleanly executed any monsters who prove themselves capable of murdering children. In my mind I know there is no black and white, only shades of gray.

[–] Bytemeister@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

Fuck it. I think certain traffic offenses should be punishable by death, but I can't trust the state to correctly determine guilt.

[–] sad_detective_man@leminal.space 2 points 16 hours ago

Me too, I still don't believe I've reached my final conclusion regarding how we do justice. But all of your points are well said

[–] couldhavebeenyou@lemmy.zip 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Are you suggesting he should never have been released after that first incident? That sounds even worse

[–] sad_detective_man@leminal.space 2 points 16 hours ago

not at all. I just think it's possible to make a society where that doesn't happen. not that it's this one.

[–] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 35 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

Needed to be executed quickly before he dies by himself!

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 13 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah because if he did that then.... He ... Won? And we lost? I guess?

Yeah!

[–] errer@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

Honestly if I was in this guy’s situation I might willingly consent to the chair…

[–] cjoll4@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago

Define "quickly." After all, they waited nearly 40 years for him to develop those conditions before they finally killed him

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 5 points 20 hours ago

They didn't wanna let that moment go to waste

[–] MangoCats@feddit.it 11 points 17 hours ago

It's not about logic, or compassion, it's about JUSTICE - aka revenge, sending a message, setting an example, etc. etc.

While I don't agree with it, that's what a LOT of Tennessee voters want.

[–] art@lemmy.world 23 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

Capital punishment should be abolished.

[–] amorangi@lemmy.nz 14 points 13 hours ago

It already is, in civilized countries.

[–] TheTurner@lemmy.zip 9 points 15 hours ago

This. The state should not be able to decide who lives and who dies. Too many innocent people have and are put to death every year.

[–] AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@sh.itjust.works 80 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

All seven media witnesses to the execution agreed he appeared to be in discomfort.

NO SHIT!! HE APPEARED TO BE IN DISCOMFORT?!

I wonder why?

[–] SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 3 hours ago

This is such a strange thing to write. I don't really understand this

Why is it treated like it's meant to be a day at work or something? Or a routine procedure? This is some very strange form of normalization

[–] PleaseLetMeOut@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Probably gas. I get the same way after eating too much fiber.

[–] Die4Ever@retrolemmy.com 6 points 20 hours ago

those last meals can be real belly bombs

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 40 points 21 hours ago

Medieval country.

[–] killea@lemmy.world 35 points 21 hours ago

This just in: the cruelty is the point.

[–] nightwatch_admin@feddit.nl 28 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

De fucking wat now?? That is excellent not-the-onion content but hoo boy…

Edit: this article is not exactly for the faint of heart. What a godawful thing to put this guy through.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 13 points 19 hours ago (4 children)

If we're going to execute people, why can we not make a simple gas chamber and flood it with nitrogen gas? Simple, cheap, foolproof, no legal hassles about suffering or cruel and unusual punishment.

[–] m4xie@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 hours ago

Even though there's no physical pain, opponents argue that the process involves great mental and emotional pain.

But I agree that it is one of the most humane and practical forms of involuntary euthanasia. Not that such a thing should be desired in the first place.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 12 points 16 hours ago

Why not just hanging, shooting or beheading? Weird how people are trying to sanitise capital punishment

[–] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 7 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

it's long, drawn out, and afaik painful

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 20 points 17 hours ago

Nitrogen only atmospheres actually kill fairly quickly, and without any warning.

That's what makes industrial nitrogen accidents so terrifying.

The pain of suffocating is mostly your body fighting to get rid of CO2.

Now, there was a prison that recently used "nitrogen" to execute someone. But they were dumbasses with it and didn't let the excess nitrogen and CO2 vent. It was exactly the same as just tying a bag over the guys head.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago

Not in the slightest painful. You'll never notice anything going wrong. Nitrogen masks have been tried and failed awfully. That's why I said gas "chamber".

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 0 points 18 hours ago

Maybe we could fill it with nerve gas to spice things up

[–] TomMasz@lemmy.world 12 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Red states sure do like executing people, don't they? And it goes without saying he was Black.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 1 points 17 hours ago

It is possible for a person of color to commit a crime. Crazy, I know.

Don't get me wrong, I think there is still a alarming amount of racism in the justice system. However, not punishing someone because of their race isn't the solution. People of color are going to be disproportionately committing the most crimes because on average they have a much lower income and quality of life. The problems with our society are not something you can solve by being afraid to punish someone. People who are accused of a crime need to have their rights respected including a fair trial.

[–] skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 19 hours ago

CBS shouldn't be cited as a news source anymore anyway. They've gone full magat. Watch their broadcast channel commercials some time. It's eerie.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 6 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (4 children)

Who was at risk of being shocked?

If it was the person being executed: Isn't that the whole idea?

edit: Or maybe they were just worried that the defibrilator would have prevented him from dying. 🤔

[–] modus@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago

I think the point of concern is that it prolonged the entire procedure. His heart was simultaneously being chemically stopped and electrically jump-started.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 4 points 18 hours ago

The defibrillator might actually make it a horrible slow death. Imagine dying over and over again.

[–] cjoll4@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

Yeah, the concern was that the defibrillator was shocking his heart as his heart rate slowed down, causing unnecessary pain and distress.

[–] Captainautism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 18 hours ago

There was a concern that the defibrillator would keep bringing him back to life.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

Stay classy Tennessee