Willie Francis (January 12, 1929 – May 9, 1947) was an American teenager known for surviving a failed execution by electrocution in the United States.

Francis initially named several others in connection with the murder, but the police dismissed these claims. A short time later, while under interrogation, Francis confessed to Thomas' murder, writing, "It was a secret about me and him." He had no counsel with him. Two days after the trial began, Francis was quickly found guilty of murder by twelve jurors and the judge imposed the mandatory death sentence.

Francis later admitted his guilt. He wrote on the wall of his cell, "Practically I killed Andrew by accident. It will happen once in a life time."

Execution attempt, appeal, and second execution

On May 3, 1946, Francis survived an attempt at execution by the electric chair. Witnesses reported hearing the teenager scream from behind the leather hood, "Take it off! Take it off! Let me breathe!" as the supposedly lethal surge of electricity was being applied. The portable electric chair, known as "Gruesome Gertie", was found to have been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. The sheriff, E.L. Resweber, was later quoted as saying: "This boy really got a shock when they turned that machine on."

  • Ernest Gaines' 1993 novel A Lesson Before Dying, telling the story of a young black man facing execution in 1940s Louisiana, was partly based on the Willie Francis case.

See also

  • Capital punishment in Louisiana
  • List of people executed in Louisiana (pre-1972)
  • List of people executed in the United States in 1947
  • Capital punishment in the United States
  • John Babbacombe Lee
  • Joseph Samuel

References

Bibliography

  • Supreme Court case history
  • Gilbert King, The Execution of Willie Francis, official website of book
  • Top 10 Amazing Execution Survival Stories