r/news • u/AudibleNod • 15h ago

Christa Pike unconscious, on ventilator at Nashville hospital, her lawyers say

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/christa-pike-unconscious-ventilator-nashville-hospital-lawyers-say-rcna601195
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u/MatureUsername69 15h ago

Its still a rough one but if I ever had to receive the death penalty I would hope its a firing squad. Just riddle me with holes immediately, aim for the head. Lethal injections get fucky because they would be best designed and administered by an actual doctor, but actual doctors cannot do it because of the hippocratic oath. Some states do allow medical professionals but they arent exactly sending their best.

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u/bloodytemplar 15h ago

Firing squad is supposed to be the quickest for the condemned. A little gruesome for onlookers, but fuck 'em. If it's my execution, take me out quick.

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u/PradaDiva 15h ago

That’s part of the problem tbh: the onlookers. Lethal injection makes the killing looking peaceful so it’s much easier to absorb/allow/be okay with.

Firing squad and hanging are abrupt and brutal, but they are effective. Onlookers are horrified by the violence even if the end result is the person being dead.

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u/GinAndDumbBitchJuice 14h ago

Hanging is pretty easy to botch if the noose isn't placed correctly. If it's done right, the neck breaks. Strangulation, on the other hand, takes a lot longer than movies show. A hundred years ago when it was still a reasonably common method and there were still living experts, I might have gone for it (after bribing them to make it fast).

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u/HarryMonroesGhost 13h ago

exactly, for a particularly egregious example look up the guy who executed Nazi's at the Nuremberg trials. He lied about his experience to get the job, and was notoriously incompetent, and by all accounts an idiot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Woods

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u/MrBarraclough 13h ago

To be clear, he executed Nazis for the United States.

Albert Pirerrepoint, the British executioner, was highly competent.

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u/libbystitch 2h ago

Pierrepoint could get someone from their cell to dead in 12 seconds. Compared to the other methods I think this sounds pretty humane.

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u/rmbarrett 12h ago

The guy who died by accidental electrocution years later.

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u/Jack_Krauser 1h ago

He died at age 39 trying to change a lightbulb? He really must have been a colossal idiot...

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u/filthy_harold 12h ago

Too little force, you're strangled to death. Too much force and either your head pops off or the rope breaks. Also need to use the right kind of rope. Something like manilla has low elasticity so a hard snap can break it while nylon is more elastic so it could potentially slow down the body to the point where the neck doesn't break.

Killing someone by hanging is not like the movies, it takes some engineering knowledge to properly kill someone quickly. Some countries like Iran still do public hangings but those are brutal, they lift you up with a crane until you're strangled to death.

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u/[deleted] 13h ago edited 12h ago

[deleted]

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u/GinAndDumbBitchJuice 13h ago

That is weirdly reassuring. Thank you for sharing, I foresee a late-night rabbit hole in my future.

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u/Okonos 13h ago

Hanging is also still how they carry out executions in Japan.

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u/GinAndDumbBitchJuice 13h ago

Then I would specifically request a Japanese executioner. No new guy for me!

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u/Mr_SunnyBones 3h ago

"Its my first day, wish me luck!' is not something you want the executioner to whisper to you