US executes 2nd man in a week; lawyers said he had dementia
By MICHAEL BALSAMO and JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The United States has carried out its second federal execution in three days, killing by lethal injection a Kansas man whose lawyers contended he had dementia. Wesley Ira Purkey was put to death Thursday at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for kidnapping and killing a girl in Missouri. He expressed remorse before his execution, saying he regretted the “pain and suffering” he caused. The victim’s father said he hoped Purkey “rots in hell.” The Supreme Court cleared the way for Purkey’s execution to take place just hours before. The Trump administration has pressed for a resumption of federal executions after a 17-year hiatus, and another man, Daniel Lewis Lee, was put to death Tuesday.
US Executes 2nd Man in a Week; Lawyers Said He had Dementia
