Additional Coverage:
- Smoke and burning flesh smell come from Death Row inmate’s head in horror ‘out of control’ execution (themirror.com)
An execution in Alabama took a nightmarish turn in 1983 when John Louis Evans III was put to death in the electric chair-only the process was horrifyingly botched. As Evans was strapped into the chair known as “Yellow Momma,” witnesses were met with smoke, the unmistakable and “nauseating” smell of burning flesh, and the gruesome sight of his head and leg smoldering during repeated jolts of electricity.
Evans, convicted of a 1977 murder during a violent crime spree, faced death row after killing a pawn shop owner in front of his two young daughters. At trial, he ominously warned the jury that if they didn’t sentence him to death, he would escape and kill again-threatening even to track down jurors for revenge. Despite an initial last-minute stay that left Evans visibly upset, his execution eventually proceeded.
When the switch was thrown, the voltage surged through Evans’ body, causing him to clench his fists and arch rigidly against the restraints. Witnesses described seeing white smoke rising beneath the black hood covering his face, flames crackling, and his body twitching as the electricity coursed through him.
After the first shock, two doctors examined him-one nodded, a signal thought to confirm death. However, this actually meant they detected a heartbeat.
Evans was still alive.
The horrifying spectacle continued through a second and then a third electrical charge, each time accompanied by smoke, flames, and Evans’ body reacting painfully. One witness feared that the chair itself might have failed and that a firing squad would be necessary. But after 14 agonizing minutes and multiple shocks, Evans finally died.
The cause of the burning and smoking during the execution has never been explained. Evans, 33 at the time, was the first person executed in Alabama after the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
His violent past was well documented. Alongside an accomplice, Wayne Ritter, Evans committed a spree of over 30 armed robberies and multiple kidnappings across several states. The murder that sealed his fate occurred on January 5, 1977, when he and Ritter shot Edward Nassar during a robbery, with Nassar’s children witnessing the crime.
Evans openly admitted to the crime but refused to plead guilty, as prosecutors aimed for a jury conviction to secure the death penalty. During his trial, he expressed no remorse and made chilling threats against jurors. Yet in a later statement from prison, he expressed deep sorrow to the families affected, especially the children.
Ritter, Evans’ co-defendant, also sought the death penalty and was executed four years later in 1987.
This botched execution is part of a troubling history. A 2004 report documented 34 failed executions in the U.S. between 1977 and 2001, with similar disturbing incidents continuing into recent years, including lethal injection attempts that left inmates struggling for prolonged periods.
The case of John Louis Evans III remains a stark reminder of the potential horrors within capital punishment procedures and the ongoing debate about their humanity and efficacy.