One of The Most Painful Executions in Modern America

Wesley Ira Purkey died by lethal injection, but his autopsy report revealed his death was likely extremely painful. Did karma catch up to a man who callously took two lives, or is it just the way life goes?

The Life & Crimes of Wesley Purkey

Wesley Ira Purkey spent most of his adult life committing crimes, usually robbery or assault, and was in and out of jail and prison. He had a bad temper and enjoyed getting high on crack cocaine, which exacerbated his emotions. He even tried to kill a man. That incident sent him to prison for 15 years. During his incarcerations, Purkey enjoyed disturbing the peace. He kept shit stirred constantly until years into his sentence, he figured out if he acted calmly, he might get out of prison earlier. And it worked. Purkey became an ideal inmate and was released from prison.

In 1998, shortly after he was released from prison, Purkey committed a crime that would earn him a much longer sentence, and confessed to another crime that cost him his life.

Purkey died a slow, painful death via lethal injection. Experts say he experienced a sensation of “suffocation or drowning.”

Did karma knock on his door at the very last moment?

The Murder of Mary Ruth Bates

Mary Ruth Bates was an elderly 80-year-old homeowner living in Kansas City, Kansas. She was widowed and had survived polio. Ms. Bates walked with a cane and had trouble getting around. Little else is publicly known about her.

On October 26, 1998, Ms. Bates called a plumber to her home to repair a kitchen faucet. Wesley Purkey responded to the call. He arrived, asked Bates for the money before he completed the job, and left with the cash in hand. He did not pick up parts for the repair. Instead, he smoked crack, hired a prostitute, and had sex.

The following morning, Purkey and his hired lady friend returned to Ms. Bates' home. He used a claw hammer and other work tools to beat the elderly woman to death. The cause of death was later determined to be blunt force trauma to the head.

Purkey and the prostitute hung out in the house for several hours after the murder. Ms. Bates lay dead in her bedroom as the two smoked more crack cocaine and cooked food from her refrigerator.

The next morning, Purkey attempted to burn down the house, but neighbors noticed his odd behavior and called 9-1-1. He fled before police arrived, but was quickly identified as a suspect and arrested days later. He was charged with first-degree murder and pleaded guilty in a Kansas court. He was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 32 years.

The family of Ms. Bates filed a lawsuit against the plumbing company that hired Purkey, claiming they failed to conduct a thorough background check on him. The family won the case.

Murder Confession

While in prison, Purkey asked to speak to detectives. He made a shocking confession: he killed Jennifer Long in 1998. Jennifer was a 16-year-old high school student living in Missouri. She met Purkey when he pulled over as she walked along the highway and offered her a ride. He asked if she wanted to party, and she agreed. He drove her from Missouri back to Kansas and took her to his house. He raped Jennifer. She attempted to escape. Purkey, high on crack cocaine, retrieved a knife and repeatedly stabbed her in the face, neck, and chest. He stabbed her until she took her last breath.

Purkey stuffed her body into a toolbox and headed to a bar to drink alcohol. He got drunk, went to a home improvement store, and purchased a chainsaw. He used the chainsaw to dismember Jennifer’s body over the course of several days. Purkey then placed her body parts into bags and burned them in the fireplace. He crushed her bones with his hands, then dumped the ashes in a septic tank.

Purkey Sentenced to Death

Purkey was sentenced to die for Jennifer’s murder.

On July 16, 2020, the State of Kansas carried out the execution. He apologized to both families in his final statement. He was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 8:19 a.m.

Forensic Pathologist Dr. Joyce L. DeJong conducted an autopsy on Purkey after the execution. She determined that Purkey experienced “flash pulmonary edema,” a medical issue that occurs when a person is alive. The edema caused fluid to build in his lungs and spill into his airways and trachea, causing him to experience a sensation of “near-drowning or suffocation.” Dr. Gail Van Norman reviewed the autopsy findings and added that “these are among the most excruciating feelings known to man.”

Federal prosecutors determined the execution was humane.

Sources:

https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-16/wesley-purkey-executed-for-the-murder-of-kansas-city-teenager-jennifer-long-in-1998

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-arrest-made-in-fata/91591092/

https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=17997095788415977936