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Execution

Two death chairs in old Central Prison, Raleigh, NC, death chamber, no date (possibly 1950-60s). Courtesy of Keith Acree. From the General Negative Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC.

The Executioner’s Last Meal

Death row prisoners rarely get last meals, writes Lyle May, who is on death row in North Carolina. But on the night of an execution, the prison staff break room is full of cookies and cake.

Terry Williams finally gets a chance

Of all the death row stories, perhaps none is quite as heart wrenching as that of Terry Williams, who was sentenced to death in Philadelphia three decades ago. This week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has decided that Williams should finally get another penalty-phase trial, which means that Williams has a chance to explain why he deserves […]