A botched execution is defined by political science professor Austin Sarat as: Botched executions occur when there is a breakdown in, or departure from, the 'protocol' for a particular method of execution. The protocol can be established by the norms, expectations, and advertised virtues of each method or by the government’s officially adopted execution guidelines. Botched executions are 'those involving unanticipated problems or delays that caused, at least arguably, unnecessary agony for the prisoner or that reflect gross incompetence of the executioner.' Examples of such problems include, among other things, inmates catching fire while being electrocuted, being strangled during hangings (instead of having their necks broken), and being administered the wrong dosages of specific drugs for lethal injections.
List
Before 1900
Thomas Cromwell (1540) – Beheading by axe. Edward Hall wrote that "So paciently suffered the stroke of the axe, by a ragged and Boocherly miser, which very ungoodly perfourmed the office." Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury (1541) – An inexperienced executioner reportedly hacked at her a total of 11 times before finally decapitating her. Some sources claim that Margaret refused to lay her head on the block, declaiming, "So should traitors do, and I am none"; according to the account, she turned her head "every which way", reportedly instructing the executioner that, if he wanted her head, he should take it as he could, although this may be apocryphal. Mary, Queen of Scots (1587) – Beheading by axe. The execution took three blows. William Russell, Lord Russell (1683) – Beheading by axe. The executioner, Jack Ketch, later wrote a letter of apology for conducting the execution poorly due to being distracted. James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth (1685) – Beheading by axe. Jack Ketch took between five and eight strokes to behead him. William Duell (1740) – Hanging. Survived the execution after being left hanging by the neck for around 20 minutes. Sentence commuted to transportation. Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino (1746) – Beheading by axe. It is said that it took three blows to behead him. Robert-François Damiens (1757) – Dismemberment by horses. Limbs could not be torn off and had to be cut. Joseph Samuel (1805) – Hanging. Survived three attempts to hang him. Sentence commuted to life imprisonment. Charles Getter (1833) – Hanging. Survived the first attempt to hang him. Died in a second hanging a short time later. John Tapner (1854) - Hanging. The rope did not break his neck, and he died from strangulation after hanging for 12 minutes. Henry Wirz (1865) – Hanging. The standard drop used failed to break his neck and he died slowly due to strangulation. Mary Ann Cotton (1873) – Hanging. The rope was rigged too short to break her neck and she instead died slowly from strangulation. Wallace Wilkerson (1879) – Firing squad. Died from bleeding 15 minutes after shots were fired but missed his heart. John "Babbacombe" Lee (1885) – Hanging. Survived three attempts after the trapdoor of the gallows failed to open; sentence subsequently commuted to life imprisonment. William Kemmler (1890) – Electric chair. The first man to be electrocuted using the electric chair, the execution took eight minutes as blood vessels under the skin ruptured and bled out.