Joseph Paul Jernigan (January 31, 1954 – August 5, 1993) was a Texas murderer who was executed by lethal injection on August 5, 1993 at 12:31 a.m.
Joseph Paul Jernigan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 31, 1954 Geneva, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 5, 1993 (aged 39) Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
In 1981, Jernigan was found guilty of "cold-blooded murder" and sentenced to death for killing Edward Hale, a 75-year-old homeowner who discovered Jernigan and his accomplice, Roy Lamb, as they were burglarizing his home.[1]
Jernigan spent 12 years in prison before his final plea for clemency was denied. At the prompting of a prison chaplain, he agreed to donate his body for scientific research or medical use. After execution, his cadaver was sectioned and photographed for the Visible Human Project and the University of Colorado School of Medicine by Dr. Vic Spitzer and associates.[2] He is the subject of an HBO documentary Virtual Corpse and also appeared on the British video game TV series GamesMaster's gore special.
Jernigan had no last words.
Lamb pleaded guilty to murder, received a 30-year sentence, and was paroled in 1991.[3][4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Johnston, Jessica (2001). The American Body in Context: An Anthology. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 241–255. ISBN 9780842028592. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ Garling, Caleb. "Killer's Corpse Lives Again in Ghostly Time-Lapse Photos". Wired. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ^ "Texas Is Executed for Slaying a Man in Burglary". The New York Times. Reuters. 1993-08-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
- ^ "A death row inmate scheduled for execution next Monday..." UPI. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
External links
edit- Offender Information at the Wayback Machine (archived November 20, 2007). Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
- Final Meal Requests at the Wayback Machine (archived December 2, 2003). Texas Department of Criminal Justice (2003-09-12). Archived from the original on 2003-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
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