I am going to see him die. I am to be a witness at his death by needle, the administration of a lethal injection next Wednesday night at 6, as the rest of Florida sits down to dinner. If his appeals fail, and so far they have, he will be dead 17 days shy of his 50th birthday. I asked for this, to witness some execution, as the long overdue completion of what I consider a necessary duty for a reporter in a state that is in the killing business. I have even told other reporters, who have filled this job before me and were rattled by it, that I doubt it will bother me.
Reporters see the dead.
I have seen the dead. Like most people, I have lived through my own losses, too. Still I can't bring myself to ask him what he thinks of me being a witness to this killing that he believes he doesn't deserve. He's got to know I'll be there. I've already told his wife.