Allen Lee Davis
Allen Lee Davis (July 20, 1944 – July 8, 1999) was an American murderer who was executed for the May 11, 1982, murder of Nancy Weiler, who was three months pregnant, in Jacksonville, Florida. According to reports, Nancy Weiler was "beaten almost beyond recognition" by Davis with a .357 Magnum, and hit more than 25 times in the face and head. He was additionally convicted of killing Nancy Weiler's two daughters, Kristina, age 9, who was shot twice in the face, and Katherine, age 5, who was shot as she tried to run away and then had  her skull beaten in with the gun. Davis, who had a lengthy criminal history, was on parole for armed robbery at the time of the murders. He later admitted that his initial motive was to rape and murder Kristina, kill her sister and mother, and then ransack the house. Davis was executed on July 8, 1999, via electrocution. His execution was considered botched, with witnesses reporting that Davis was still alive after the power to Old Sparky was switched off. Blood had also leaked from Davis's nose during the execution, although prison officials claim this was caused by a  nose bleed. Because of the controversy surrounding his execution, Davis remains the last person executed by electric chair in Florida. All subsequent executions in Florida have been carried out by lethal injection, although inmates can still choose to be executed by electric chair. Earlier crimes. Davis had prior convictions for armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and involuntary manslaughter. He also had a history of child molestation. Nancy Weiler's husband, John Weiler, would later call Davis a "deviant animal that should have been permanently caged or executed many years before  May 1982." Execution. Last meal. For his last meal, Davis requested and received a dinner consisting of one lobster tail, fried potatoes, a half pound of fried shrimp, six ounces of fried clams, half a loaf of garlic bread, and of A&W Root Beer. Controversy. Davis's execution gained nationwide media attention after he bled profusely from the nose while being electrocuted. Also during his time in the electric chair, Davis suffered burns to his head, leg, and groin area. A subsequent investigation concluded that Davis had begun bleeding before the first jolt of electricity was applied. He had been  taking blood thinning medication for an unrelated health problem. It was concluded that the electric chair had functioned as designed and the Florida Supreme Court upheld electrocution as a means of capital punishment. However, a dissenting justice published photos of the aftermath of the incident in an attempt to argue that the practice of capital punishment by electrocution was outdated, and that any future executions should be carried out through lethal injection. In 1999, the state of Florida heard a petition from Thomas Harrison Provenzano, another death row inmate, arguing that the electric chair was a "cruel and unusual punishment