Witness to Both Joseph Wood’s Crime and His Botched Execution: Murderers ‘Deserve To Suffer’
Joseph Rudolph Wood III began the end of his life on August 7, 1989, when he walked into an auto body shop and killed his 29 year-old ex-girlfriend Debbie Dietz, and her 55 year-old father Gene Dietz, with a .38 caliber revolver. Police shot Wood several times when he picked up and pointed the gun he had just laid down, but survived the wounds after extensive surgery.
Wood was sentenced to die on July 2, 1991, but the sentence which had taken just over 23 years to be carried out would be distinguished by the last two hours of that interval, because Joseph R. Wood was administered a lethal injection at 1:52 p.m., but was not pronounced dead until 3:49 p,m, Wednesday afternoon. The central issue being raised about this execution is the string of botched executions that seem to have been caused by the jazz flute improvisational nature of lethal injection drugs (an arc that has been followed and excruciatingly detailed by Rachel Maddow), but what’s truly disturbing about this execution is that the same society that has no problem with sending a man to his death gasping like an air-dried carp can’t allow itself to watch what is being done in its name.
Hence, viewers of The Rachel Maddow Show were instead treated to the accounts of reporters who witnessed the execution, like Michael Kiefer from The Arizona Republic, Mauricio Marin of KOLD-TV, and Troy Hayden of Fox 10 News:
While those descriptions are getting a lot of play, as our national media engages in the absurd debate over whether we’re being humane enough when we put people to death, very little attention is being paid to the voices of those who were touched by Joseph Wood’s crime, and who also witnessed his execution. At that same press conference, Debbie Deitz’s sister Jeanne Brown told reporters that Wood didn’t seem to suffer, and lashed out at the concern over Wood’s final hours:
“You don’t know what excruciating is. What is excruciating is seeing your dad lying there in a pool of blood, seeing your sister lying there in a pool of blood. That’s excruciating. This man deserved it. And I shouldn’t really call him a man. He deserved everything he had coming to him.”
“…He wasn’t suffering, he was sleeping.”
Jeaane Brown’s husband Richard, who was a witness to Wood’s crime, put an even finer point on it…READ MORE
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By: Tommy Christopher
Tommy Christopher is The Daily Banter's White House Correspondent and Political Analyst. He's been a political reporter and liberal commentator since 2007, and has covered the White House since the beginning of the Obama administration, first for PoliticsDaily, and then for Mediaite. Christopher is a frequent guest on a variety of television, radio, and online programs, and was the villain in the documentaries The Audacity of Democracy and Hating Breitbart. He's also That Guy Who Live-Tweeted His Own Heart Attack, and the only person to have ever received public apologies from both Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.
45 responses to Witness to Both Joseph Wood’s Crime and His Botched Execution: Murderers ‘Deserve To Suffer’
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R.J. Carter July 24th, 2014 at 13:22
He had a longer physical nap than was intended. As long as he was sleeping, I agree, he wasn’t suffering.
R.J. Carter July 24th, 2014 at 13:22
He had a longer physical nap than was intended. As long as he was sleeping, I agree, he wasn’t suffering.
Cassie July 24th, 2014 at 13:23
Most of the witnesses were mortified at what happened, as they should’ve been. Thankfully.
Cassie July 24th, 2014 at 13:23
Most of the witnesses were mortified at what happened, as they should’ve been. Thankfully.
William July 24th, 2014 at 13:26
He got to live 23 years longer than the people he murdered.
Herb Sarge Phelps July 24th, 2014 at 13:46
and yet he didn’t have freedom, or quality of life. If you think prison in Arizona is a wonderful way of life then you need to try it for yourself. His crime was horrible and yet as one who lives in Arizona, I am offended that we were so callous and hideous in this execution which we could have been more open about what we were using but refused to be. Now we have tortured another human being and we have actually been more cruel and inhumane than this guy had been. I sure am not proud today.
William July 24th, 2014 at 14:24
You might have noticed that I did not advocate nor condemn the death penalty. Actually I am against it until such time as it’s foolproof. (DNA evidence has released death row inmates)..HOWEVER, and this is important. I have a real hard time feeling sorry for people who take another life.
“and yet he didn’t have freedom, or quality of life”
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that might be the general idea of prison. People who want quality of life should perhaps not deprive other people of their lives.
All premature deaths be they murder or State sponsored are tragic. I choose to direct my sympathies at the victims.
Herb Sarge Phelps July 24th, 2014 at 14:44
thanks for clearing that up. I am against the death penalty for several reasons. One, what if it proves eventually that the person was not guilty? You can’t restore the life taken and that makes the state guilty of a horrible crime. Two, it is more expensive than putting them away for life and with the drugs used being harder to get and not too respectable ways of obtaining them being practiced, it feels shady. Three, it has been proven the death penalty is not a good deterrent so it has to be about revenge. Why be so barbaric and primitive when it has no real purpose other than to make someone feel better that another human has suffered also.
William July 24th, 2014 at 14:58
I appreciate and applaud your feelings on this matter. Given a choice, I think the world would be a better place if there were more people who thought as you do than the folks with the “kill ’em all let God sort ’em out” mentality.
I however temper my (albeit conflicted) feelings by always considering the victims first. My experiences as a cop have wired me that way.
Further, concerning your statement ” but let’s talk about our own suffering as well. Imagine the witnesses to this botched horror having this to remember the rest of their lives”. Please consider this.
I’m not sure anyone is ever FORCED to witness an execution.
As for me I think that it is far more horrible of an experience (and I speak from actual experience) to knock on someone’s door at 2 am and tell them that their son/daughter/wife/husband/mother/father/brother/sister, is never EVER coming home again, and why.
Taking a life is always wrong, be it the State or the A-hole with the revolver.
William July 24th, 2014 at 13:26
He got to live 23 years longer than the people he murdered.
Herb Sarge Phelps July 24th, 2014 at 13:46
and yet he didn’t have freedom, or quality of life. If you think prison in Arizona is a wonderful way of life then you need to try it for yourself. His crime was horrible and yet as one who lives in Arizona, I am offended that we were so callous and hideous in this execution which we could have been more open about what we were using but refused to be. Now we have tortured another human being and we have actually been more cruel and inhumane than this guy had been. I sure am not proud today.
William July 24th, 2014 at 14:24
You might have noticed that I did not advocate nor condemn the death penalty. Actually I am against it until such time as it’s foolproof. (DNA evidence has released death row inmates)..HOWEVER, and this is important. I have a real hard time feeling sorry for people who take another life.
“and yet he didn’t have freedom, or quality of life”
I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that might be the general idea of prison. People who want quality of life should perhaps not deprive other people of their lives.
All premature deaths be they murder or State sponsored are tragic. I choose to direct my sympathies at the victims.
Herb Sarge Phelps July 24th, 2014 at 14:44
thanks for clearing that up. I am against the death penalty for several reasons. One, what if it proves eventually that the person was not guilty? You can’t restore the life taken and that makes the state guilty of a horrible crime. Two, it is more expensive than putting them away for life and with the drugs used being harder to get and not too respectable ways of obtaining them being practiced, it feels shady. Three, it has been proven the death penalty is not a good deterrent so it has to be about revenge. Why be so barbaric and primitive when it has no real purpose other than to make someone feel better that another human has suffered also. Oh you hit my point about the freedom and quality of life, it is a punishment and still humane and not cruel. If a mistake is made you can correct the mistake, but dead is dead.
William July 24th, 2014 at 14:58
I appreciate and applaud your feelings on this matter. Given a choice, I think the world would be a better place if there were more people who thought as you do than the folks with the “kill ’em all let God sort ’em out” mentality.
I however temper my (albeit conflicted) feelings by always considering the victims first. My experiences as a cop have wired me that way.
Further, concerning your statement ” but let’s talk about our own suffering as well. Imagine the witnesses to this botched horror having this to remember the rest of their lives”. Please consider this.
I’m not sure anyone is ever FORCED to witness an execution.
As for me I think that it is far more horrible of an experience (and I speak from actual experience) to knock on someone’s door at 2 am and tell them that their son/daughter/wife/husband/mother/father/brother/sister, is never EVER coming home again, and why.
Taking a life is always wrong, be it the State or the A-hole with the revolver.
Bunya July 24th, 2014 at 13:38
I can understand the feelings of Debbie Deitz. She lost her sister and her dad both at the same time. On the other hand, we shouldn’t live in a society that kills it’s own citizens. Of course, that’s how I feel now, but that might change if somebody killed my family.
arc99 July 24th, 2014 at 13:46
My nephew, my sister’s son was murdered in southeast Washington DC over a decade ago. According to my sister, the coroner’s report indicated there were a total of 12 gunshot wounds. The case remains unsolved.
My sister and I differ on this. But even that tragic loss does not alter my unequivocal opposition to the death penalty.
Bunya July 24th, 2014 at 13:38
I can understand the feelings of Debbie Deitz. She lost her sister and her dad both at the same time. On the other hand, we shouldn’t live in a society that kills it’s own citizens. Of course, that’s how I feel now, but that might change if somebody killed my family.
arc99 July 24th, 2014 at 13:46
My nephew, my sister’s son was murdered in southeast Washington DC over a decade ago. According to my sister, the coroner’s report indicated there were a total of 12 gunshot wounds. The case remains unsolved.
My sister and I differ on this. But even that tragic loss does not alter my unequivocal opposition to the death penalty.
Ignoring for a moment that all of our closet cultural and political allies such as Canada and Britain have outlawed capital punishment, as a society are we really saying that the suffering of the convicted is irrelevant?
If so, then why not execute people by simply tying them to a tree stark naked in sub-freezing weather and wait for them to freeze or starve to death. If their suffering is wholly irrelevant, what would be the problem?
Bunya July 24th, 2014 at 15:15
Many politicians who were fervently against gay rights changed their stance once they discovered a family member was gay. One such politician that comes to mind is Dick Cheney.
I’m also opposed to the death penalty, but I know things change, and I honestly can’t say how I’d feel if somebody killed my family.
Herb Sarge Phelps July 24th, 2014 at 14:04
We talk about his suffering, which is important to consider, but let’s talk about our own suffering as well. Imagine the witnesses to this botched horror having this to remember the rest of their lives. Last night I saw 2 of them being interviewed (both journalist, one with experience at these events) and both were visibly rattled to the core. I remember the court saying to tell the drugs being used, but for some reason (got to wonder if our officials knew they would be called on this) refused to disclose it. Of course the supreme court as in the failure to make sense too often, continued to make bad rulings, and let our murderers hide their drugs to commit murder.
I feel less safe here than before. It will deter these criminals, it will make them more violent and victims will suffer even more. It also is costing the taxpayers more to do this than to put him away for life. I see no good sense in this barbaric, inhumane, and too costly practice. Also if we do make a mistake and kill and innocent person, how do we undo it?
Herb Sarge Phelps July 24th, 2014 at 14:04
We talk about his suffering, which is important to consider, but let’s talk about our own suffering as well. Imagine the witnesses to this botched horror having this to remember the rest of their lives. Last night I saw 2 of them being interviewed (both journalist, one with experience at these events) and both were visibly rattled to the core. I remember the court saying to tell the drugs being used, but for some reason (got to wonder if our officials knew they would be called on this) refused to disclose it. Of course the supreme court as in the failure to make sense too often, continued to make bad rulings, and let our murderers hide their drugs to commit murder.
I feel less safe here than before. It will deter these criminals, it will make them more violent and victims will suffer even more. It also is costing the taxpayers more to do this than to put him away for life. I see no good sense in this barbaric, inhumane, and too costly practice. Also if we do make a mistake and kill and innocent person, how do we undo it?
edmeyer_able July 24th, 2014 at 14:15
I thought we were supposed to be better.
Cassie July 24th, 2014 at 14:31
We are supposed to be…
last I checked, torture was a felony, and this was torture to the inmate being killed.
Suzanne McFly July 24th, 2014 at 15:43
We were better, but as a society we have been absorbed by hate. 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, but this treatment falls outside of that IMO. I would want to reek pure havoc on anyone that killed my family members, but the law will not allow that, we can not allow the law to circumvent the amendments either.
edmeyer_able July 24th, 2014 at 14:15
I thought we were supposed to be better.
Cassie July 24th, 2014 at 14:31
We are supposed to be…
last I checked, torture was a felony, and this was torture to the inmate being killed.
Suzanne McFly July 24th, 2014 at 15:43
We were better, but as a society we have been absorbed by hate. 8th Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, but this treatment falls outside of that IMO. I would want to reek pure havoc on anyone that killed my family members, but the law will not allow that, we can not allow the law to circumvent the amendments either.
Pistol-Packing July 24th, 2014 at 14:20
I will let the picture speak for itself how I feel.
Robert Johnston July 25th, 2014 at 14:22
One of my favorite albums (though not for the title track).
–RKJ
Pistol-Packing July 25th, 2014 at 15:13
One of mine to… Fade to Black, Creeping Death, Whom the bells toll… But I am also very partial to Master of Puppets.
Robert Johnston July 25th, 2014 at 15:16
“For Whom The Bell Tolls”…that’s the song on there I liked the most! :-)
–RKJ
Pistol-Packing July 25th, 2014 at 16:13
Ahhhhhh Yes, If you want a really good DVD concert. Get Metallica in Mexico City. 4 days, 90,000 people event sold out. And every great song that you want to hear. HIGHLY RECOMMEND it..
Robert Johnston July 25th, 2014 at 16:35
Looks like a field trip to Lou’s Records in Encinitas is in order for the next week!
There’s quite a few concert DVDs on my list.
Thanks for the recommendation!
–RKJ
Pistol-Packing July 24th, 2014 at 14:20
I will let the picture speak for itself how I feel.
Robert Keith Johnston July 25th, 2014 at 14:22
One of my favorite albums (though not for the title track).
–RKJ
Pistol-Packing July 25th, 2014 at 15:13
One of mine to… Fade to Black, Creeping Death, Whom the bells toll… But I am also very partial to Master of Puppets.
Robert Keith Johnston July 25th, 2014 at 15:16
“For Whom The Bell Tolls”…that’s the song on there I liked the most! :-)
–RKJ
Pistol-Packing July 25th, 2014 at 16:13
Ahhhhhh Yes, If you want a really good DVD concert. Get Metallica in Mexico City. 4 days, 90,000 people event sold out. And every great song that you want to hear. HIGHLY RECOMMEND it..
Robert Keith Johnston July 25th, 2014 at 16:35
Looks like a field trip to Lou’s Records in Encinitas is in order for the next week!
There’s quite a few concert DVDs on my list.
Thanks for the recommendation!
–RKJ
Sean Hill July 25th, 2014 at 23:52
Might be a sign that we should stop trying to kill our own species off…and work on healing it instead.
Favorite quotes that apply to most of these threads/dialogues:
“Evil is good or truth misplaced.” – Gandhi
“It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark” – Chinese Proverb
“Those who are the hardest to love are the ones who need it most” – Socrates
“Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.” – Gary Zukav
Enjoy, keep doing your best to love each other, and all love to everyone…there is a way. ~ peace ~
Manny Reznick August 1st, 2014 at 21:42
Typical bleeding heart liberal. Always standing up for the murderers and ignoring the victims and their families. It is the liberal’s fault that these scumbags are suffering. It was the left that intimidated the pharmaceutical companies to stop supplying known drugs that worked. It is liberals who keep capital punishment from being a deterrent. Every murderer knows that they probably won’t be executed. If you have a family and if they ever suffer, I’m sure they will rely on your empty platitudes for cold comfort. If you really believed in what you’re saying you should emulate the Vietnamese monks who protested the Vietnam war. Unlike you, they had the courage of their convictions.
Sean Hill August 5th, 2014 at 18:58
Hey Manny,
Nice to meet you, wish you the best today.
First, I don’t speak my mind from just my mind and heart, but from actual experience, facts, and compassionate truths.
Even though you seem to speak for families and suffering, you don’t speak with compassion in your speech, but a bitterness/anger that I would love for you to share more of incase you want to let go of it.
I will always do my best to speak to people with respect and unassuming opinions, especially to people who disagree with anything I say/think. This is where true peace can start. Just in our communication. I’ve done nothing to offend you, yet you speak to me with preconceived notions of who I am, what belief systems I’m a part of, and you also got personal by bringing my family and my own convictions into this dialogue. My family is suffering right now as we speak in a number of ways dealing with an unexpected death and I don’t think you realize the power of your thoughts and words on people. If I was in a different place in my life, I would react very harshly, not at all, or with your same level of blind judgment.
For all of that, I would appreciate an apology in the harsh, assuming, and insulting way you just spoke to me, but I would not demand it, expect it, or force it. I would simply respect it if you did it.
And if you don’t, I sincerely wish you a reminder of asking people for their ideas and solutions instead of assuming them and stating your beliefs in a belittling way. We can always do more together than apart, and I’m sure I may have plenty to learn from you and your love of family and life, your successes and how to turn failure into lessons, or something really interesting you may know that I simply don’t.
Here is an actual story about a family member who did not want the murderer of his own sister to be sentenced to death, his story is one of many. Please discover more on your own if you wish. I would never share an opinion/idea without many actual higher truths to support it and elevate us all to a greater good of being. Wish you nothing but the best and please take in the article fully if you wish. peace~
“Victim’s Brother says Execution Left Him with “horror and emptiness”
Ronald Carlson wanted vengeance when his sister was murdered in 1983 in Texas. But when he witnessed the execution in 1998 of the person who committed the murder he changed his mind. In a recent op-ed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Carlson said he had no opinion on capital punishment before his sister’s death and remembers feeling hatred and “would have killed those responsible with my own hands if given the opportunity.” But he later discovered that, “Watching the execution left me with horror and emptiness, confirming what I had already come to realize: Capital punishment only continues the violence that has a powerful, corrosive effect on society.”
Carlson said he sympathizes with other victims’ families, understanding how they would want to see those who killed their love ones suffer the same fate. But, he said, “[O]ur justice system should not be dictated by vengeance.” He asked, “As a society, shouldn’t we be more civilized than the murderers we condemn?” Carlson has spent over half of his life examining this issue and has come to believe, “We as a society should not be involved in the practice of killing people.”
(R. Carlson, “Time to end the death penalty’s cycle of violence,” Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, August 3, 2008).
All Love July 25th, 2014 at 23:52
Might be a sign that we should stop trying to kill our own species off…and work on healing it instead.
Favorite quotes that apply to most of these threads/dialogues:
“Evil is good or truth misplaced.” – Gandhi
“It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark” – Chinese Proverb
“Those who are the hardest to love are the ones who need it most” – Socrates
“Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is.” – Gary Zukav
Enjoy, keep doing your best to love each other, and all love to everyone…there is a way. ~ peace ~
Manny Reznick August 1st, 2014 at 21:42
Typical bleeding heart liberal. Always standing up for the murderers and ignoring the victims and their families. It is the liberal’s fault that these scumbags are suffering. It was the left that intimidated the pharmaceutical companies to stop supplying known drugs that worked. It is liberals who keep capital punishment from being a deterrent. Every murderer knows that they probably won’t be executed. If you have a family and if they ever suffer, I’m sure they will rely on your empty platitudes for cold comfort. If you really believed in what you’re saying you should emulate the Vietnamese monks who protested the Vietnam war. Unlike you, they had the courage of their convictions.
All Love August 5th, 2014 at 18:58
Hey Manny,
Nice to meet you, wish you the best today.
First, I don’t speak my mind from just my mind and heart, but from actual experience, facts, and compassionate truths.
Even though you seem to speak for families and suffering, you don’t speak with compassion in your speech, but a bitterness/anger that I would love for you to share more of incase you want to let go of it.
I will always do my best to speak to people with respect and unassuming opinions, especially to people who disagree with anything I say/think. This is where true peace can start. Just in our communication. I’ve done nothing to offend you, yet you speak to me with preconceived notions of who I am, what belief systems I’m a part of, and you also got personal by bringing my family and my own convictions into this dialogue. My family is suffering right now as we speak in a number of ways dealing with an unexpected death and I don’t think you realize the power of your thoughts and words on people. If I was in a different place in my life, I would react very harshly, not at all, or with your same level of blind judgment.
For all of that, I would appreciate an apology in the harsh, assuming, and insulting way you just spoke to me, but I would not demand it, expect it, or force it. I would simply respect it if you did it.
And if you don’t, I sincerely wish you a reminder of asking people for their ideas and solutions instead of assuming them and stating your beliefs in a belittling way. We can always do more together than apart, and I’m sure I may have plenty to learn from you and your love of family and life, your successes and how to turn failure into lessons, or something really interesting you may know that I simply don’t.
Here is an actual story about a family member who did not want the murderer of his own sister to be sentenced to death, his story is one of many. Please discover more on your own if you wish. I would never share an opinion/idea without many actual higher truths to support it and elevate us all to a greater good of being. Wish you nothing but the best and please take in the article fully if you wish. peace~
“Victim’s Brother says Execution Left Him with “horror and emptiness”
Ronald Carlson wanted vengeance when his sister was murdered in 1983 in Texas. But when he witnessed the execution in 1998 of the person who committed the murder he changed his mind. In a recent op-ed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Carlson said he had no opinion on capital punishment before his sister’s death and remembers feeling hatred and “would have killed those responsible with my own hands if given the opportunity.” But he later discovered that, “Watching the execution left me with horror and emptiness, confirming what I had already come to realize: Capital punishment only continues the violence that has a powerful, corrosive effect on society.”
Carlson said he sympathizes with other victims’ families, understanding how they would want to see those who killed their love ones suffer the same fate. But, he said, “[O]ur justice system should not be dictated by vengeance.” He asked, “As a society, shouldn’t we be more civilized than the murderers we condemn?” Carlson has spent over half of his life examining this issue and has come to believe, “We as a society should not be involved in the practice of killing people.”
(R. Carlson, “Time to end the death penalty’s cycle of violence,” Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, August 3, 2008).”
(More humbling and compassionate realizations of saying no to the death penalty from victim’s families at: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-voices-victims-families) ~