A convicted murderer in the United States was able to speak lucidly for several minutes after officials administered a lethal injection, in an execution that witnesses described as agonising.
Brian David Steckel, 36, was put to death for the 1994 rape and murder of 29-year-old Sandra Lee Long. Despite the cocktail of lethal drugs entering his system, he remained conscious and spoke calmly to his family and witnesses present.
A Troubling Execution
Witnesses to the event reported hearing audible clicks from the injection machine and observed Steckel experiencing convulsions, suggesting the drugs may not have taken full effect as intended.
However, Delaware officials denied any procedural failure. They maintained the execution proceeded normally, stating the extended time was simply to allow the condemned man to deliver his final statements.
In his last words, Steckel expressed remorse, stating, “I walked in here without a fight, and I accept my punishment. It is time to go. I love you people… I’m at peace.”
The Horrific Crime
Steckel’s execution marked the end of a decades-long legal process following a truly horrific crime. In 1994, he lured Sandra Lee Long into her own apartment in Wilmington, Delaware, under the false premise of boring her phone.
When she refused his sexual advances, he attacked her, attempting to strangle her with pantyhose and a sock. After sexually assaulting her, Steckel dragged the 29-year-old into a bedroom and set both her and the curtains on fire.
Sandra Lee Long died from smoke inhalation and burns covering 60 per cent of her body.
The Aftermath and Arrest
Following the brutal killing, Steckel’s chilling behaviour continued. As the murder gained widespread media attention, he began taunting authorities, styling himself as the “Driftwood Killer.”
He phoned threats to a potential next victim and the local newspaper. Steckel was eventually arrested while drunk on an outstanding harassment warrant and confessed to the crime the next morning.
At his trial, he was convicted on multiple counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. During the penalty phase, he told jurors, “I ask you to hold me accountable for what I did… I know what I did was wrong: it was selfish [and] despicable.”
