death row in January 2004, he was apprehended.Purkey was 68 years old and suffering from dementia when he was put to death in 2020.
It’s unclear from his treatment of his last meal whether he realized what was going to happen because he was afflicted with the illness.
Seemingly oblivious to the fact that he would not have a later dinner, he had asked to save the pecan pie for later.
According to medical expert Dr. Gail Van Norman, Purkey most certainly had a “painful” death during his execution rather than the painless one that was intended.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Purkey’s autopsy showed that he had “severe bilateral acute pulmonary oedema” and “frothy pulmonary oedema in trachea and main stem bronchi.”
