On August 6, 1890, at Auburn Prison, New York, William Kemmler became the first person to be sent to the chair. He was convicted of murdering his lover, Matilda Ziegler, with an axe. After he was strapped in, a charge of approximately 700 volts was delivered for only 17 seconds before the current failed. Although witnesses reported smelling burnt clothing and charred flesh, Kemmler was far from dead, and a second shock was prepared. The second charge was 1,030 volts and applied for about two minutes, whereupon smoke was observed coming from the head of Kemmler, who was clearly deceased. An autopsy showed that the electrode attached to his back had burned through to the spine. Electrocution as a humane means of execution was first suggested in 1881 by Dr. Albert Southwick, a dentist. Southwick had witnessed an elderly drunkard “painlessly” killed after touching the terminals of an electrical generator in Buffalo, New York. In the prevalent form of execution at the time—death b...
On February 21, 2023, 17-year-old Brendan J Depa attacked a 57-year-old teacher's aide, Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida
On February 21, 2023, 17-year-old Brendan J Depa attacked a 57-year-old teacher's aide, Joan Naydich at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida. The incident was triggered by a dispute over a Nintendo Switch, a hand-held gaming device that Depa had brought to class. Joan had earlier asked Depa to put the gaming device away and focus on his schoolwork. He was visibly angered by this and then decided to assault her. Naydich was knocked unconscious and sustained multiple fractures to her face, skull, and shoulder. Depa was quickly arrested and charged with aggravated battery. He is currently awaiting trial as an adult. This is the case of Brendan J Depa, a former student at Matanzas High School in Palm Coast, Florida, who brutally assaulted a teacher's aide in February 2023. The attack, which was captured on a school security video and went viral on social media, showed Depa punching and kicking Joan Naydich, a 57-year-old paraprofessiona...