Joe Arridy
I'm watching a guy called "Josh Slavin" who is currently ranking every death row inmate's last meal request. It's quite entertaining and educational, it can be hard to hear what some of these people have done to get the death penalty though.
But today I just watched his ranking of a man named "Joe Arridy", and it kinda broke my heart. I will have a brief breakdown of his story but fair warning it is quite sad.
I'm fully aware of stuff like this happening and injustice being prevalent all around the Earth and throughout history. But still his story hurts.
Just wanted to spread his name around so it can't be easily forgotten.
[spoiler]Joe Arridy was a 23-year-old man with an IQ score of 46 and the mind of a six-year-old who was wrongfully convicted, and wrongfully executed in 1939. He did not understand the meaning of the gas chamber, telling the warden "No, no, Joe won't die". He smiled while being taken to the gas chamber.
While held on death row during the appeals process, Arridy often played with a toy train given to him by prison warden Roy Best. Before Arridy's execution, [Best] said, "He probably didn't even know he was about to die, all he did was happily sit and play with a toy train I had given him."
For his last meal, Arridy requested ice cream. When questioned about his impending execution, he showed "blank bewilderment". He did not understand the meaning of the gas chamber, telling the warden "No, no, Joe won't die."
Before being taken away to the chamber, Arridy reportedly had not finished his ice cream and requested for the remaining ice cream to be refrigerated so he could eat it later, not understanding that he was to be executed soon and would not return. He was reported to have smiled while being taken to the gas chamber. Momentarily nervous, he calmed down when the warden grabbed his hand and reassured him.[/spoiler]
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😭😭😭 that’s so sad. Poor guy