Mitchell Rupe

Hanging might seem like a relatively simple proposition, but it has complications. Suspending or a very short drop, as typically seen in suicides, can result in a long, agonizing death from strangulation. Too long a drop causes decapitation. The procedure is best performed by measuring the person’s weight against the length of the drop to result in a broken neck, paralysis, and a quick death.

This equation, however, is thrown off by morbidly obese men who are too heavy to hang without risk of a gruesome beheading. Such was the case of Mitchell Rupe, a bank robber who shot two tellers dead in Washington State. Rupe was sentenced to death, but at the time, the only form of capital punishment performed in Washington was hanging. Rupe, who weighed over 400 pounds, argued that he was too fat to be executed in such a fashion and that doing so would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Rupe was subjected to numerous court proceedings and was twice sentenced to die. In 1994, a federal judge ruled that he was too heavy for hanging. A third trial resulted in a deadlock, and he was eventually relegated to life behind bars. Mitchell Rupe died of liver disease in 2006.

Nutty News Today – Nutty News Videos – Todays Nutty Joke – Nutty Facts – Nutty News Twitter  - Nutty Videos  Twitter