Williams botched execution changed history
By AmberLynn
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
United States
July 13, 2020 7:54am CST
Likely you have heard about the botched execution of William Williams which lead to capital punishments being ixnay'ed in Minnesota. If you haven't, the gist of it is that the sheriff miscalculated the length of the rope, leaving Williams to essentially fall to the ground and not die. Two men had to hold the rope for fourteen minutes as he strangled to death.
I feel like they should have cut the rope, readjusted the length and went about it that way. I wonder if it haunted the men who were responsible for holding the rope and essentially being the ones to kill him?
Williams was quoted as saying that he was not responsible for the death of John Keller or his mother, and that he also had no improper relations with the man who was younger than himself.
John Keller and William Williams relationship
Apparently the two were close. Close enough that Keller's father felt it pertinent to tell his son to stop associating with Williams and come home. Letters began to arrive afterwards, penned by Williams. The letters were both a confession of his admiration for Keller and a threat to do as he was bid and come back to him or face the consequences.
I don't know what truly happened, but I think perhaps William Williams had some sort of emotional or mental issue that would not have been diagnosable at the time. I do wonder if they had some sort of relationship, and I feel sorry if the relationship was consensual between both and Keller's father intervened.
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2 responses
@JESSY3236 (22244)
• United States
13 Jul 20
Maybe the mother found out and he went crazy and shot them both.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
13 Jul 20
No, if it was done it was premeditated. He wrote a letter to the younger man which was left unanswered. He came to the house and found the younger man and his mother, the father was not home. The father probably would have been killed too had he been home.
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@LindaOHio (222623)
• United States
13 Jul 20
A sad story and a horrible execution.
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@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
13 Jul 20
Very sad. I'm leaning more towards believing he did it, but I'm also not so sure. Either way, he did not deserve to die like that.
1 person likes this



