Latest news with #MaryBales
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Death row inmate suffered 'excruciating' execution after making last meal 'mistake'
A death row inmate suffered an excruciating execution after making a critical last meal mistake. Wesley Ira Purkey, who had been on death row since 2004, was found guilty of raping and murdering 16-year-old Jennifer Long back in 1998. The killer also brutally murdered Mary Bales, 80, after beating her with a claw hammer but he faced justice after neighbours caught him attempting to burn her body. He was arrested before being found guilty of the double murder and placed on death row in January 20024. But when he was executed in July 2020, Purkey, 68, was suffering from dementia. Due to the disease, it is not clear whether he understood what was going to happen to him judging by how he treated his last meal. Purkey had requested pecan pie as his final meal but asked officers to save it for him for later, apparently unaware that there would be no later for him. When it eventually came to his execution, Dr Gail Van Norman, a medical expert, said Purkey likely experienced an 'excruciating' death rather than the intended painless death. The autopsy of Purkey revealed he had suffered a sudden accumulation of fluid in both lungs which would have led to him having difficulty breathing due to the coughing up of frothy, pink sputum, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Van Norman said this would cause a near drowning experience for the inmate that would likely be 'among the most excruciating feelings known to man', and the filling of Purkey's lungs could only have happened while he was still alive. He added: 'It is a virtual medical certainty, that most, if not all, prisoners will experience excruciating suffering, including sensations of drowning and suffocation from [the lethal injection drug] pentobarbital.' Purkey's first victim, Jennifer Long, was last seen at East High School in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 22, 1998, before she disappeared. She had been lured into Purkey's car before he took her back to his home where he reportedly stabbed her to death and dismembered her body with a chainsaw. The killer is then said to have burned her body in a fireplace before placing her remains in a septic pond in Clearwater, Kansas. But to this day, Long's remains are yet to be found. Before his execution took place, Purkey appeared to show remorse for his actions. His final words were reportedly: 'I deeply regret the pain and suffering I caused to Jennifer's family. 'I am deeply sorry. I deeply regret the pain I caused to my daughter, who I love so very much.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lacasa, Oaklawn selected for supportive housing initiative
GOSHEN — Lacasa Inc. and Oaklawn have secured a pathway to expand supportive housing in Elkhart County through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). The two organizations have been selected to participate in the 17th Indiana Supportive Housing Institute, a four-month program designed to finalize development plans for permanent supportive housing. Lacasa and Oaklawn plan to build an eight-unit building with single-occupancy apartments for people experiencing homelessness over the age of 55, a growing population among the unhoused community. The building is one of seven planned for Lakeview Apartments, a community of supportive housing at Oaklawn's Goshen campus at 330 Lakeview Drive. At the conclusion of the housing institute, Lacasa and Oaklawn will present a proposal to secure funding for the project. Supportive housing is a data-driven model that increases the supply of affordable homes, creates jobs, stimulates the local economy and enhances community safety, organizers said. Furthermore, stable housing leads to better health outcomes and improved educational stability for children, families and older adults. 'We're honored and grateful to be selected for this program. It significantly enhances our ability to make a tangible impact through this development,' said Mary Bales, Oaklawn's manager of Housing Development. 'You cannot separate wellbeing from stable housing. When people have that solid foundation, they can remain stably housed, they can access services, and they look ahead to their future. It really works.' Lacasa will act as the developer and property manager, and Oaklawn will provide supportive services – an arrangement similar to other successful housing projects the two have collaborated on, such as Lincoln West and Westplains apartments, projects that were also part of previous housing institutes. For this project, Maple City Health and REAL Services are also collaborative partners to support the unique needs of seniors. 'Strong partnerships are essential to meeting our community's housing needs,' says Jeremy Stutsman, president and CEO of Lacasa. 'By taking a holistic approach, we ensure individuals have both stable housing and critical support services. Our collaboration with Oaklawn makes lasting change possible, and I'm grateful to their team and our dedicated Lacasa staff for their commitment to this work.' The Lacasa-Oaklawn team includes three Lacasa staff members – Alan Greaser, chief operations officer; Aaron Lehman, vice president asset management; and Emily Brick, Goshen site manager – along with two Oaklawn staff members, Rhonda Martin, director of Housing Support Services, and Bales. Through intensive workshops, the team will gain expertise in overcoming development and funding challenges and delivering high-quality, trauma-informed services that support long-term housing stability.
