His final hours

 

At 8:13:25 a.m. Monday, a medical staff member gave Lundgren doses of
three medications to control his high blood pressure and blood sugar
levels - treatments for the obesity and diabetes that he once hoped
might buy him more time.

10 minutes and 33 seconds later, and still on the phone with his wife,
Lundgren began to cry again. The last conversation they had ended 1
hour and 11 minutes before he was pronounced dead.

An official time log kept by execution team members, who were
commissioned to keep Lundgren comfortable, does not detail what the convicted killer
said to his wife or why he was crying.

Instead, it documents his last 24 hours, from the moment he walked in
the door at 9:42:40 a.m. Monday to the moment he was pronounced dead at
10:26 a.m. Tuesday.

Lundgren, 56, was convicted of shooting Dennis Avery, 49; his wife,
Cheryl, 41; and daughters Trina, 15, Rebecca, 13, and Karen, 7, in 1989
while they stood in a pit dug inside his Kirtland barn.

Lundgren had formed a cult after he was fired as a lay minister of the
Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Several people
had lived with him in a rented farmhouse, calling him "Dad" and turning
over their paychecks to him.

The Averys had moved from Missouri in 1987 to follow Lundgren's
teachings.

Arrival to the death house

At 9:44:47 a.m. Monday, Lundgren arrived at the death house and
received a review of his personal effects.

When asked by a team member what should be done with his personal
Bible, pair of gym shorts, socks, underwear and address book after his death,
Lundgren said they were to be destroyed.

At 9:53:40 a.m., Lundgren was strip-searched and given state-issued
clothing - dark blue pants and a white V-neck pullover shirt - and told
he had unlimited collect phone calls.

At 10:06:16 a.m., he requested his special meal be turkey (white meat),
mashed potatoes with gravy, yeast rolls, salad with tomatoes and
radishes with Wishbone French Dressing, Pepsi and pumpkin pie with whipped cream
for dessert.

At 10:10:22 a.m., the execution team leader asked Lundgren if he needed
anything.

At 10:10:42 a.m., Lundgren requested a paper cup for some water.

Five minutes and 16 seconds later, he opened his Bible and began to
read.

When asked at 10:18:02 a.m. if he needed anything else to eat or drink,
Lundgren said he was "OK."

The first few hours

None of Lundgren's family visited him during his final 24 hours in
Lucasville.

Lundgren spent a total of about 41/2 hours watching TV, most of it
laying in his bed, sometimes covered by a blanket, and none after learning his
stay of execution had been lifted. He also spent time reading his
Bible.

Lundgren testified in court that passages in the Bible told him to kill
the Avery family. Nearly 17 years later, he told a parole officer he
had realized he misinterpreted some things in the Bible.

Lundgren asked for his cell light to be turned off at 10:54:08 a.m.
Monday, telling a team member he had not slept the night before.

At 11:09 a.m., medical staff members assessed both his arms for proper
vein injection sites and came back with a "good" report.

Lundgren appeared to be sleeping between 11:31:04 and 11:49:13 a.m.

He woke up, used the bathroom and washed his hands at noon.

At 12:13:15 p.m., Warden Edwin Voorhies shook Lundgren's hand from
outside the cell and asked him how he was doing.

Lundgren said that he was OK.

The 2 were together for 10 minutes and 41 seconds until 12:23:56 p.m.,
when Voorhies left and Lundgren received 2 cups of Pepsi with ice.

Lundgren then flipped through TV channels for a few minutes before
returning to his Bible.

A good-bye to a son

At 12:40:01 p.m., Lundgren got a call from his wife, Kathryn, who
already served time for her part in the crime. That call ended at 12:48:30 p.m.

The inmate ate 2 bologna sandwiches with mayonnaise and pickles for
lunch.

At 1:12:06 p.m., he read a paper. From 1:18:15 to 1:35:54 p.m., he read
his Bible.

Despite phone problems, Lundgren spoke with his attorney, Henry Hillow,
at 1:48:49 p.m.

He covered himself with a blanket and put a wash cloth over his eyes at
1:52:44 p.m.

Then, at 2:00:42 p.m., he placed a call to his son, also convicted in
the Avery murder case.

Damon P. Lundgren is first eligible for parole in February 2098.

The 2 spoke from 2:00:42 to 2:14:41 p.m.

Lundgren went back to sleep from 2:25:59 to 2:43:44 p.m., watched TV
and read his Bible until his special meal was served at 4:04:16 p.m.

The Rev. Gary Sims arrived at 4:34:45 p.m., and Lundgren asked to save
his pumpkin pie for later.

He spoke to Sims until 4:59:59 p.m., then continued watching TV.

A phone conversation with his wife began at 6:33:48 p.m., lasting 18
minutes and 11 seconds.

Lundgren then laid back down on his bed, drinking pop and receiving his
medication, until falling asleep from 9:35:51 to 10:00:38 p.m.

Final reprieve denied

Despite the time he'd spent on death row at the Ohio State Penitentiary
in Youngstown, Lundgren may have believed he had more time left.

He had been allowed to join a lawsuit by five other death row inmates
the week previous, prompting U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost to put
a temporary stop on the execution.

The lawsuit questioned the Constitutionality of Ohio's use of lethal
injection.

Late Monday, a 3-judge panel overturned Frost's order.

At 10:49:36 p.m., as Lundgren appeared to be sleeping, he received a
call from the warden to let him know the stay had been lifted and the
execution would continue.

At 10:50:47 p.m., he placed a call to his wife. She didn't answer.

At 10:52:06 p.m., he placed a call to her cell phone and got through.

At 11:04:26 p.m., his attorney called. They spoke briefly.

At 11:05:30 p.m., he called his wife again. The 2 then spoke until
2:35:56 a.m., when Lundgren ended the call, saying Kathryn had wanted to call a
family member.

When Lundgren received a call from his attorney at 3:02:52 a.m., he
asked why the decision had been overturned.

Between 3:23:19 and 4:55:38 a.m., he appeared to be sleeping.

Then he called his wife again.

He took an 11-minute shower at 5:47 a.m.

Lundgren's last meal

Breakfast arrived at 6:06:20 a.m. - a cup of coffee, two cups of juice
and two cups of milk, Rice Krispies, three pancakes and three servings of
syrup. Lundgren declined the coffee and the syrup.

After eating, Lundgren brushed his teeth at 6:13:26 a.m., then spoke to
his wife on the phone from 6:15:30 to 8:35:46 a.m.

It was during this time that he cried twice.

At 8:35:46 a.m., he took a call from his attorney. He resumed
conversation with his wife at 8:41:47 a.m.

At 8:51:25 a.m., a call from his attorney let him know the governor had
denied him clemency and the Supreme Court had denied his stay of
execution.

Lundgren called his wife one last time at 8:52:24 a.m. The 2
disconnected at 9:15:38 a.m.

The final hour

Ohio's lethal injection procedure was explained to Lundgren by the team
leader at 9:19:55 a.m. Lundgren then sat on his bed.

At 9:24:32 a.m., the Rev. Sims arrived, holding hands and praying with
Lundgren from 9:29:41 to 9:34:11 a.m. as officials were preparing the
drugs.

At 9:42:22 a.m., the Rev. Sims left. Lundgren began praying by himself
at 9:44:47 a.m.

Between 9:47:27 and 9:51:35 a.m., the inmate paced back and forth in
his cell.

Then, at 10:00:00 a.m., the warden approached Lundgren's holding cell
to read him his death warrant.

He laid on his bed to be prepared with heparin locks at 10:01:39 a.m.,
viewed on a monitor by the execution witnesses.

At 10:15:02:02 a.m., he rose with the help of team members.

He began the 17 steps from his holding cell to the execution chamber 8
seconds later.

A final statement at 10:17:22 a.m. professed his love for God, his
family, his children and his wife.

At 10:17:33 a.m., the warden gave a secret signal to begin the
injection process.

Syringes of Thiopental Sodium were injected into Lundgren's body at
10:17:42 and 10:18:25 a.m., followed by a full flush at 10:19:08 a.m.

At 10:20:13 and 10:21:14 a.m., syringes of Pancuronium Bromide were
injected, followed by another full flush at 10:22:10 a.m.

The final syringe, of Potassium Chloride, was injected at 10:23:24
a.m., concluding the injection process at 10:25:17 a.m.

At 10:27:21 a.m., the warden announced Lundgren's time of death was
10:26 a.m.

And the witness curtain was closed at 10:27:36 a.m.

(source: The News-Herald)

 

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