"Lord forgive them. They don't know what they are doing," those are the last words of convicted murderer Larry Swearingen. In July of 2000, a jury found Swearingen guilty of raping and murdering 19-year-old Melissa Trott. Crimes he adamantly denied committing, despite the "mountain of evidence" against him.

Note: This story contains accounts of murder, necrophilia, and cannibalism, each as disturbing and gory as the other.

Historically, society has attempted to discourage crime by making the punishment so horrible that nobody would want to take the risk of committing a crime. In an age where people aren’t afraid of death what can be done to scare them? What can we do in America where inmates consider lumpy potatoes to be "cruel and unusual punishment?"

Any last words? Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the "Top 10 Executed Criminals’ Last Words."

Dear Love,

It was scheduled that inmate Ricky Gray is expected to be executed on March 16, 2016. But, what would happen to his conviction if the lethal injection was no longer an option? The theory of the electric chair is an open discussion, but some Congressmen will argue that it is in violation of the Constitution for being deemed a cruel and unusual of punishment. How can that be when even some of the most well-known states (such as, Arizona, California, and Oklahoma) still legalize demeaning gas chambers? The State of Virginia challenges that notion by proposing a death row bill that will promote the opportunity to explore other choices on how to bring justice when the court system convicts a person to die. The state is trying to get previous techniques re-approved for death row inmates in response to the now crisis of the insufficient stock of deadly chemicals. If the bill provides too much of a controversy, then the Virginian Correctional Facilities will be forced to look for alternative sedatives in order to create a completely new lethal drug formula. One problem still remains as a prominent factor with the passing of this bill is that humanity as a whole does not entirely agree with the Capital Punishment Law. The people would rather see the law be terminated permanently. Even though it may not be the most humane method, the State of Virginia proposes that electrocution can be more efficient and practical than the reliability of obtaining the drugs used for lethal injections.

For money or for virtue? This is a question that many lawyers and politicians must make. For people in jobs like these, they are put in a position in which they are forced to decide either to do what they believe is right, or do what will guarantee them another paycheck. The case brief "A Life for a Life?" is about a House Member named Manny who needs to make a decision to vote for or against a bill that will get the death-penalty statute off the books in Florida (A Life for a Life). With second term elections coming up, and outside opinions clashing, Manny needs to make a firm decision. According to Virtue Ethics and Aristotle’s Philosophy, it would be unethical and, therefore, wrong for Manny to approve the bill that will get the death-penalty statute off the books in Florida because it would be going against key virtues in Manny’s life.

Continuing the Search for Kinder Executions

When I moved to Phoenix Arizona in 1985 I never thought, in my wildest dreams, I would meet some of the people in which I did. The wide array of personalities was captivating to say the least. Many of the people who eventually became friends and acquaintances kept me on my toes when at varies social events. Two of the "social events;" I was in my teens at the time, we were at Great Skate and the Break Cue Club (Pool Hall) off of 43rd ave and Peoria. I remember great times and great people. However, what I never imagined, in a million years is what was going to happen in the early 1990s by an acquaintance I met at The Break.

The death penalty was something we all learned about in school and the responses regarding its legality have never just been black or white. Some agree it serves a purpose of justice and others find it inhumane and believe it serves no justice but in fact contradicts itself. I found it fascinating that so many people believed so many different things and decided I wanted to dive into this and see if anybody could convince me that my own opinions were wrong.

There is a plethora of controversy surrounding the use of capital punishment. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, capital punishment is defined as “punishment by death for a serious crime.” Many factors play a role in deciding if capital punishment should or should not be used in the United States: religion, money, and politics. This paper will mainly be focused on the economic effects that the death penalty has in the United States, essentially asking the question, “does the economic impact of the death penalty justify or nullify capital punishment?”