Twenty five years ago Memphis Police Lieutenant Ronald Oliver was gunned down in attempted Robbery of a Wendy's fast food store in Nashville. Philip Workman who was convicted of the crime was executed by lethal injection at 1:am central time at the central Prison in Nashville, Tennessee. As many condemned men are apt to do Workman maintained his innocence to the end saying friendly fire killed the policeman and not his bullets. He did however take responsibility for the attempted armed robbery that precipitated the slaying.

Capital punishment and its methods have come under close scrutiny as of late because of a few executions that took longer than usual. Many have tried to argue that any form of death sentence is cruel and unusual punishment forbidden under the US constitution. Fueling this debate is the contention that lethal injection can be very painful at times. The condemned man may feel suffocation in the intervals between the three drug cocktail mix.
Mr. Workman did have the choice of choosing the electric chair as his preferred method but chose not to choose. Lethal injection is the default method if none other is chosen.

Many will continue to be fascinated by the final moments of a condemned man as he contemplates and suffers the anguish of his impending demise.

This execution was no exception.