With five sons of his murder victim watching, officials needed two tries to execute a man who was 17 when he shot and killed a San Antonio woman.
The first attempt to execute Joseph Cannon was aborted Wednesday when a vein in his left arm collapsed and the needle popped out. He already had made a final statement expressing his regret for the 1977 slaying.After closing his eyes momentarily, he turned with a quizzical expression toward a window where witnesses stood. "It's come undone," he said, referring to the needle.
Prison officials pulled a curtain to block witnesses from seeing Cannon. Fifteen minutes later, witnesses returned to be greeted by a smiling Cannon.
Cannon, 38, had spent more than half of his life on death row for fatally shooting a 45-year-old mother of eight.