Life and Death Row: The Mass Execution

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Life and Death Row

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Factual: Crime & Justice

Capital punishment through the eyes of young people whose lives have been shaped by it.

The story of capital punishment through the eyes of young people whose lives have been shaped by it.

The Mass Execution

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Miles Blayden-Ryall

Alistair Martin

Aysha Rafaele

Helen Swindells

Life and Death Row: The Mass Execution: Episode 4

Episode 4

BBC Three - Life and Death Row, The Mass Execution, Episode 4

There is an extraordinary act of compassion from one family's daughter to another.

Documentary. A student murdered by a teen gang is a focus at the last execution day. And there is an extraordinary act of compassion from one family's daughter to another.

A documentary series about the unprecedented number of executions scheduled in Arkansas, USA, of eight men in ten days. The Governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, has scheduled eight men to be put to death within ten days of each other. The reason for the unprecedented timetable is to use up the state's supply of a lethal injection drug called midazolam before it expires. With access to the families of victims, and of those on death row, this series follows the eight cases from both sides, in the weeks, days, hours and minutes leading up to each scheduled execution. From inside the prison walls, we also hear from the inmates themselves as they reflect on their crimes, plead for their lives and get ready to be part of the most condensed spate of death sentences in recent American history.

In this episode, the family of murdered teenager John Melbourne Jr are fighting for the execution of death row inmate Jason McGehee to go ahead. McGehee's lawyers argue that his sentence is unjust, as he is only one out of a group of teenagers responsible for the murder. In fact, the person who actually took John's life is eligible for parole in 2025.

We also meet Kayla Greenwood, whose father Michael was murdered by death row inmate Kenneth Williams in a road traffic collision after he escaped from prison. In an extraordinary act of forgiveness, Kayla is desperate to reconnect the killer with the daughter, Jasmine, he hasn't seen for 17 years.

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Exploring the execution of eight men in ten days scheduled to take place in Arkansas, USA.

Exploring the unprecedented number of executions - eight men in ten days - scheduled to take place in Arkansas, USA

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