The Secret Tape of Alpha Otis Stephens’ Botched Execution | Real Death Chamber Audio Revealed
In the early 1980s, the Georgia Department of Corrections quietly began a secret practice that would remain hidden for nearly two decades. They recorded every execution that took place inside their death chamber. It started in 1983 when Georgia resumed executions after a 10-year pause. Officials said the recordings were made to safeguard ourselves, to prove that each execution was carried out by the book, that nothing went wrong.
But those tapes would eventually tell a very different story. One of the most haunting of them all came on December 12th, 1984 during the electrocution of Alfa Otis O’Daniel Stevens. Stevens had been sentenced to die for a 1974 murder. But when the switch was thrown, the first surge of electricity failed to k!ll him. The secret tape captured everything.
the assistant warden’s calm voice describing how Stevens was still breathing, still moving even after the current stopped. Officials scrambled to check the wires, the sponges, and the equipment before finally delivering a second jolt that ended his life nearly 20 minutes later. That recording, never meant for the public, documented one of the most chilling examples of a botched execution in US history.
4 years those tapes sat locked away in Georgia’s prison archives. No one outside the Department of Corrections even knew they existed. Not the media, not victims families, not even most state officials. It wasn’t until 1998 that a defense attorney discovered them while challenging the constitutionality of George’s electric chair.
Then in 2001, a radio journalist obtained the recordings and aired them publicly for the first time. Listeners across the nation heard, for the first time ever, what really happens inside an American execution chamber. The exposure of those tapes shocked the country and forced Georgia to finally abandon the electric chair.
What began as a secret meant to protect the system ended up revealing its deepest flaws, capturing the cold mechanical process of taking a human life. What you’re about to hear is one of those very tapes, the real unedited audio recording of the botched execution of Alpha Otis Stevens. Here is the original audio from inside George’s death chamber on that December night in 1984.
part 2 ‼️
Count of three. Press the button. One, two, three. The execution now has begun. There was one small jerk from the condemned at the time the execution was initiated. He is sitting very still now. And we are also now into the second phase of the execution. We’re now into the third phase of the execution.
No movement from the condemned, no activity, and no movement from the witnesses. He appears to be relaxing a little bit more now. There’s 60 seconds remaining on the third phase of the execution. There is a slight movement from the uh condemn’s head. He seems to be moving his head from side to side slightly. I show the time is 12:19.
Commissioner, he is still moving his head and he seems to have slumped down or in a relaxing type of position in the chair, but his head is moving from side to side slightly. Commissioner, Mr. Long, the execution is completed at this time. The electrical panel box is secured and locked. I do not detect any movement from the contempt at this time.
He seems to have stopped moving his head and also his arms. I show the time is 12:20. You are in the laps time countdown. Is that correct? Yes, sir. We’re into the first minute of of the lapse time now. No movement from any of the witnesses and at this time no movement from the condemned. We have now completed 1 minute of lap time. 4 minutes remaining.
2 minutes of lap time completed at this time. 3 minutes remaining. Still very little movement from any of the witnesses and I detect no movement from the condemned at this time. Commissioner. Yes. Mr. Long. Yes, sir. There is some slight movement. He’s still moving his uh head slightly.
The only thing we can do is continue until the physicians can check him after the lap time has expired. Don’t worry checklist. Okay. Okay. We have completed 3 minutes of lap time. 2 minutes remaining. Commissioner Mr. long. Yes, he is still moving his head slightly. Kind of a bobbing up and down movement. Commissioner, yes, Mr.
Long, we have completed 4 minutes of laps time. We have 1 minute remaining. And from my vantage point, I do detect or it seems to be that he is breathing. Commissioner, Mr. We have completed the 5 minutes lapse time. Stand by for the physician’s check. It appears and the doctors agree with me that he’s still breathing. He wants to check him and then go through it again or just go ahead and go through it again.
Check him and then go through him again. Definitely check him. Don’t bury the checklist. All right. Have them check him. Okay. I can’t find We’ve announced we’re going to do it again. It doesn’t say so. Okay. remains on. Okay. Time at 12:26 and 30 seconds. Commissioner, yes. Doctor, verify that he is still alive.
Repeat the execution. Very well. Better check all the connections. Sam. Yes, sir. Did you tell ex the witnesses that you were repeating? No, I didn’t. I think you should tell them. Okay. Do you want me to advise them that the process and not go into any detail? That’s right. Final tells you commissioner final.
This superintendent is entering the execution chamber and approaching the mic at this time to advise the witnesses that uh we will proceed again with the execution. Well, listen, if you can tell him to tell him there were some vital signs remaining, so the execution will repeat. You can get that message to him. It’s too late now.
He’s already briefed him and he’s on the way back in, sir. All right. All right. I show the time is 12:28. Okay, commissioner will proceed at this time. My count of three, you press your button. One, two, three. Commissioner, Mr. Long, the execution is initiated again. At this time, the uh condemn made one big jerk and now he is relaxing in the chair.
I do not detect any other movement from the condemned at this time. We have completed the first and second phase of the execution. We are now into the third phase. I do detect his head moving from side to side. Again, we’re still into the third phase of the execution. Commissioner Mr. Long. Yes. He is still at this time moving his head from side to side and appears to be breathing.
We’ll continue just like we did previously. We have 15 seconds remaining on the third phase of the execution. Commissioner Mr. Long, the third phase of the uh execution is completed. The equipment is switched off, secured at this time. We’re now into the 5 minutes left time. What is the status on condemn appears to be breathing to me? You’re going to have to have them check those sponges and check their connections.
There’s something they don’t have connected right with us for that. Yes, sir. You want us to go ahead and complete this whole thing and then uh yeah, complete your two days and then you’re going to have to make your check. Okay, Commissioner, Mr. Long, we have completed one minute of laps time. We have 4 minutes remaining.
I might also advise at this time that I do not detect any uh movement from him at this time. He appears to have stopped moving. Still no movement from any of the witnesses. They were just sitting very still observing the uh condemned in the chair. Show the time at 12:32. We have now completed 2 minutes of phase time. Lap time.
We have 3 minutes remaining. Might also add that I do not detect any movement from the condemned commissioner. Mr. long. We have now completed 3 minutes lap time. We have 2 minutes remaining. There is still no movement from the uh condemn commissioner. Mr. Long, we have completed 4 minutes of lap time. We have 1 minute remaining.
Still no one detectable movement from the condemn. He does seem to have stopped moving entirely. Commissioner, Mr. Long, we have completed our five minutes last time. Stand by for the positions check. At this time, the superintendent and the two positions are entering the execution chambers for their check. The first doctor is now in the process of making his check for vital signs.
I show the time at 12:36. I show the time at 12:37. Striker doctor is still in the process of conducting his check for vital signs. The superintendent is at this time commissioner Mr. Long is in the process of briefing the witnesses that at 12:37 hours this date the condemned was pronounced dead. He has instructed all witnesses to depart the witness room back to the front of the institution.
At this time the curtains are drawn.
