The Execution of a Serial Killer: One Man's Experience Witnessing the Death Penalty (Hardcover)

~ Joseph D. Diaz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Diaz's powerful examination of the death penalty opens with a detailed description of the crimes of serial killer Edward Castro, a man whose execution Diaz witnessed. In 1986, Castro was responsible for three brutal murders and confessed when picked up by the Florida police on an unrelated issue. Diaz, a sociology and criminology professor at a college in Minnesota, was undecided about his stance on the death penalty. On one hand, he opposed it on moral grounds, but he had also seen the devastation such callous and sadistic killers wrought. When he learned the states of Texas and Florida needed volunteers to witness executions, he sent them both letters. Florida called on him. From that moment up until (and beyond) the execution itself, Diaz agonized over the process--including wrongful convictions and botched executions--and the consequences of the state taking a life, even that of a murderer. Readers on both sides of the death-penalty debate will find much to ponder in this thoughtful assessment of the U.S.' highest form of punishment. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"...direct and humble ... achingly honest ... extremely affecting. It's a significant addition to the literature on this subject." -- Scott F. Turow, Bestselling author of Presumed Innocent and Reversible Errors

"...vivid account of his experience as a witness to an execution ... insights about the factors that create serial murderers…" -- Stephen Nathanson, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Northeastern University, Author of “An Eye for an Eye?---The Immorality of Punishing by Death”

"I doubt that any reader will walk away from this book unchanged." -- Claire M. Renzetti, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Sociology, St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA

"…[Diaz] simply but powerfully nudges us into recognizing that capital punsihment is far more than just a controversial topic..." -- Claire M. Renzetti, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Sociology, St. Joseph’s University

"…direct and humble…achingly honest…extremely affecting…a significant addition to the literature…" -- Scott Turow, Bestselling author of Presumed Innocent

"…readers on both sides of the death penalty debate will find much to ponder in this thoughtful assessment ..." -- Kristine Huntley, Booklist, American Library Association

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Poncha Press (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970186274
• ISBN-13: 978-0970186270
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,955,742 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing Account of Both Serial Killings and Death Penalty, April 1, 2003

By	Kimberly Blaker, author/columnist (Michigan) - See all my reviews

The Execution of a Serial Killer begins by taking readers on a disturbing journey through the unspeakable crimes of a sociopath, with descriptive narration of the savagery of Edward Castro and of several other serial killers and the emotional and physical torture endured by their victims. Although opposed to the death penalty myself, the accounts quickly and temporarily induced a desire for revenge and for the death penalty, a normal human response to such brutal killings.

But author Joseph Diaz continues by sharing his own experience of indecision in regards to the death penalty, which is compounded by various arguments on both sides of the issue. Finally, when faced with witnessing the execution of Castro, the author comes to terms with the death penalty, concluding it is not the solution.

What especially captured me was the author's style and candidness. He has a sense of humor that is used appropriately, helping to relieve some of the edginess that builds from the intense subject. I was able to know the author as he shared his innermost thoughts that at times, if not odd, bordered on bizarre. Yet, they were very much like the thoughts that sometimes pop into my own mind and that we probably all encounter but would be unwilling to share with even our closest confidant.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witness To A State-Sponsored Killing, April 21, 2003

By	Bruce Crocker "agnostictrickster" (Whittier, California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Edward Castro was a piece of work. He was a sociopathic serial killer who enjoyed his life of crime way too much. Professor Joseph Diaz is a Professor of Sociology who specializes in criminology and antisocial behavior, has a wife and kids, and is a very Christian man. Professor Diaz was also a person who used to be ambivalent about the death penalty. The Execution Of A Serial Killer is Professor Diaz' very personal story of how he came to watch Edward Castro executed by the State of Florida, and what effect this event had on his thinking. I was thoroughly involved with Diaz' physical and mental journey, and highly recommend this book, especially to those folks who are either ambivalent about the death penalty or pro-death penalty, but couldn't see themselves pushing the button personally.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars shocking!, February 8, 2003

By	Carrie Hoversten, Student (Greensboro NC) - See all my reviews

I could not put the book down, it kept you always interested wondering how the author was going to deal with certain situations he put himself in. The author also made you think twice about whether we should or should not be using this as a punishment. This was a great book and I would recomend everyone to take the time to read this book!