The Execution of Willie Francis

On May 3, 1946, in St. Martinsville, Louisiana, a seventeen-year-old Black boy named Willie Francis was scheduled to die in the electric chair. He had been charged with murder; his trial was brief, and the outcome—a death sentence—was never in doubt. When the switch was flipped, Willie screamed and convulsed as electricity surged through his … Continue reading The Execution of Willie Francis