Joseph Paul Jernigan

Joseph Paul Jernigan
Born	(1954-01-31)January 31, 1954 Geneva, Illinois
Died	August 5, 1993(1993-08-05) (aged 39) Huntsville, Texas
Criminal status	Executed
Conviction(s)	Murder
Criminal penalty	Death by lethal injection

Joseph Paul Jernigan (January 31, 1954 – August 5, 1993) was a Texas murderer who was executed by lethal injection at 12:31 a.m.

In 1981, Jernigan was found guilty of "cold-blooded murder" and sentenced to death for killing Edward Hale, a 75-year-old homeowner who discovered Jernigan and an accomplice as they were burglarizing his home. Jernigan spent 12 years in prison before his final plea for clemency was denied. At the prompting of a prison chaplain, he agreed to donate his body for scientific research or medical use. His cadaver was sectioned and photographed for the Visible Human Project and the University of Colorado School of Medicine by Dr. Vic Spitzer and associates. He is the subject of an HBO documentary Virtual Corpse and also appeared on the British video game TV series, GamesMaster's gore special.

See also

• Lists of people executed in Texas
• Capital punishment in Texas
• Capital punishment in the United States

External links

• Offender Information at the Wayback Machine (archived November 20, 2007). Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
• Final Meal Requests at the Wayback Machine (archived December 2, 2003). Texas Department of Criminal Justice (2003-09-12). Archived from the original on 2003-12-02. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.