Ron McAndrew, the former warden of Florida State Prison, has spoken out about the 1997 execution of convicted murderer Pedro Medina, describing it as one of the worst in American history and using it to argue that capital punishment should be abolished. Medina was put to death in the prison's electric chair, nicknamed "Old Sparky", which malfunctioned so badly that flames erupted from his head and his body appeared to catch fire while he was still alive. The account matters because McAndrew, who oversaw the execution, has since become a prominent campaigner against the death penalty, lending an insider's authority to the abolitionist cause.

According to McAndrew, now 87, the execution took place at 7.06am on 27 March 1997, when the chair delivered 2,000 volts into Medina's body. He recalls blue and orange flames up to a foot long shooting from the equipment, Medina straining against the straps, and a stench that lingered at the prison for weeks afterwards. McAndrew characterised the killing not as an execution but as burning a man alive, and cites the experience as the reason he now speaks publicly against the practice.