Ellen McGarrahan and the search for truth following a grisly execution

Haunted by a grisly execution of a possibly innocent man, Ellen McGarrahan went in search of the truth and her journey brought her to Galway, writes Mick Clifford

Ellen McGarrahan: Witnessing the execution of a convicted murderer would haunt both her personal life and her work for decades to come. Picture: Alan Williams

Jesse Tafero’s head was shaved when they brought him into the death chamber. It had been done just minutes earlier to prepare his body to receive the electrodes that would kill him.

Ellen McGarrahan was among the witnesses to the execution, sent by her newspaper, the Miami Herald, on assignment. She had never before laid eyes on Tafero and although his life was about to end in horrible circumstances, the events to follow would haunt both her personal life and her work for decades to come.