In nearly 46 years of reporting for The Associated Press, Mike Graczyk has seen at least 429 Texans go to their deaths in Huntsville.
That's almost a third of all the inmates executed in the United States since the Supreme Court reaffirmed capital punishment in 1976.
Graczyk announced his retirement this summer. He sat down with KERA's Rick Holter for this week's Friday Conversation from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville to talk about covering Texas executions for almost half a century.
Interview Highlights
On his approach to covering executions
You never want to lose sight of why you are there ... Without being insensitive, I compare it to covering an athletic event, where somebody does something at the end, at the last second, and it's very emotional for all the fans involved. You watch what goes on and take notes of what's happening. You do your work, write your story, and you move on.
On moments he remembers most
There were two instances where the needle popped out of the inmates arm. The first time, I'm standing like 3 or 4 feet away from him, and there's no separation other than a rail. I saw this liquid come spurting out, almost like a water fountain.
You wonder: "What if this touches? Is it dangerous?"
There was an inmate who spit out a handcuff key that he'd been hiding in his mouth all day apparently. He gave his final statement, and the key came dribbling out of his mouth.
On talking to grieving families
The challenge is trying to get families to talk about the case.
I made the mistake once of talking to the widow of a slain police officer. I said "I think I know what you're going through," trying to get her to talk. She fired back at me: "No, you don't."
On balancing his Catholic faith and his coverage
That's a struggle. I try to keep them separate. There's a biblical passage that says leave to Caesar things that are Caesar and leave to God things that are God. I can be comfortable with that, and that's kind of how I deal with it.
Interview responses have been edited for clarity.
