Brian David Steckel, a convicted rapist and murderer, was able to speak clearly for several minutes despite having received a lethal injection.

The 36-year-old American, found guilty of the brutal rape and murder of 29-year-old Sandra Lee Long, spent his final moments speaking calmly to his family and witnesses, even as a lethal cocktail of drugs flowed through his veins.

Witnesses at the execution reported hearing audible clicks from the injection machine and seeing convulsions, suggesting the drugs may not have had their intended effect.

However, Delaware officials insisted that the execution had proceeded as planned, explaining that the extended time was simply to allow Steckel to make his final statements.

In his last words, Steckel expressed remorse and acceptance: "I walked in he

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