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 Brian Cabell: Executioner's room very somber
Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news. Brian Cabell, reporting on the execution of Paul Hill, filed this report Wednesday. STARKE, Florida (CNN) -- When I first arrived in the room there was a thunderclap -- the loudest of the afternoon. That seemed a little bit ominous, to be honest. We sat down and immediately a sense of claustrophobia set in. There were about 33 of us in a room that was about 30 feet by 30 feet and we sat facing a window very somberly, very silently. There might have been a couple of whispers but that was about it. About half the crowd were media, and half were officials designated by the state of Florida. There was a minister who has been the spiritual adviser to Mr. Hill, and also a man who was his legal adviser.
There were no family members. None from his family and none from the victims' families. They chose not to be there. Then at six o'clock straight up, the curtain of a three panel window opened up. On the other side of the window was Paul Hill on a gurney. He was strapped in face to the ceiling. He was not looking at us. We could not really see the expression on his face. And then he spoke. He gave about a 45-second statement in which he told people that if they believed as strongly as he did against abortion, they should do something about it. Then the chemicals were injected. About six minutes later he was pronounced dead. On a personal level it takes you back, initially. It's an eerie sort of feeling. You're not used to seeing death occur right in front of you. But once the curtain was open, my reporter's instincts took over. I start[ed] observing everything I possibly could. I looked at his expression. I listened for his voice. We heard nothing. I looked at the gulps in his throat. To some degree, I watched the reaction of the people around me. As a reporter, it makes it a little easier to experience, frankly, because I'm not thinking about how to react personally. I am there to report. After the initial reaction I had of claustrophobia and eeriness, I felt like a reporter. By the time it was over I felt reasonably OK.
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