I used to do this for a living. I worked for a traveling death squad in Etobicoke; my job was to make sure the marksmen's uniforms were immaculate before each gig. An "execution style" murder goes like this: someone hires the contractor to kill somebody else, then the contractor's squad does the actual work. You have, of course, the aforementioned marksmen, with their bayonets. And the squad leader - the one who shouts "ready, aim... fire!" and coordinates everything, like the scheduling, practice sessions on the firing range, choice of uniform for the day, etc. There's the blindfolder, who (obviously) applies the blindfold to the recipient and lights the traditional Last Cigarette. And the videotape unit (which sometimes included moi, with one of the boom mics, or as a go-fer in post-production), who record the whole thing for posterity (this is optional to the client, and he/she incurs an added charge for the tape).

The whole thing is quite an elaborate ceremony (sometimes "ritual execution" and "execution-style killing" are used interchangeably, as you may know); I particularly liked the dance that the blindfolder did whilst he performed the blindfolding and cigarette-lighting portion of the execution. I have some old tapes tucked away somewhere, if you'd like to see some of this.

In the media "execution style" means that the victim is usually aware that they are about to be shot. , they are either marched or thrown against a wall, car etc..., or made to kneel down on the ground before they are shot. This is opposed to being shot while running away or attempting to fight back, or even being unaware that you are being sniped from the roof of the building across the street.

When I lived in Austin there was an execution style killing at the TCBY down the street from my apartment. Some sadistic asshole decided to kill the five or so teenage girls who were working there after blindfolding them and tying their hands. That image has always haunted me. It was a week night and early in the evening. Shit. I could've walked in on it.

If I remember correctly (it has been about ten years) there was no money stolen from the cash register.

This is what I think of when I think of execution - to answer the question that started this node.

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