21 years ago, Laurence Baker, a convicted murder once on death row in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but later having his sentence reduced to life in prison, was electrocuted by his headphones sometime between the hours of 10:00pm New Year’s Eve December 31st, 1996 and 1:30 am New Year’s Day January 1st, 1997 when he sat on the metal toilet in his cell while watching and listening to his television.

Prisoners are allowed to have televisions and/or radios but the use of headphones for listening was required to prevent the sound from disturbing other inmates. Although headphones could be obtained through the prison’s commissary, Baker’s particular headphones, which were homemade and wired directly into the set, were not permitted. The combination of water in the plumbing and the metal fixture apparently provided a path to ground when Baker sat down to relieve himself.

Guards were alerted by Baker's cell mate who woke up at 1:30am and discovered Baker on the toilet slumped over and unconscious. Officials are unsure how the set was able to deliver enough current to kill Baker but have ruled his death accidental and did not suspect any foul play. Baker was originally slated to be executed on Pennsylvania’s electric chair for the 1979 robbery-murder of a Philadelphia man before the sentence was overturned by an appeals court.
 
Baker’s death was similar to that of convicted murderer Michael Anderson Godwin of South Carolina, who also spent several years awaiting his execution by the state’s electric chair before a judge reduced his sentence to life in prison. Godwin was electrocuted on March 7th 1989, when he bit into a wire while sitting on the metal toilet in his cell and attempting to fix his television set.

This is all quite ironic and honestly Hilarious.... "bit into a wire"? like he was trying to fix wiring in his TV while it was Live?? thats dumb.....