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Dec 13, 2023 · Most of them had something to say in their last moments, and those words are now collected in a book, Final Words: 578 Men and Women Executed on Texas Death Row. About 100 chose to say nothing at ...
- Wallace Wilkerson
- John Arthur Spenkelink
- Aileen Wuornos
- Douglas Roberts
- Juan Martin Garcia
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
In 1877, the Territory of Utah sentenced Wallace Wilkerson to death for shooting and killing William Baxter after a card game they were playing turned into a heated dispute. Wilkerson, a stockman and military drummer who confessed to the crime, chose the firing squad over decapitation or hanging. On May 16, 1879, the day of his execution, Wilkerson...
In February 1973, John Arthur Spenkelink picked up 45-year-old hitchhiker, Joseph J. Szymankiewicz, in Tallahassee, Florida. They went to a nearby hotel where Spenkelink claims he shot and killed Szymankiewiczin self-defense, after the hitchhiker stole his money and then allegedly sexually assaulted him. Later that same year, a jury found Spenkelin...
Aileen “Lee” Wuornos, a sex worker convicted of killing seven men in wooded areas off Highway I-75 in Florida and the first woman ever profiled by the FBI as a serial killer, died by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. During her time on death row, Wuornos’ mental health rapidly declined. Numerous attorneys appealed to the courts on her behalf, ci...
Douglas Roberts claimed he was “stoned out of his mind” when he robbed and killed Jerry Velez in San Antonio, Texas on May 18, 1996. In a videotaped interview with police, Roberts gave a complete confession stating that he repeatedly stabbed Velez and then ran over the victim’s body with his car. A jury convicted Roberts of capital murder in Januar...
On September 17, 1998, gang member Juan Martin Garcia fatally shot Hugo Solano, a Christian missionary who had just moved from Mexico to Houston, during a robbery. Garcia’s fatal crime yielded just $8. He was convicted of capital murder and received the death penalty on June 21, 2000. Kirchmeier says many see last statements as also serving the pur...
Learn about the final statements of five executed criminals in the U.S., from defiant to delusional. Find out the historical and legal context of the practice of allowing last words before execution.
death row inmates' last words The issue is still one of the most debated in politics, with many Americans opposed to the penalty. Overall, death sentences are down more than 80 percent from the 1990s.
May 24, 2017 · It was one of the more unusual statements made by a Georgia death row inmate in the final moments. Strapped to a gurney that’s tilted toward the witness seats, condemned inmates are given two minutes to make a last statement. Many apologize to the families of their victims or thank their own families, friends and lawyers for support.
Feb 22, 2007 · Let's ride." -- Michael Richard, executed in Texas on September 25, 2007. "This is destiny. This is life. This is something Allah wants me to do. I'm not mad at you. When I get to the gates of ...
May 24, 2017 · ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia inmate J.W. Ledford Jr. used his final moments to quote from the movie "Cool Hand Luke" and toss out an insult. "What we have here is a failure to communicate. Some men ...
Jun 13, 2022 · In their final moments, Texas death row inmates are allowed to express any last words that they may have. Some decline, but others share feelings of love, regret, anger, sadness and readiness.
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