List of white defendants executed for killing a black victim
The following is a list of white defendants executed for killing a black victim. Executions of white defendants for killing black victims are rare. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States in 1976, just 21 white people have been executed for killing a black person (less than 1.36 percent of all executions), whereas the number of black people executed for killing a white person is 299 (making up nearly 19.4 percent of all executions).[1][2] Additionally, a further 12 white people have been executed for killing a black person and another person, or people, of a different race.[1][2][3]
List of white defendants executed for killing a black victim in the United States since 1976
[edit]Indicates cases where the executed defendant killed multiple people of different races
No. | Date of execution | Executed person | Age | State | Method | Victim(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 6, 1991 | Donald Henry Gaskins | 58 | South Carolina | Electrocution | Rudolph Tyner (1 Black male)[a] | [3][4] |
2 | January 24, 1995 | Kermit Smith Jr. | 37 | North Carolina | Lethal injection | Whelette Collins (1 Black female) | [3][5] |
3 | March 20, 1995 | Thomas Joseph Grasso | 32 | Oklahoma | Lethal injection | Hilda Johnson (1 Black female)[b] | [3][6] |
4 | July 1, 1995 | Roger Dale Stafford | 43 | Oklahoma | Lethal injection | Isaac Freeman, Louis Zacarias, Terri Horst, Linda Lorenz, David Lindsey, Melvin Lorenz, Richard Lorenz, David Salsman, and Anthony Tew (1 Black male, 1 Hispanic male, 2 White females, 5 White males) | [3][7][8] |
5 | December 6, 1995 | Robert Earl O'Neal Jr. | 34 | Missouri | Lethal injection | Arthur Dade (1 Black male)[c] | [3][9] |
6 | June 6, 1997 | Henry Francis Hays | 42 | Alabama | Electrocution | Michael Donald (1 Black male)[d] | [3][10] |
7 | December 11, 1997 | Thomas H. Beavers Jr. | 26 | Virginia | Lethal injection | Marguerite Lowery (1 Black female) | [3][11][12] |
8 | March 6, 1998 | John David Arnold Jr. | 43 | South Carolina | Lethal injection | Betty Gardner (1 Black female) | [3][13] |
9 | July 10, 1998 | John Herman Plath | 43 | South Carolina | Lethal injection | Betty Gardner (1 Black female) | [3][14] |
10 | September 25, 1998 | Sammy Roberts | 40 | South Carolina | Lethal injection | Louis Cakley, Kenneth Krause, and Bill Spain (1 Black male, 2 White males) | [3][15][16] |
11 | April 28, 1999 | Eric Christopher Payne | 26 | Virginia | Lethal injection | Ruth Parham and Sally Fazio (1 Black female, 1 White female) | [3][11] |
12 | July 6, 1999 | Gary Michael Heidnik | 55 | Pennsylvania | Lethal injection | Deborah Dudley and Sandra Lindsay (2 Black females) | [3][17] |
13 | July 8, 1999 | Norman Lee Newsted | 45 | Oklahoma | Lethal injection | Larry Donnell Buckley (1 Black male)[e] | [3][18] |
14 | July 21, 1999 | Tommy David Strickler | 33 | Virginia | Lethal injection | Leann Whitlock (1 Black female) | [3][11][12] |
15 | May 3, 2002 | Richard Charles Johnson | 39 | South Carolina | Lethal injection | Bruce Kenneth Smalls (1 Black male)[f] | [3][19] |
16 | September 10, 2003 | Larry Allen Hayes | 54 | Texas | Lethal injection | Rosalyn Ann Robinson and Mary Evelyn Hayes (1 Black female, 1 White female) | [3][20][21][22] |
17 | July 14, 2006 | William Ernest Downs Jr. | 39 | South Carolina | Lethal injection | Keenan O'Mailia (1 Black male)[g] | [3][23] |
18 | July 20, 2006 | Brandon Wayne Hedrick | 27 | Virginia | Electrocution | Lisa Yvonne Crider (1 Black female) | [3][11][24] |
19 | November 9, 2006 | John Yancey Schmitt | 33 | Virginia | Lethal injection | Earl Shelton Dunning (1 Black male) | [3][11][25] |
20 | September 12, 2007 | Daryl Keith Holton | 45 | Tennessee | Electrocution | Kayla Holton, Brent Holton, Eric Holton, and Stephen Holton (1 Black female, 3 White males) | [3][26] |
21 | June 6, 2008 | David Mark Hill | 48 | South Carolina | Lethal injection | Josie Curry, Michael Gregory, and James Riddle (1 Black female, 2 White males) | [3][27][28] |
22 | February 17, 2011 | Frank G. Spisak Jr. | 59 | Ohio | Lethal injection | Rev. Horace T. Rickerson, Brian Warford, and Timothy Sheehan (2 Black males, 1 White male) | [3][29] |
23 | June 16, 2011 | Lee Andrew Taylor | 32 | Texas | Lethal injection | Donta Green (1 Black male)[h] | [3][30][31][22] |
24 | September 21, 2011 | Lawrence Russell Brewer | 44 | Texas | Lethal injection | James Byrd Jr. (1 Black male) | [3][32][33] |
25 | February 8, 2012 | Edwin Hart Turner | 38 | Mississippi | Lethal injection | Eddie Brooks and Everett Curry (2 Black males) | [3][34] |
26 | September 25, 2012 | Cleve Foster | 48 | Texas | Lethal injection | Nyanuer Gatluak "Mary" Pal (1 Black female) | [3][35] |
27 | January 16, 2013 | Robert Charles Gleason Jr. | 42 | Virginia | Electrocution | Aaron Alexander Cooper and Harvey Gray Watson Jr. (1 Black male, 1 White male) | [3][11][36] |
28 | March 6, 2013 | Frederick Treesh | 48 | Ohio | Lethal injection | Henry Dupree (1 Black male) | [3][37] |
29 | September 25, 2013 | Harry Mitts Jr. | 61 | Ohio | Lethal injection | John A. Bryant and Dennis Glivar (1 Black male, 1 White male) | [3][38] |
30 | January 11, 2017 | Christopher Chubasco Wilkins | 48 | Texas | Lethal injection | Willie Ladell Freeman and Mike Silva (1 Black male, 1 Hispanic male) | [3][39] |
31 | July 6, 2017 | William Charles Morva | 35 | Virginia | Lethal injection | Derrick McFarland and Eric Sutphin (1 Black male, 1 White male) | [3][11] |
32 | August 24, 2017 | Mark James Asay | 53 | Florida | Lethal injection | Robert Lee Booker and Robert McDowell (1 Black male, 1 Mixed-race male)[i] | [3][40] |
33 | April 24, 2019 | John William King | 44 | Texas | Lethal injection | James Byrd Jr. (1 Black male) | [3][41] |
See also
[edit]- List of death row inmates in the United States
- List of United States Supreme Court decisions on capital punishment
- List of women executed in the United States since 1976
- Race and capital punishment in the United States
- Racism against Black Americans
- Arthur William Hodge
Notes
[edit]- ^ The murder occurred in prison. The defendant was a serial killer already serving 10 concurrent life sentences for the murders of multiple White victims.
- ^ The defendant was also convicted of the murder of a White male in New York.
- ^ The murder occurred in prison. The defendant was already serving a life sentence for the murder of a White male.
- ^ The jury voted in favor of life imprisonment, but the judge overruled the verdict and sentenced the defendant to death. The defendant was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
- ^ The defendant was also convicted of the murders of 3 White victims in Utah which was a key reason for his death sentence.
- ^ The Black victim was a police officer. The defendant was also convicted of the murder of a White male and sentenced to life.
- ^ The Black victim was a minor. The defendant was also convicted of the murder of a White victim (another minor) in Georgia.
- ^ The murder occurred in prison. The defendant was already serving a life sentence for his role in the murder of a White male.
- ^ The Mixed-race victim was White and Hispanic. During the defendant's trial, the court believed this victim was also Black.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Deborah Fins. "Death Row U.S.A. Winter 2022" (PDF). NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b "Executions by Race and Race of Victim". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "Execution Database". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Margolick, David (September 7, 1991). "Rarity for U.S. Executions: White Dies for Killing Black". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Waggoner, Martha (January 25, 1995). "Smith's Execution Only Second Time White Man Executed For Murdering Black Man". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Executed Killer's Wife Will Face Murder Charges". Associated Press. May 23, 1995. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "It's Time To Serve Justice". The Oklahoman. June 29, 1995. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Stafford v. State". Justia. June 20, 1983. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Schafer, Ed (December 6, 1995). "White Supremacist Executed in Missouri for Killing Black Inmate". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Smith, Gita M. "Alabama case shows how father's sins were visited on son: Whites execution for killing black didn't end inherited racism". Atlanta Journal-Constitution (newspaper). p. 4A. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Virginia's Execution History". Virginians For Alternatives To The Death Penalty. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Armstrong, Ken (June 12, 1992). "Jury: 20-Year-Old Should Die For Murder". The Daily Press Inc. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Convicted killer executed by lethal injection". The Herald. March 7, 1998. p. 8. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Curtis, Kim (July 11, 1998). "Plath executed for killing". The Sun News. p. 24. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Reinitz, Jeff (September 21, 1998). "Victims' family won't watch murderer die". The Item. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Man executed for role in robbery, fatal shooting". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 26, 1998. p. 4. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jackson, Peter (July 8, 1999). "Heidnik execution offers no relief for victims' kin". The Morning Call. p. 12. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hoberock, Barbara (June 22, 1999). "Eyewitness to an execution". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Richard Charles Johnson #773". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Larry Allen Hayes #874". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Graczyk, Michael (September 13, 2003). "Hayes first white executed in Texas for killing a black". Plainview Daily Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Dow, David R. (July 8, 2011). "Death Penalty, Still Racist and Arbitrary". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "William E. Downs Jr. #1032". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Brandon Hedrick #1035". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "John Yancey Schmitt #1056". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Daryl Keith Holton #1097". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "David Mark Hill #1104". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Justices uphold death sentence for killing social workers". AccessWDUN. September 13, 2004. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Frank G. Spisak Jr. #1241". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Lee Andrew Taylor #1255". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Graczyk, Michael (June 16, 2011). "Galveston native executed for fellow prisoner's stabbing death". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Lawrence Russell Brewer #1268". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Graczyk, Michael (September 21, 2011). "White supremacist executed for Texas dragging". NBC News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Edwin Hart Turner #1280". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Cleve Foster #1307". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Robert Charles Gleason Jr. #1321". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Frederick Treesh #1324". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Harry Mitts Jr. #1346". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ McCullough, Jolie (January 11, 2017). "Texas executes first person of the year". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Pantazi, Andrew (August 24, 2017). "In a first, Florida executes a white defendant for killing a black victim". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Shapiro, Emily (April 25, 2019). "White supremacist executed for killing black man by dragging him behind truck". ABC News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.