List of people executed in West Virginia

The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of West Virginia from 1861 to 1959.

Capital punishment was abolished in West Virginia in 1965.[1] From 1861 to 1959, 112 people, all male, have been executed in West Virginia,[2] 103 by hanging and 9 by electrocution.[2]

Executions 1861-1959

Name Race Age Sex Date of execution Crime Victim(s) Governor
Winthrow Black M January 1861 Unspecified Felony John Letcher
Daniel Grogan ? M February 9, 1866 Murder Abraham Deems Arthur I. Boreman
Thomas Boice ? M
Mortimer Gibboney ? M June 15, 1866
Joseph Eisele White 33 M March 6, 1868 Murder Joseph Lillenthal and Rudolph Tsutor, white[a]
Labon Walker White M November 28, 1879 Murder Patrick Nolan, white[3] Henry M. Mathews
Henry Jenkins Black M November 11, 1881 Murder-Robbery Winkfield Saunders, black[4] Jacob B. Jackson
Felix Kampf White 65 M March 7, 1890 Murder William Kampf and Mary Kampf, 18 and 20, white (son and daughter)[b] Aretas B. Fleming
William I. Martin White 32 M October 3, 1890 Murder Female, white (wife)[5]
Sim Johnson Black 18 M June 19, 1891 Rape Alice Bailey, 16, white[6][7]
William Maier White 23 M November 17, 1892 Murder Marie Maier, 20, white[8][9]
Allen Harrison White 25 M November 22, 1892 Murder Bettie Adams, 16, white (girlfriend)[10]
John Hardy Black M January 19, 1894 Murder Thomas Drews, black[11] William A. MacCorkle
Washington Adkins Black M July 20, 1894 Murder Isaac A. Radford, 42, white[12][13][c]
Andrew J. Scott Black M October 4, 1895 Murder Elizabeth M. Scott, black (wife)[14]
Jim Nichols Black M December 13, 1895 Murder Henry Carr, black[15]
Clark Lewis Black M June 25, 1897 Murder Charles Gibson, white[16] George W. Atkinson
Jerry Brown Black 35 M July 25, 1897 Rape Arminta Jane Radford, 44, white[17][18][d]
Albert Viars White M November 12, 1897 Murder Charles Gibson, white[19]
John Morgan White 22 M December 16, 1897 Murder-Robbery Three people, white[20][21][22][e][f]
Shep Caldwell Black M October 10, 1899 Murder Female, black (wife)[23][g]
Frank E. Broadnax Black 25 M November 9, 1899 Murder McFadden, 16, race unclear[23]
Frank Walker Black M December 15, 1899 Murder Thomas Saunders, race unclear[24]
George Carter Black M March 21, 1902 Murder Virgil Whistler, black[25] Albert B. White
Lewis Young Black M May 1, 1902 Murder Anthony Kell, black[26]
John Mooney White M May 9, 1902 Murder-Robbery James Hervey, white[27]
Frank Friday White M
Perry Christian White M June 13, 1902 Murder William Dent, white[28]
State Henry Black M June 24, 1902 Murder John Richardson, black[29]
Wilfred Davis White 21 M June 5, 1903 Murder Page Campbell Marstiller, 47, white (police chief)[30]
George Williams Black M September 9, 1904 Rape Laura Knade, white[31]
Edward Walton Black M July 17, 1908 Murder Beulah Martin, black[h] William M. O. Dawson
Arthur Brown Black M August 27, 1909 Murder-Robbery Robert Shannon, 18, white[32] William E. Glasscock
Thomas Wayne Black 45 M December 23, 1910 Murder-Rape Lottie Aliff, white[33]
Frank Stevenson Black M February 17, 1911 Murder Moses Blagman, white[34]
Jesse Cook White 22 M March 10, 1911 Murder Frank F. Bennett, white[35]
William Furbish Black 28 M March 17, 1911 Rape Flora Anglin, 40, white[36]
John Marshall Black M April 4, 1913 Murder Minnie Marshall, black (wife)[37] Henry D. Hatfield
James Williams Black M Lucian Scott, male, and Bettie Williams (wife), black[37]
Henry Sterling Black M June 6, 1913 Murder William Patterson, black
John Hix White M Mollie Thompson, white
Henry Green Black 28 M March 6, 1914 Murder Mary Belle Justice, black (girlfriend)[38]
Silas Jones Black 32 M July 10, 1914 Murder Prudential jones, black (wife)[39]
Will Thomas Black M July 2, 1915 Murder Freida Thomas, black (wife)[40]
Will Stuart Black M July 2, 1915 George T. Shires, white (police chief)
Nat Jarrell White M July 9, 1915 Murder Silas Frank Nantz, 47, white (sheriff)[41]
Charles Forrest Black M September 10, 1915 Murder William Hyden, black
Claude Sutton White 24 M August 4, 1916 Murder-Robbery John J. Kennedy, white[42]
James Lay Black M September 1, 1916 Murder-Robbery William Bowman, white
Hugh Ferguson Black 26 M August 6, 1919 Rape Female, white[43][44] John J. Cornwell
Hugh Bragg White 21 M April 30, 1920 Murder John Dennis Morton, 32, white (sheriff)[45]
Jacob Lutz White M July 22, 1921 Murder J.E.B. Phillips, 64, white (police chief) Ephraim F. Morgan
Hobart Grimm White M August 5, 1921 Murder Stephen Galchek, white
Henry Harbor Black 29 M January 7, 1922 Murder Female, black (wife)[46]
Leroy Williams Black M March 3, 1922 Rape Mrs. Stephens, white
Monroe S. Payton Black M May 4, 1922 Rape Hazel Johnson, 9, white
George Banhage White M November 2, 1923 Murder
Philip Connizzaro White 26 M January 4, 1924 Murder Frank Naples, white[47][i]
Richard Ferri White 26 M
Nick Salamante White 33 M
Samuel Muratore White M February 15, 1924 Murder James Papara, white[j]
Tiny McCoy White 23 M September 12, 1924 Murder Hallie Virgnia McCoy, white (wife)[48][49][k]
Robert Ford Black 24 M January 29, 1926 Murder Edward Woody, 62, black[50] Howard Mason Gore
Harry Sawyer Black 24 M April 19, 1926 Rape Female, white[51]
Philip Euman Black 19 M August 20, 1926 Murder-Robbery Charles Shaw, 20, white[52]
Henry Jackson Black 44 M September 10, 1926 Murder Earl Langfitt, 25, white (guard)[53]
Pierce Jefferies Black 21 M February 18, 1927 Rape Mrs. Vance, white[54]
Wesley Homer Swain White 42 M February 3, 1928 Rape Ellere Thornton, 5, white[55]
Andrew Brady Black 28 M March 30, 1928 Rape Odessa Oates, 16, white
Lawrence Charles Fike White 31 M August 10, 1928 Murder-Robbery Elroy Leonard, 54, white
Henry Grogan Black 20 M February 8, 1929 Rape Earl Akers, white[56][l]
Theodore Carr White 55 M June 14, 1929 Murder Male (brother-in-law) and female (wife), white William G. Conley
Willard F. Morrison White 24 M September 13, 1929 Murder Frank Bowen, 41, white[57]
Walter E. Wilmot White 20 M
Walter E. Crabtree White 35 M May 9, 1930 Murder H. Carter Inskeep, 59, white (Justice of the Peace)[58][m]
Roosevelt Darnell White 25 M November 14, 1930 Murder Clarence Holbrook, white[59]
William C. Adams White 40 M February 20, 1931 Murder Cynthia McGuire (aunt-in-law), white[n]
Emory Stephens White 24 M Murder-Robbery Leonard Curtis Ooten Sr., 25, white
Hiram Francis Hyer White 54 M June 19, 1931 Murder Evie O'Connor Hyer, 58, white (wife)
Harry Powers White 39 M March 18, 1932 Murder-Robbery Dorothy Ann Pressler Lemke, 49, white[o]
James Blount Black M May 12, 1932 Murder Jesse Meeks, black
Omer G. Brill White 21 M August 10, 1933 Murder-Robbery Love Burch and Esther Burch, 55 and 17, white[60] Herman G. Kump
Leo Fraser White 30 M November 24, 1933 Murder Roy L. Shamblin, 49, white (sheriff)[61][p]
Joseph M. Corey Arab 43 M December 8, 1933 Murder Katherine Ghiz[q]
Greely Blankenship White 29 M January 7, 1935 Murder Male, white
Robert Branch Black 39 M July 19, 1935 Murder Brady Hill, 28[62]
Frank Pramera White 23 M April 13, 1937 Murder Louis Thames, white[63] Homer A. Holt
William V. Beckner White 30 M June 25, 1937 Murder-Robbery Josiah Page, 62, white
Mervin Brown Black 33 M September 10, 1937 Murder-Robbery James Garland, 85, black[64]
William B. Read White 25 M November 5, 1937 Murder-Robbery William Earle Dollman, 34, white[65]
Raymond Styers White 29 M March 13, 1938 Murder-Robbery Anna Bris, 54, white
John Travis White 25 M March 21, 1938 Kidnapping[r] Dr. James I. Seder, 78, white[66]
Arnett A. Booth White 47 M
Arvil P. Adkins White 25 M
Byzantine Hartman White 29 M June 28, 1940 Murder Wilbur H. Grubb, 46, white (patrolman)[67] Matthew M. Neely
Paul Tross Black 41 M December 6, 1940 Rape Mary Lynn Stebbins, 23, white[68]
James Chambers Black 33/34 M March 30, 1945 Murder-Rape Lucy Ward, 73, white[69][s] Clarence W. Meadows
William Turner White 27 M December 28, 1945 Murder Darla Jean Pratt, 15, white[70]
Richard L. Collins White 22 M January 11, 1946 Murder Denver Hill, white[71]
William Gordon White 20 M January 3, 1947 Murder-Robbery Josephine Evelyn Hamblin Carr, 39, white[72]
Paul Burton White 33 M January 2, 1948 Murder Willard Simpson, 23, white[73]
Mark McCauley White 36 M January 30, 1948 Murder Joseph Pierce Horne, and Orpha Gay Hovatter, 44 and 51, white (sheriffs)
Matthew Perison Black 31 M September 23, 1948 Murder Jack Martin, 70, black (father-in-law)[t]
Lemuel Steed Black 28 M January 15, 1949 Murder-Robbery Loren R. McClung, 50, white[74]
Bud Peterson Black 53 M February 25, 1949 Murder Bessie Wright, 40, black[75] Okey Patteson

Electrocution

On February 10, 1949, the West Virginia legislature approves the use of electrocution at the state penitentiary as the state's new default method of execution. The legislation was approved in March 1949 and signed by Governor Okey Patteson later that month.[76] This made West Virginia the last state to adopt the electric chair as an execution method.[77]

Name Race Ages Sex Date of execution Crime Victim(s) Governor
Harry Burdette White 27 M March 26, 1951 Murder Edward C. O'Brien, 31, white[78] Okey Patteson
Fred Painter White 33 M
James Hewlett Jr. White 22 M April 10, 1951 Murder-Robbery Julian Edward Buie, 40, white[79]
Oshel Gardner White 23 M April 17, 1953 Murder-Robbery Roy C. Jackson, 54, white[80] William C. Marland
Thomas L. Ingram Black 31 M March 27, 1954 Murder Zenobia Irene Bigelow and Melba Lois Bigelow, 30 and 7, black[81]
Robert L. Hopkins White 28 M September 7, 1956 Murder-Robbery Thomas Lanty Ervine, 24, white[82]
Eugene H. Linger White 30 M June 5, 1958 Murder-Robbery William H. White, 64, white[83] Cecil H. Underwood
Larry P. Fudge White 26 M July 1, 1958 Murder-Rape Inez Lea Robertson Booth, 51, white[84]
Elmer Bruner White 41 M April 3, 1959 Murder-Robbery-Robblery Ruby Hood Thomas Miller, 58, white[85]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Serial killer, also murdered Aloys Ulrich, white.
  2. ^ Also suspected of murdering his wife and his employer.
  3. ^ Husband of Araminta Jane Radford, whom Jerry Brown was later executed for raping.
  4. ^ Wife of Isaac A. Radford, whom Washington Adkins was previously executed for murdering.
  5. ^ His adoptive mother, 61-year-old Chloe Green, and two of her children, 18-year-old James Green and 26-year-old Matilda Pfost.
  6. ^ Last public execution in West Virginia.
  7. ^ First private execution at the state penitentiary.
  8. ^ Serial killer, also murdered four other people
  9. ^ Members of a Black hand syndicate. Fierri, who was described as a high-ranking member of the Italian Mafia, confessed to 17 murders and said that Connizzaro and Salamante committed at least three murders.
  10. ^ Member of a Black hand syndicate.
  11. ^ Also murdered his mother-in-law, Mrs. William Totten, and brother-in-law, Herbert Totten.
  12. ^ The victim killed herself after Grogan was convicted.
  13. ^ Also murdered 21-year-old Edward Malcom Wolford and 60-year-old jailer Benjamin E. Miller and attempted to murder two women and an 11-year-old girl.
  14. ^ Also murdered his wife, Flossie Adams, and his mother-in-law Mrs. Campbell.
  15. ^ Serial killer, also murdered mother and her three children and suspected in other murders.
  16. ^ Also murdered 18-year-old Ralph Edward Harper, white.
  17. ^ Also murdered his wife, Ada Corey.
  18. ^ The victim was badly beaten and later died from his injuries.
  19. ^ Previously convicted of first degree murder and was serving a life sentence when he escaped from prison. Also stabbed a female inmate after she refused to have sex with him.
  20. ^ Also murdered his wife and mother-in-law.

References

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