The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Utah.
List of people executed in Utah since 1976
| No.
|
Name
|
Race
|
Age
|
Sex
|
Date of execution
|
County
|
Method
|
Victim(s)
|
Governor
|
| 1
|
Gary Mark Gilmore[a]
|
White
|
36
|
M
|
January 17, 1977
|
Utah
|
Firing squad
|
Bennie Bushnell[b]
|
Scott M. Matheson
|
| 2
|
Dale Selby Pierre
|
Black
|
34
|
M
|
August 28, 1987
|
Weber[c]
|
Lethal injection
|
Stanley Orren Walker, Michelle Ansley, and Carol Elaine Naisbitt
|
Norman Bangerter
|
| 3
|
Arthur Gary Bishop
|
White
|
35
|
M
|
June 10, 1988
|
Salt Lake
|
5 murder victims[d]
|
| 4
|
William D. Andrews
|
Black
|
37
|
M
|
July 30, 1992
|
Weber[e]
|
Stanley Orren Walker, Michelle Ansley, and Carol Elaine Naisbitt
|
| 5
|
John Albert Taylor
|
White
|
36
|
M
|
January 26, 1996
|
Firing squad
|
Charla Nicole King
|
Mike Leavitt
|
| 6
|
Joseph Mitchell Parsons
|
White
|
35
|
M
|
October 15, 1999
|
Iron
|
Lethal injection
|
Richard Lynn Ernest
|
| 7
|
Ronnie Lee Gardner
|
White
|
49
|
M
|
June 18, 2010[f]
|
Salt Lake
|
Firing squad
|
Michael Burdell[g]
|
Gary Herbert
|
| 8
|
Taberon Dave Honie
|
Native American
|
48
|
M
|
August 8, 2024[h]
|
Iron
|
Lethal injection
|
Claudia Marie Benn
|
Spencer Cox
|
Demographics
List of people executed in Utah from 1850 to 1960
| Name
|
Date of execution
|
Method of execution
|
Victim(s)
|
Governor
|
| Patsowits[1] and his brother[2]
|
Spring 1850
|
Garroting
|
Patsowits killed an emigrant settler and his brother had made several death threats[2]
|
—
|
| An emigrant[3]
|
1850
|
Beheading
|
|
—
|
| Antelope and Long Hair[4]
|
September 15, 1854
|
Hanging
|
Two sons of a Mormon bishop in Cedar Valley[4][5]
|
Brigham Young
|
| Thomas H. Ferguson[6]
|
October 28, 1858[7]
|
Alexander Carpenter[8]
|
Alfred Cumming
|
| William Cockcroft[7]
|
September 21, 1861
|
Firing squad
|
Robert Brown
|
vacant
|
| "Unknown Man"[9]
|
1862
|
Unknown person
|
|
| Jason R. Luce[10]
|
January 12, 1864
|
Samuel R. Bunton[11]
|
James Duane Doty
|
| Robert Sutton[12]
|
October 10, 1866
|
Frederick White[8]
|
Charles Durkee
|
| Chauncey W. Millard[12]
|
January 29, 1869
|
Harlem P. Swett[10]
|
vacant
|
| John Doyle Lee
|
March 23, 1877
|
Mountain Meadows massacre
|
George W. Emery
|
| Wallace Wilkerson[13]
|
May 16, 1879
|
Firing squad (botched)[1]
|
William Baxter
|
| Frederick Hopt (a.k.a. Fred Welcome)[14]
|
August 11, 1887
|
Firing squad
|
John Franklin Turner
|
Caleb Walton West
|
| Enoch Davis[15]
|
September 14, 1894
|
Enoch's wife
|
| An American Indian man[2]
|
1896
|
|
A white woman
|
|
| Charles H. Thiede[16]
|
August 7, 1896
|
Hanging
|
Thiede's wife
|
Heber Manning Wells
|
| Pat Coughlin[17]
|
December 15, 1896
|
Firing squad
|
Deputy Sheriff Dawes and Constable Stagg
|
| Peter Mortensen[18]
|
November 20, 1903
|
James R. Hay[19]
|
| Frank Rose[18]
|
April 22, 1904
|
Rose's wife
|
| J. J. Morris[9]
|
April 30, 1912
|
Hanging[5]
|
Morris' wife[20]
|
William Spry
|
| Jules C. E. Szirmay (a.k.a. Jules Zirmay)[9]
|
May 22, 1912
|
Firing squad
|
Thomas Karrick, a school boy
|
| Harry Thorne[21]
|
September 26, 1912
|
A grocery clerk
|
| Thomas Riley[9]
|
October 24, 1912
|
A grocery clerk
|
| Frank Romeo[21]
|
February 20, 1913
|
Albert Jenkins[22]
|
| Joe Hill
|
November 19, 1915
|
John G. Morrison and his son Arlington
|
| Howard DeWeese[23]
|
May 24, 1918
|
His wife
|
Simon Bamberger
|
| John Borich[23]
|
January 20, 1919
|
A woman for insurance money
|
| Steve Maslich[9]
|
January 20, 1922
|
Marco Laus
|
Charles R. Mabey
|
| Nick Oblizalo[9]
|
June 9, 1922
|
| George H. Gardner[24]
|
August 31, 1923
|
Joseph Irvine and a police officer
|
| Omer R. Woods[25]
|
January 18, 1924
|
Woods' invalid wife
|
| Henry C. Hett (a.k.a. George Allen)[25]
|
February 20, 1925
|
Police sergeant Nephi Pierce
|
George Dern
|
| Pedro Cano [26]
|
May 19, 1925
|
A woman in Park City
|
| Ralph W. Seyboldt[27]
|
January 15, 1926
|
Patrolman David H Crowther
|
| Edward McGowan [28]
|
February 5, 1926
|
Bob Blevins (and raped his wife and daughters)[28][29]
|
| Delbert Green[30]
|
July 10, 1936
|
Green's foster father/uncle James Green, mother-in-law/aunt, and wife
|
Henry H. Blood
|
| John W. Deering[31]
|
October 31, 1938
|
Oliver R. Meredith Jr.
|
| Donald Lawton Condit[32]
|
July 30, 1942
|
Harold A. Thorne
|
Herbert B. Maw
|
| Robert Walter Avery[33]
|
February 5, 1943
|
Detective Hoyt L. Gates
|
| Austin Cox Jr.[34]
|
June 19, 1944
|
Judge Lewis V. Trueman (also killed two other men and two women)
|
| James Joseph Roedl[35]
|
July 13, 1945
|
Abigail Agnes Williams
|
| Eliseo J. Mares Jr.[36]
|
September 10, 1951
|
Jack D. Stallings
|
J. Bracken Lee
|
| Ray Dempsey Gardner[35]
|
September 29, 1951
|
Shirley Jean Gretzinger
|
| Don Jesse Neal[37]
|
July 1, 1955
|
Sgt. Owen T. Farley
|
| Verne Alfred Braasch and Melvin Leroy Sullivan[38]
|
May 11, 1956
|
Howard Manzione[39]
|
| Barton Kay Kirkham
|
June 7, 1958
|
Hanging (last in Utah)
|
David Avon Frame[i]
|
George Dewey Clyde
|
| James W. Rodgers[40]
|
March 30, 1960
|
Firing squad[41]
|
Charles Merrifield[42]
|
See also
Notes
- ^ Gilmore was the first criminal to be executed in both Utah and the United States since the 1976 resumption of capital punishment in the nation.
- ^ Also killed Max David Jensen, but was executed for murdering Bushnell.
- ^ Was tried and convicted in Davis County, on a change of venue.
- ^ The five murder victims were: Alonzo Daniels, Claude Kimley Peterson, Danny Davis, Troy Ward, and Graeme Cunningham.
- ^ William D. Andrews was tried and convicted in Davis County, on a change of venue.
- ^ This was the last execution held at the Utah State Prison in Draper.
- ^ Also killed Melvyn John Otterstrom, but was executed for murdering Burdell.
- ^ This was the first execution held at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City.
- ^ Also killed Ruth Holmes Webster, but was executed for murdering Frame.
References
- ^ a b Schindler, Hal (January 28, 1996). "Taylor's Death Was Quick . . . But Some Weren't So Lucky". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
- ^ a b c The Unforgiven – 02 |
- ^ "Utah History to Go". Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ^ a b Wilson, R. Michael (2010). Legal Executions in the Western Territories, 1847–1911. McFarland & Company. p. 164. ISBN 9780786456338. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ a b "Utah: Tales of the Firing Squad". Time. July 11, 1955. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ Schindler, Hal (June 27, 1993). "Lengthy Gallows Soliloquoy [sic] Impedes Swift Justice". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Wilson (2010). Legal Executions in the Western Territories. McFarland. p. 165. ISBN 9780786456338.
- ^ a b Schindler, Hal (August 27, 1995). "The Disappearance of John Baptiste Grave: Robber's Case Is 'A Lost Page of History'". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Martz, Maxine (January 15, 1977). "Gilmore would be No. 45 on death list". Deseret News. p. 1. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
- ^ a b Elder, Robert K.; Terkel, Studs (2010). Last Words of the Executed. University of Chicago Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780226202693. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ "Affairs in Utah: A Murder Theatricals and Lectures Mercantile". New York Times. May 16, 1879. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Wilson (2010). Legal Executions in the Western Territories. McFarland. p. 167. ISBN 9780786456338.
- ^ "The Death Penalty for Murder". Deseret Evening News. George Q. Cannon, Brigham Young. May 16, 1879. p. 2. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. University of Chicago Press. p. 110. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. University of Chicago Press. p. 111. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ Wilson, R. Michael (2007). Frontier Justice in the Wild West: Bungled, Bizarre, and Fascinating Executions. Globe Pequot. p. 106. ISBN 9780762743896. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ Salt Lake Herald December 16, 1896 also .p.4; on July 30, 1895 he had killed Deputy Sheriff Edward N. Dawes of Unita County Wyoming [1] and Constable Thomas Stagg of Echo County Utah [2]
- ^ a b Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. University of Chicago Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ "Peter Mortensen Must Die— Prisoner Stunned By News". Deseret News. August 13, 1903. p. 1. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ "Hidden Rifles to Fulfill Execution Wish of Slayer". The Pittsburgh Press. Vol. 55, no. 123. United Press International. October 27, 1938. p. 2. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
- ^ a b Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. University of Chicago Press. p. 113. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ Pratt, Harmel L. (1914). Reports of cases decided in the Supreme Court of the state of Utah, Vol. 42. A.L. Bancroft & Company. p. 48. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Cutler, Christopher Q. (2002). "Nothing less than the Dignity of Man: Evolving Standards, Botched Executions and Utah's Controversial Use of the Firing Squad". Cleveland State Law Review. Retrieved November 10, 2010. (subscription required)
- ^ Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. p. 116. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ a b Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. p. 117. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ Gillespie, L. Kay (1997). The Unforgiven: Utah's Executed Men. Signature Books. p. 100. ISBN 9781560850984. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ "Firing Squad Kills Slayer". Los Angeles Times. January 16, 1926. p. 6. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2010. (subscription required)
- ^ a b Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. p. 118. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ Gillespie (1997). The Unforgiven. p. 105. ISBN 9781560850984.
- ^ "Utah Firing Squad Executes Slayer". The Evening Independent. Associated Press. July 10, 1936. p. 8. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. p. 119. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ "Murderer Killed By Firing Squad". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. July 31, 1942. p. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
- ^ Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. p. 120. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ "Killer of Five Executed by Utah Firing Squad". The Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. June 19, 1944. p. 5. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ a b Elder; et al. (2010). Last Words of the Executed. p. 121. ISBN 9780226202693.
- ^ "Utah Firing Squad Executes Slayer". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press International. September 10, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ "Condemned Killer Dies Before Utah Firing Squad". Oxnard Press-Courier. United Press International. July 1, 1955. p. 2. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ Benedict, Howard S. (May 11, 1956). "Utah Executes Two Murderers". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. p. 2. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ "Utah Killers Face Firing Squad Today". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Associated Press. May 11, 1956. p. 20. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ "Slayer Shot By Firing Squad". The Milwaukee Sentinel. United Press International. March 31, 1960. p. 3. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ Beecham, Bill (November 11, 1976). "Convicted Killer Gets His Wish: Firing Squad Monday". The Telegraph (Nashua). Associated Press. p. 22. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ "Grim Jokes Are Tossed Before Death". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. March 31, 1960. p. 19. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
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| People executed by state | |
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