History
Between 1639 and 2005, Connecticut performed 126 executions. Twenty-four executions occurred in Connecticut Colony, prior to its statehood. The remaining 102 executions occurred after Connecticut's 1788 admission to the Union as the fifth state. Contrary to popular belief, Adonijah Bailey was not the oldest person executed at age 79 in 1824; instead, he was tried and sentenced to death at age 80 in January 1825 for the murder of Jeremiah W. Pollock, and hung himself on May 24, over two weeks before he was to be executed. The oldest person executed is Gershon Marx, hanged on May 18, 1905, for murder at age 73. The following are some historical milestones of capital punishment in Connecticut:
Year | Date | Milestone | Name | Race | Sex | Age | Method | Offense |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1639 | 02013-01-30January 30 | first person to be executed | Nepauduck | Native American | Male | n/a | Hanging | Murder |
1647 | 02013-05-26May 26 | first female to be executed | Young, Alse | White | Female | n/a | Hanging | Witchcraft |
1753 | 02013-11-21November 21 | last adult female to be executed by hanging | Bramble, Sarah | White | Female | n/a | Hanging | Murder |
1786 | 02013-12-20December 20 | youngest person to be executed | Ocuish, Hannah | Native American | Female | 12 | Hanging | Murder |
1817 | 02013-11-30November 30 | last person to be executed for a crime other than murder | Adams, Amos | Black | Male | 28 | Hanging | Rape |
1905 | 02013-05-18May 18 | oldest person to be executed | Marx, Gershon | White | Male | 73 | Hanging | Murder |
1936 | 02013-04-07April 7 | last person to be executed by hanging | Simborski, John | White | Male | 30 | Hanging | Murder |
1937 | 02013-02-10February 10 | first person to be executed by electric chair | McElroy, James | White | Male | 45 | Electric chair | Murder |
1960 | 02013-05-17May 17 | last person to be executed by electric chair (as well as the last pre-Furman execution in Connecticut) | Taborsky, Joseph | White | Male | 36 | Electric chair | Murder |
2005 | 02013-05-13May 13 | first person to be executed by lethal injection | Ross, Michael | White | Male | 45 | Lethal Injection | Murder |
Read more about this topic: Capital Punishment In Connecticut
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