Trial and Execution
On May 27 1998 Elledge plead guilty to aggravated first degree murder. He forbade his lawyer from presenting any defense during the penalty phase. When he testified himself he said: "that there is a very wicked part of me. And this wicked part of me needs to die." On July 28, 1998 Elledge was sentenced to death. Waiving all his rights to appeal, was executed by lethal injection on August 28, 2001 at Washington State Penitentiary, becoming only the fourth person to be executed since the restoration of the death penalty in Washington state in 1981. His requested final meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, waffles, sweet roll, OJ, milk and cold cereal was declined. In his last words he expressed remorse for Fitzner's murder.
His confession, refusal to assist his own defense, and his successful efforts to prevent 3rd party groups from appealing on his behalf raised issues of state assisted suicide, and public debate over how Washington state selected which prisoners would be executed.
Read more about this topic: James Homer Elledge
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