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Keith Zettlemoyer

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Keith Zettlemoyer
Born
Keith William Zettlemoyer

(1955-06-04)June 4, 1955
Aberdeen, Maryland, U.S.
DiedMay 2, 1995(1995-05-02) (aged 39)
SCI Rockview, Benner Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Conviction(s)First degree murder
Criminal penaltyDeath (April 24, 1981)
Details
VictimsCharles DeVetsco
DateOctober 13, 1980

Keith William Zettlemoyer (June 4, 1955 – May 2, 1995)[1] was an American convicted murderer who was executed in Pennsylvania for the 1980 murder of his friend Charles DeVetsco. He became the first person to be executed in Pennsylvania since the United States reinstated the death penalty in 1976.[2][3]

Early life

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Zettlemoyer was born on June 4, 1955, in Aberdeen, Maryland. He was the oldest of five children and had four sisters. In his early years, he tried to join the army but was unsuccessful. He then worked a variety of different jobs, including photographer, custodian, and maintenance worker.[4]

Murder

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In the early hours of the morning on October 13, 1980, two police officers were out on patrol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in an unmarked car. They heard gunfire coming from a nearby wooded area which was unlit and often used for dumping trash. As they approached the scene they found a 1967 Ford van parked on a dirt road near some bushes. After hearing rustling noises coming from the bushes they ordered the person making the noise to come out. Zettlemoyer emerged from the woods holding a handgun and a flashlight. He claimed he had been shooting rats, but the officers were not convinced. Zettlemoyer was ordered to drop the gun and was then secured.[5]

One of the officers searched the area and came across the body of 29-year-old Charles DeVetsco.[6][7] He had been shot a total of four times. It later emerged he had been shot twice in the van while handcuffed and was then dragged from the van to the woods where two more fatal shots were fired. The cause of death was confirmed as a massive hemorrhaging of the heart, which had been penetrated by .357 magnum bullets.[5]

Trial

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DeVetsco had worked with Zettlemoyer at a retail store and had been scheduled to testify against him in an upcoming robbery trial in Snyder County. In May 1980, Zettlemoyer and an accomplice, Kenneth Kipple, had carried out a robbery, in which they had bound a security guard at a RadioShack near Sunbury and had stolen electronic equipment worth thousands of dollars. Kipple was later caught trying to sell the equipment and had named Zettlemoyer as his partner.[8] Zettlemoyer had then confided in DeVetsco about the heist. DeVetsco contacted the authorities and had planned to testify against him. Zettlemoyer had kidnapped DeVetsco near Selinsgrove and had driven him to Harrisburg to kill him in order to prevent his testimony.[9]

On April 24, 1981, Zettlemoyer was convicted of first degree murder and was sentenced to death.[10] After spending fourteen years on death row, Zettlemoyer fired his lawyers and dropped his efforts to live. He begged the courts to let him die because he claimed "brain disease" was making his life hell.[11] Doctors reported that Zettlemoyer was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Lawyers for the Pennsylvania Post-Conviction Defender Organization argued that Zettlemoyer was not mentally competent, however, three psychiatrists testified he was sane. DeVetsco's mother also argued that Zettlemoyer was mentally ill and was, therefore, not competent to be executed for the murder of her son.[12][13]

Execution

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On February 28, 1995, Governor Tom Ridge, who had made carrying out the death penalty a campaign issue, signed his first three death warrants. One of the warrants was for Zettlemoyer, who was scheduled to be executed on May 2.[14]

Zettlemoyer was executed by lethal injection on May 2, 1995, at State Correctional Institution – Rockview. His last meal was two cheeseburgers, french fries, chocolate pudding and chocolate milk.[15] He became the first person to be executed by the state of Pennsylvania since the resumption of the death penalty in 1976 and the first inmate put to death in Pennsylvania in thirty-three years.[16][17] He remains the first of only three people to be executed in Pennsylvania since the resumption of the death penalty.[18] The others were Leon Moser in August 1995 and Gary M. Heidnik in 1999.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "List of individuals executed by lethal injection (1995 to present)". www.pa.gov. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  2. ^ "Zettlemoyer Executed For 1980 Killing Of Pal He's The First To Be Put To Death In Pa. Since Elmo Smith Died In Chair In '62". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 3, 1995. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  3. ^ "Wolf says death penalty flawed, imposes moratorium". Associated Press. February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Blackledge, Karen (April 30, 1995). "Granddad tells of Zettlemoyer's life". The Daily Item. pp. 3, 4. Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Com. v. Zettlemoyer". Justia. February 7, 1983. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Baker Jr., Wayne A. (October 14, 1980). "Victim worked as newsman, paramedic, salesman, janitor". The Daily Item. p. 3. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Dan Malone (April 1, 1999). America's Condemned: Death Row Inmates in Their Own Words. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-4494-4491-4. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Swank, Dan (October 14, 1980). "Sunbury man shot to death; suspect held". The Daily Item. p. 1. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "PA. executes murderer; death first since 1962". The Morning Call. May 3, 1995. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  10. ^ "In Re: Keith Zettlemoyer". FindLaw. May 1, 1995. Retrieved September 23, 2010.
  11. ^ "Pennsylvania Execution First Since '62". The New York Times. May 3, 1995. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  12. ^ "Mother: don't execute my son's killer". United Press International. April 28, 1995. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  13. ^ Roddy, Dennis (July 3, 1999). "Natural born killers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 28, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  14. ^ Kirkpatrick, Rich (March 1, 1995). "Ridge signs 3 death warrants". Standard-Speaker. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved March 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Man Put to Death In Pennsylvania". San Francisco Chronicle. May 3, 1995. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Pa. executes first inmate since 1962". United Press International. May 2, 1995. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  17. ^ Roddy, Dennis B. (April 23, 1995). "Secrecy Governs Execution Process". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  18. ^ "'House of Horrors' killer was last to be executed in Pa. - 20 years ago". The Patriot-News. October 18, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  19. ^ "Searchable Execution Database". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
Preceded by
Elmo Smith 		Executions carried out in Pennsylvania Succeeded by
Leon Moser
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