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List of white defendants executed for killing a black victim

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Further information: Race and capital punishment in the United States

The following is a list of white defendants executed for killing a black victim. Executions of white defendants for killing black victims are rare. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in the United States in 1976, just 21 white people have been executed for killing a black person (less than 1.36 percent of all executions), whereas the number of black people executed for killing a white person is 299 (making up nearly 19.4 percent of all executions).[1][2] Additionally, a further 12 white people have been executed for killing a black person and another person, or people, of a different race.[1][2][3]

List of white defendants executed for killing a black victim in the United States since 1976

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  Indicates cases where the executed defendant killed multiple people of different races

No. Date of execution Executed person Age State Method Victim(s) Ref.
1 September 6, 1991 Donald Henry Gaskins 58 South Carolina Electrocution Rudolph Tyner (1 Black male)[a] [3][4]
2 January 24, 1995 Kermit Smith Jr. 37 North Carolina Lethal injection Whelette Collins (1 Black female) [3][5]
3 March 20, 1995 Thomas Joseph Grasso 32 Oklahoma Lethal injection Hilda Johnson (1 Black female)[b] [3][6]
4 July 1, 1995 Roger Dale Stafford 43 Oklahoma Lethal injection Isaac Freeman, Louis Zacarias, Terri Horst, Linda Lorenz, David Lindsey, Melvin Lorenz, Richard Lorenz, David Salsman, and Anthony Tew (1 Black male, 1 Hispanic male, 2 White females, 5 White males) [3][7][8]
5 December 6, 1995 Robert Earl O'Neal Jr. 34 Missouri Lethal injection Arthur Dade (1 Black male)[c] [3][9]
6 June 6, 1997 Henry Francis Hays 42 Alabama Electrocution Michael Donald (1 Black male)[d] [3][10]
7 December 11, 1997 Thomas H. Beavers Jr. 26 Virginia Lethal injection Marguerite Lowery (1 Black female) [3][11][12]
8 March 6, 1998 John David Arnold Jr. 43 South Carolina Lethal injection Betty Gardner (1 Black female) [3][13]
9 July 10, 1998 John Herman Plath 43 South Carolina Lethal injection Betty Gardner (1 Black female) [3][14]
10 September 25, 1998 Sammy Roberts 40 South Carolina Lethal injection Louis Cakley, Kenneth Krause, and Bill Spain (1 Black male, 2 White males) [3][15][16]
11 April 28, 1999 Eric Christopher Payne 26 Virginia Lethal injection Ruth Parham and Sally Fazio (1 Black female, 1 White female) [3][11]
12 July 6, 1999 Gary Michael Heidnik 55 Pennsylvania Lethal injection Deborah Dudley and Sandra Lindsay (2 Black females) [3][17]
13 July 8, 1999 Norman Lee Newsted 45 Oklahoma Lethal injection Larry Donnell Buckley (1 Black male)[e] [3][18]
14 July 21, 1999 Tommy David Strickler 33 Virginia Lethal injection Leann Whitlock (1 Black female) [3][11][12]
15 May 3, 2002 Richard Charles Johnson 39 South Carolina Lethal injection Bruce Kenneth Smalls (1 Black male)[f] [3][19]
16 September 10, 2003 Larry Allen Hayes 54 Texas Lethal injection Rosalyn Ann Robinson and Mary Evelyn Hayes (1 Black female, 1 White female) [3][20][21][22]
17 July 14, 2006 William Ernest Downs Jr. 39 South Carolina Lethal injection Keenan O'Mailia (1 Black male)[g] [3][23]
18 July 20, 2006 Brandon Wayne Hedrick 27 Virginia Electrocution Lisa Yvonne Crider (1 Black female) [3][11][24]
19 November 9, 2006 John Yancey Schmitt 33 Virginia Lethal injection Earl Shelton Dunning (1 Black male) [3][11][25]
20 September 12, 2007 Daryl Keith Holton 45 Tennessee Electrocution Kayla Holton, Brent Holton, Eric Holton, and Stephen Holton (1 Black female, 3 White males) [3][26]
21 June 6, 2008 David Mark Hill 48 South Carolina Lethal injection Josie Curry, Michael Gregory, and James Riddle (1 Black female, 2 White males) [3][27][28]
22 February 17, 2011 Frank G. Spisak Jr. 59 Ohio Lethal injection Rev. Horace T. Rickerson, Brian Warford, and Timothy Sheehan (2 Black males, 1 White male) [3][29]
23 June 16, 2011 Lee Andrew Taylor 32 Texas Lethal injection Donta Green (1 Black male)[h] [3][30][31][22]
24 September 21, 2011 Lawrence Russell Brewer 44 Texas Lethal injection James Byrd Jr. (1 Black male) [3][32][33]
25 February 8, 2012 Edwin Hart Turner 38 Mississippi Lethal injection Eddie Brooks and Everett Curry (2 Black males) [3][34]
26 September 25, 2012 Cleve Foster 48 Texas Lethal injection Nyanuer Gatluak "Mary" Pal (1 Black female) [3][35]
27 January 16, 2013 Robert Charles Gleason Jr. 42 Virginia Electrocution Aaron Alexander Cooper and Harvey Gray Watson Jr. (1 Black male, 1 White male) [3][11][36]
28 March 6, 2013 Frederick Treesh 48 Ohio Lethal injection Henry Dupree (1 Black male) [3][37]
29 September 25, 2013 Harry Mitts Jr. 61 Ohio Lethal injection John A. Bryant and Dennis Glivar (1 Black male, 1 White male) [3][38]
30 January 11, 2017 Christopher Chubasco Wilkins 48 Texas Lethal injection Willie Ladell Freeman and Mike Silva (1 Black male, 1 Hispanic male) [3][39]
31 July 6, 2017 William Charles Morva 35 Virginia Lethal injection Derrick McFarland and Eric Sutphin (1 Black male, 1 White male) [3][11]
32 August 24, 2017 Mark James Asay 53 Florida Lethal injection Robert Lee Booker and Robert McDowell (1 Black male, 1 Mixed-race male)[i] [3][40]
33 April 24, 2019 John William King 44 Texas Lethal injection James Byrd Jr. (1 Black male) [3][41]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The murder occurred in prison. The defendant was a serial killer already serving 10 concurrent life sentences for the murders of multiple White victims.
  2. ^ The defendant was also convicted of the murder of a White male in New York.
  3. ^ The murder occurred in prison. The defendant was already serving a life sentence for the murder of a White male.
  4. ^ The jury voted in favor of life imprisonment, but the judge overruled the verdict and sentenced the defendant to death. The defendant was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
  5. ^ The defendant was also convicted of the murders of 3 White victims in Utah which was a key reason for his death sentence.
  6. ^ The Black victim was a police officer. The defendant was also convicted of the murder of a White male and sentenced to life.
  7. ^ The Black victim was a minor. The defendant was also convicted of the murder of a White victim (another minor) in Georgia.
  8. ^ The murder occurred in prison. The defendant was already serving a life sentence for his role in the murder of a White male.
  9. ^ The Mixed-race victim was White and Hispanic. During the defendant's trial, the court believed this victim was also Black.

References

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  1. ^ a b Deborah Fins. "Death Row U.S.A. Winter 2022" (PDF). NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Executions by Race and Race of Victim". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "Execution Database". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  4. ^ Margolick, David (September 7, 1991). "Rarity for U.S. Executions: White Dies for Killing Black". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Waggoner, Martha (January 25, 1995). "Smith's Execution Only Second Time White Man Executed For Murdering Black Man". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Executed Killer's Wife Will Face Murder Charges". Associated Press. May 23, 1995. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "It's Time To Serve Justice". The Oklahoman. June 29, 1995. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  8. ^ "Stafford v. State". Justia. June 20, 1983. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Schafer, Ed (December 6, 1995). "White Supremacist Executed in Missouri for Killing Black Inmate". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Smith, Gita M. "Alabama case shows how father's sins were visited on son: Whites execution for killing black didn't end inherited racism". Atlanta Journal-Constitution (newspaper). p. 4A. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Virginia's Execution History". Virginians For Alternatives To The Death Penalty. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Armstrong, Ken (June 12, 1992). "Jury: 20-Year-Old Should Die For Murder". The Daily Press Inc. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "Convicted killer executed by lethal injection". The Herald. March 7, 1998. p. 8. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Curtis, Kim (July 11, 1998). "Plath executed for killing". The Sun News. p. 24. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Reinitz, Jeff (September 21, 1998). "Victims' family won't watch murderer die". The Item. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Man executed for role in robbery, fatal shooting". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 26, 1998. p. 4. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Jackson, Peter (July 8, 1999). "Heidnik execution offers no relief for victims' kin". The Morning Call. p. 12. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Hoberock, Barbara (June 22, 1999). "Eyewitness to an execution". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  19. ^ "Richard Charles Johnson #773". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "Larry Allen Hayes #874". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  21. ^ Graczyk, Michael (September 13, 2003). "Hayes first white executed in Texas for killing a black". Plainview Daily Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Dow, David R. (July 8, 2011). "Death Penalty, Still Racist and Arbitrary". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "William E. Downs Jr. #1032". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  24. ^ "Brandon Hedrick #1035". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  25. ^ "John Yancey Schmitt #1056". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  26. ^ "Daryl Keith Holton #1097". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  27. ^ "David Mark Hill #1104". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  28. ^ "Justices uphold death sentence for killing social workers". AccessWDUN. September 13, 2004. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Frank G. Spisak Jr. #1241". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  30. ^ "Lee Andrew Taylor #1255". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  31. ^ Graczyk, Michael (June 16, 2011). "Galveston native executed for fellow prisoner's stabbing death". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  32. ^ "Lawrence Russell Brewer #1268". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  33. ^ Graczyk, Michael (September 21, 2011). "White supremacist executed for Texas dragging". NBC News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  34. ^ "Edwin Hart Turner #1280". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  35. ^ "Cleve Foster #1307". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  36. ^ "Robert Charles Gleason Jr. #1321". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  37. ^ "Frederick Treesh #1324". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  38. ^ "Harry Mitts Jr. #1346". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  39. ^ McCullough, Jolie (January 11, 2017). "Texas executes first person of the year". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  40. ^ Pantazi, Andrew (August 24, 2017). "In a first, Florida executes a white defendant for killing a black victim". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  41. ^ Shapiro, Emily (April 25, 2019). "White supremacist executed for killing black man by dragging him behind truck". ABC News. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
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