Capital punishment in the state of Vermont ended in 1972 for all crimes due to Furman v. Georgia . The state last executed a prisoner, Donald DeMag, in 1954, after he received the sentence for a double robbery-murder he committed after escaping prison.
Although DeMag was the last person executed by Vermont, he was not the last person to be sentenced to death by a Vermont court. Lionel Goyet, a soldier who was Absent Without Leave for the fifth time, robbed and killed a farmhand, and was sentenced to death in 1957. [1] His sentence was commuted six months later, [2] and Goyet was conditionally pardoned in 1969. [3] He had no further problems with the law, and died of heart failure in 1980. [4]
Vermont had a pre- Furman statute providing death by electrocution for treason until the punishment was replaced by imprisonment and a potentially additional fine. [5]
| Date | Method | Name | Offense | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date capital punishment was legally abolished | 1972 | |||
| Legal methods of execution | 1778–1919 | hanging (21) | ||
| 1919–1965 | electrocution (5) | |||
| First legal execution | 06-11-1778 | hanging | David Redding | treason |
| Most recent legal execution | 12-08-1954 | electrocution | Donald DeMag | murder |