Capital punishment in the state of Vermont effectively ended in 1972 for all crimes due to Furman v. Georgia . Unlike most other states, Vermont did not reinstate the death penalty. The state last executed a prisoner, Donald DeMag, in 1954, after he received the sentence for a robbery-murder he committed after escaping prison, where he was serving a life sentence for another murder. In 1965, Vermont abolished capital punishment for all crimes except the murder of a police officer or the murder of a prison guard. This statute was rendered moot in 1972 and abolished in 1987.
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 in 2024 by imprisonment and potentially an 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 |