List of people executed in Delaware

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The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Delaware since capital punishment was resumed in the United States in 1976.

Contents

All of the 16 people were convicted of murder and have been executed at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, near Smyrna, Delaware. [1] Capital punishment was abolished in Delaware on August 2, 2016. [2]

List of people executed in Delaware since 1976

No.NameRaceAgeSexDate of executionMethodVictim(s)Governor
1 Steven Brian Pennell White34MMarch 14, 1992 Lethal injection Shirley Ellis and Catherine DiMauro Michael Castle
2 James Allen Red Dog Native American39MMarch 3, 1993Hugh Pennington [a] Thomas Carper
3Kenneth W. DeShieldsBlack33MAugust 31, 1993Elizabeth Reed
4Andre S. DeputyBlack45MJune 23, 1994Byard Smith and Alberta Smith
5 Nelson W. Shelton White27MMarch 17, 1995 Wilson Mannon Jr.
6 Billy Bailey White49MJanuary 25, 1996 Hanging Gilbert Lamberton and Clara Lamberton
7William Henry FlamerBlack41MJanuary 30, 1996Lethal injectionByard Smith and Alberta Smith
8 James B. Clark Jr. White39MApril 19, 1996Elizabeth Clark and James Clark Sr.
9David J. LawrieWhite37MApril 23, 19994 murder victims [b]
10Willie G. SullivanBlack28MSeptember 24, 1999Maurice Dodd
11Dwayne L. WeeksBlack37MNovember 17, 2000Gwendolyn Weeks and Craig Williams
12 David F. Dawson White46MApril 26, 2001Madeline Marie Kisner Ruth Ann Minner
13Abdullah Tanzil Hameen [c] Black37MMay 25, 2001Troy Hodges
14 Brian David Steckel White36MNovember 4, 2005Sandra Lee Long
15Robert W. Jackson IIIWhite38MJuly 29, 2011Elizabeth Girardi Jack A. Markell
16 Shannon M. Johnson Black28MApril 20, 2012Cameron Hamlin

Executions before 1972

The following individuals were executed in Delaware in county prisons ("workhouses") by hanging before 1972, when the Furman v. Georgia ruling briefly abolished capital punishment. Delaware independently abolished capital punishment in 1958 but reinstated it in 1974. [3] [4] [5] [6]

NameRaceAgeSexDate of executionCountyCrimeVictim(s)Governor
John SmithMDecember 21, 1815 New Castle Murder [7] Daniel Rodney
William PiperWhiteMApril 18, 1820 Sussex MurderFemale, white (mother) [8] John Collins
Jacob ElliottBlackMDecember 31, 1822 New Castle MurderJohn Kean, white [9] Caleb Rodney
Elisha SharpWhiteMNovember 8, 1825 Sussex MurderTwo people, white (wife and child) [10] Samuel Paynter
Robert MorrisMNovember 8, 1831 Sussex Murder [11] David Hazzard
Samuel WardBlack22MSeptember 8, 1852 New Castle MurderGeorge A. Davidson, white [12] William H. H. Ross
John BowenWhiteMFebruary 10, 1860 New Castle MurderJohn W. Dewlin, white [13] William Burton
John CannonBlack18MDecember 14, 1860 Sussex MurderMs. Griffin, 14, white [14] Gove Saulsbury
Sarah BradleyBlack18FMurderEllen Wright, 14 months, white [15]
Levi JenkinsBlack35MRapeFemale, black [16]
John CannonBlackMDecember 28, 1860 Kent RapeMary Ann Martin, white [17]
William ManluffBlack25MJuly 20, 1866 New Castle Aggravated burglaryHannah Febiger Jones and Lizzie Griffith, 71 and 20, white
Andrew ArmstrongWhite53MFebruary 8, 1867 New Castle MurderCaroline Douglass Armstrong, 36, white (wife) [18] [d]
Joshua JonesBlack17MFebruary 4, 1870 New Castle RapeMary Meredith, 43, white [19]
Louis CarpenterBlack21M
Edward YoungBlack19MJune 24, 1870 Kent Murder-RobberyThomas Hogan, 50, white
Benjamin JohnsonBlack33MDecember 16, 1870 Sussex RapeCharlotte Fletcher, 28, white [20] [e]
Andrew ClarkBlack41MJuly 12, 1872 New Castle RapeMartha Rakes, 14, black [21] [22] James Ponder
William DennisBlack20MJanuary 24, 1873 New Castle RapeMary Thompson, 26, white
Joseph BurtonBlack23MJune 20, 1873 Sussex RapeHannah Laut, 16, white [23]
John RhodesBlack24MSeptember 21, 1877 New Castle MurderJames Temple, black [24] John P. Cochran
Samuel ChambersBlack35MMarch 22, 1878 New Castle RapeMary Catherine Smith, 32, white [25]
George CollinsBlack19M
James ReddenBlack21MAugust 25, 1882 New Castle RapeSallie Jane Purse, 14, white [26] John W. Hall
Charles RobinsonBlack33MApril 16, 1886 New Castle RapeElla F. Gardner, 21, white [27] Charles C. Stockley
Charles ReidelWhite36MAugust 10, 1888 New Castle MurderLena and Wilhelm Reidel, 37 and 7, white (wife and son) Benjamin T. Biggs
Jesse ProctorBlack34MFebruary 13, 1891 Kent Murder-RobberyStephen Lindsay, 82, black [28] Robert J. Reynolds
Fredrick YoungBlack17M
Shakespeare ReevesBlack33MMarch 6, 1891 New Castle RapeGrace Clark, 11, white [29]
James ThoroughgoodBlack22MAugust 7, 1891 Kent RapeLouisa Gertrude Huffington, 8, black [30]
Edward WrightBlack29MJanuary 1, 1897 New Castle MurderIda Crummel, 23, black (girlfriend) [31] Ebe W. Tunnell
Thomas WillisBlack23MFebruary 19, 1897 New Castle MurderCallie Willis, 1, black (daughter)
James GordyWhite29MJune 11, 1897 Sussex MurderMary Estelle Lewis Gordy, 33, white (wife) [32] [f]
John JoinerBlack25MSeptember 2, 1904 New Castle MurderJohn R. Taylor, 23, black [33] John Hunn
William ArcherBlack21MJanuary 11, 1907 New Castle MurderIda Elizabeth Spires, 28, black (girlfriend) [34] Preston Lea
Lewis JonesBlack30MJanuary 25, 1907 New Castle MurderArameda Jones, 24, black [35]
Reese RobertsBlack30MJuly 14, 1911 New Castle Murder-RobberyRobert and Ann Cloud Casey, 70 and 68, white [36] Simeon S. Pennewill
Peter KrakusWhite25MMay 14, 1915 New Castle MurderFrancis X. Tierney, 31, white (policeman) [37] [g] Charles R. Miller
William PrettymanBlack29MSeptember 28, 1917 New Castle [h] MurderZadoc B. Parker, 38, black [38] John G. Townsend Jr.
Adam HargusBlack34M
Webster PurnellBlack36M
Samuel GangusWhite24MJanuary 11, 1918 New Castle MurderCatherine Bodjeska, 20, white [39]
Ernest ThomasBlack21MNovember 26, 1920 New Castle RapeEmma Talley, 58, white [40]
Lemuel PriceBlack24MDecember 3, 1920 New Castle MurderThomas L. Zebley, 41, white (policeman) [41]
Harry ButlerBlack21MFebruary 26, 1926 Sussex RapeEleanor Steinmetz, 10, white [42] [i] Robert P. Robinson
Carl SkinnerBlack27MMay 27, 1927 Sussex RapeJulia A. Bennett, 85, white [43]
Louis GalvanoWhite21MMarch 28, 1930 New Castle MurderArthur C. Cline, 24, white [44] C. Douglass Buck
Theodore RossBlack24MAugust 22, 1930 New Castle RapeMary Kemp Read, 21, white [45]
John MorganWhite44MApril 12, 1935 Kent MurderDominique J. Pierre, 61, white [46] [j]
May CareyWhite52FJune 7, 1935 Sussex MurderRobert R. Hitchens, 55, white (May's brother) [47]
Howard CareyWhite28M
George ScottBlack26MNovember 20, 1936 New Castle MurderElbert Paul, 23, black [48]
Isaiah OpherBlack36MJanuary 3, 1937 New Castle Murder-RapeIsabelle Robinson, 13, black [49]
Joseph NelsonBlack36MJune 4, 1937 Sussex MurderCarrie Lethal, 51, black (common-law wife) [50] Richard McMullen
Curnel RobinsonBlack34MJanuary 14, 1941 New Castle RapeFemale, 15, white [51] [k]
Ralph ErnestWhite33MJanuary 9, 1942 New Castle RapeFemale, 6, white [52] Walter W. Bacon
Anderson ButlerBlack23MDecember 7, 1945 New Castle RapeFemale, 13, white [53]
Forrest SturdivantBlack34MMay 10, 1946 Sussex MurderGeorge Leslie Polk, 65, black [54]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Red Dog killed 4 additional people in Montana, California & Illinois
  2. ↑ The 4 victims were: Michelle Lawrie, Fawn Lawrie, Tabitha Lawrie, and Charles Humbertson.
  3. ↑ Formerly known as Cornelius Ferguson.
  4. ↑ Also admitted to "various bloody deeds" he committed while working as a chain bearer for a coastal survey in California.
  5. ↑ Serial rapist.
  6. ↑ Also suspected of murdering his father Peter B. Gordy, his first wife, and their infant child.
  7. ↑ Fugitive from Connecticut for the murders of Rev. Joseph Zebris and Iva Gilmanaitis (54 and 36, white); his accomplice, Bernard Montvid, was hanged there for the crime in August 1915.
  8. ↑ Sentenced in Sussex County.
  9. ↑ Also attacked a black woman, Bertha Neal.
  10. ↑ Also murdered Frank Foster (57, white) during the same crime.
  11. ↑ Serial rapist, had previously attacked numerous black girls.

References

  1. ↑ "Death Row Executions". Delaware Department of Correction. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ Eckholm, Erik (August 2, 2016). "Delaware Supreme Court Rules State's Death Penalty Unconstitutional". The New York Times . Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Executions in Delaware - 1662-1946 - DeathPenaltyUSA, the database of executions in the United States". deathpenaltyusa.org. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Delaware", Death Penalty Information Center
  5. ↑ Hearn, Daniel Allen (July 13, 2015). Legal Executions in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia: A Comprehensive Registry, 1866-1962. McFarland. ISBN   978-0-7864-9540-5.
  6. ↑ Delaware, executions recorded in statewide records, 1956-1977, Undated
  7. ↑ John Smith, DE, 1815 December 21, Espy Archive
  8. ↑ William Piper, DE, 1820 April 18, Espy Archive
  9. ↑ Jacob Elliott, DE, 1822 December 31, Espy Archive
  10. ↑ Elisha Sharp, DE, 1825 November 8, Espy Archive
  11. ↑ Robert Morris, DE, 1831 November 8, Espy Archive
  12. ↑ Samuel Ward, DE, 1852 September 8, Espy Archive
  13. ↑ John Bowen, DE, 1860 February 10, Espy Archive
  14. ↑ John Cannon, DE, 1869 December 14, Espy Archive
  15. ↑ Sarah Bradley, DE, 1869 December 14, Espy Archive
  16. ↑ Levi Jenkins, DE, 1869 December 14, Espy Archive
  17. ↑ John Cannon, DE, 1860 December 28, Espy Archive
  18. ↑ Andrew Armstrong, 1867 February 8, Espy Archive
  19. ↑ Joshua Jones, DE, 1870 February 4, Espy Archive
  20. ↑ Benjamin Johnson, DE, 1870, Espy Archive
  21. ↑ "Andrew Clark, DE, 1872 July 12". archives.albany.edu. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  22. ↑ "State of Delaware Genealogy and History". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  23. ↑ Joseph Burton, DE, 1873 June 20, Espy Archive
  24. ↑ John Rhodes, DE, 1877 September 21, Espy Archive
  25. ↑ George Collins, DE, 1878 March 22, Espy Archive
  26. ↑ James Redden, DE, 1882 August 25, Espy Archive
  27. ↑ Charles Robinson, DE, 1886 April 16, Espy Archive
  28. ↑ Jesse Proctor, DE, 1891 February 13, Espy Archive
  29. ↑ Shakespeare Reeves, DE, 1891 March 6, Espy Archive
  30. ↑ James Thoroughgood, DE, 1891 August 7, Espy Archive
  31. ↑ Edward Wright, DE, 1897 January 1, Espy Archive
  32. ↑ James Gordy, DE, 1897 June 11, Espy Archive
  33. ↑ John Joiner, DE, 1904 September 2, Espy Archive
  34. ↑ William Archer, DE, 1907 January 25, Espy Archive
  35. ↑ Lewis Jones, DE, 1907 January 11, Espy Archive
  36. ↑ Reese Roberts, DE, 1911 July 14, Espy Archive
  37. ↑ Peter Krakus, DE, 1915 May 14, Espy Archive
  38. ↑ Webster Purnell, DE, 1917 September 28, Espy Archive
  39. ↑ Samuel Gangus, DE, 1918 January 11, Espy Archive
  40. ↑ Ernest Thomas, 1920 November 26, Espy Archive
  41. ↑ Lemuel Price, DE, 1920 December 3, Espy Archive
  42. ↑ Harry Butler, DE, 1926 February 26, Espy Archive
  43. ↑ Carl Skinner, DE, 1927 May 27, Espy Archive
  44. ↑ Louis Galvano, DE, 1930 March 28, Espy Archive
  45. ↑ Theodore Ross, DE, 1930 August 22, Espy Archive
  46. ↑ John Morgan, DE, 1935 April 12, Espy Archive
  47. ↑ May Carey, Howard Carey, 1935 June 7, Espy Archive
  48. ↑ George Scott, DE, 1936 November 20, Espy Archive
  49. ↑ Isaiah Opher, DE, 1937 January 3, Espy Archive
  50. ↑ Joseph Nelson, DE, 1937 June 4, Espy Archive
  51. ↑ Curnel Robinson, DE, 1941 January 14, Espy Archive
  52. ↑ Ralph Ernest, DE, 1942 January 9, Espy Archive
  53. ↑ Anderson Butler, DE, 1945 December 7, Espy Archive
  54. ↑ Forrest Sturdivant, DE, 1946 May 10, Espy Archive
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