The following is a list of people executed in the U.S. state of Kentucky before 1972, when capital punishment was briefly abolished by the Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia . For people executed after the restoration of capital punishment by the Supreme Court's decision in Gregg v. Georgia (1976), see List of people executed in Kentucky. [1] [2]
Historically, all executions in Kentucky were carried out locally by hanging. In 1910, the state's execution method was switched to electrocution, with all executions legally mandated to take place within the state penitentiary in Eddyville. [3] Kentucky partially reverted to hangings in 1920 after the electrocution of Will Lockett for the rape and murder of a young girl, with a new law stating that death sentences for rape would be locally carried out by hanging in county jail yards with at least 50 witnesses present. Executions for rape returned to electrocution with the repeal of this law in 1938. [4]
The consecutive electrocutions of seven men on July 13, 1928, constitute the most judicially authorized executions within a single day in recent U.S. history. [5]
Name | Race | Age | Date of execution | County | Crime | Victim(s) | Governor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
James Buckner | Black | 18 | July 8, 1911 | Marion | Murder | John A. Robey, white (Lebanon policeman) [6] | Willson |
Sandy Penman | Black | 35 | August 5, 1911 | Lincoln | Rape | Nancy Jane Rankin, 11, white | |
Oliver Locks | Black | 51 | August 22, 1911 | Jefferson | Murder | Female, black (wife) [7] | |
Matthew Kelly | Black | 37 | September 28, 1911 | Jefferson | Murder | Pearl Evans (lover) and Clara Hamilton, black [8] [a] | |
Charles Howard | Black | 22 | January 31, 1912 | Franklin | Murder | Edward Rice, white [9] | McCreary |
Willard Richardson | White | 29 | April 19, 1912 | Carlisle | Murder | John Violet, white [10] [b] | |
Cal Miracle | White | 34 | August 31, 1912 | Bell | Murder | Dulcie Partin, white [11] | |
James Smith | Black | 23 | September 27, 1912 | Mason | Murder | "Ed", black [12] [c] | |
Charles Smith | Black | 25 | |||||
James Ellis | White | 28 | November 22, 1912 | Pulaski | Murder | A. J. Beattie and W. F. Heath, white (magistrate and constable) [13] | |
Silas Williams | Black | 17 | March 21, 1913 | Woodford | Murder-Rape | Mrs. Lee Moffett, white [14] | |
William Wilson | Black | 27 | March 24, 1913 | Jefferson | Murder | Gerhard Henry Heuermann, 54, white | |
John Bowman | White | 22 | April 11, 1913 | Marion | Rape | Minnie Lamb, white [15] | |
Isom Taliaferro | Black | 31 | April 18, 1913 | Todd | Rape | Mrs. Robertson, race unknown [16] | |
James Brown | Black | 27 | April 25, 1913 | Clark | Murder | George M. Hart, white (deputy sheriff) [17] | |
Tom Lawson | Black | 19 | June 20, 1913 | Shelby | Murder | Hardin Inghram, 19, white [18] | |
Tom Martin | Black | 23 | |||||
General May | White | 43 | June 27, 1913 | Laurel | Murder | Mrs. Belle Meredith, white [19] [d] | |
Will Lane | Black | 25 | July 30, 1915 | Bell | Murder | Female, black (wife) [20] | |
Turner Graham | White | 24 | Hardin | Murder | R. T. McMurtry, white (sheriff) [21] [e] | ||
Wallace Smothers | Black | 41 | September 3, 1915 | Clark | Rape | Female, 7, white [22] | |
John Henry | Black | 24 | November 19, 1915 | Boyd | Murder | Joseph C. Gibson, 34, white | |
Harry Garrison | Black | 19 | November 17, 1916 | Campbell | Rape | Two females, race unknown [23] [f] | Stanley |
John H. Blue | Black | 48 | August 10, 1917 | Jefferson | Murder | Adam Oster, white [24] | |
Pat Kearney | White | 32 | February 21, 1919 | Kenton | Murder-Robbery | John Rehm and Andrew Nordmeyer, white [25] | |
James Lawler | White | 32 | |||||
Lewis Harris | Black | 25 | June 6, 1919 | Mason | Murder | Female, black (wife) [26] | Black |
James Howard | Black | 20 | McCracken | Murder | William Romaine, white (Paducah patrolman) [27] | ||
Melvin Collins | White | 21 | July 12, 1919 | Carter | Murder | ||
Lube Martin | Black | 34 | July 25, 1919 | Calloway | Murder | Guthrie Diuguid, white (deputy constable) [28] | |
Charles Music | White | 24 | March 10, 1920 | Boyd | Murder | Charles W. Hatfield, white (Ashland policeman) [29] | Morrow |
Will Lockett | Black | 23 | March 11, 1920 | Fayette | Murder-Rape | Geneva Hardman, 10, white [30] [g] | |
Lee Ellison | Black | 45 | January 31, 1921 | Hopkins | Murder | Richard Scott Hunter, white (sheriff) [31] [h] | |
Dave Brown | White | 27 | November 16, 1922 | Pike | Murder | Jim Brumfield, white [32] | |
Benny Bibbs | Black | 28 | January 26, 1923 | Christian | Murder | ||
Tom Nichols | Black | 29 | |||||
Henry S. Banks | Black | 22 | May 15, 1923 | Scott | Murder-Burglary | Mr. Arnold, white [33] | |
James Powers | White | 23 | June 18, 1923 | Kenton | Murder-Robbery | Maurice Lee, 26, white [34] | |
Will Chambers | Black | 20 | March 7, 1924 | Barren | Murder-Robbery | Charley Bybee, white [35] | Fields |
Charles Miller | Black | 25 | May 9, 1924 | Breckinridge | Murder-Robbery | Sam Maycraft and Ed Sago (railroad detective), white [36] | |
George Weick | White | 51 | Jefferson | Murder | William Oelke, white [37] | ||
Frank Thomas | White | 71 | Murder | E. H. Powell, white (police captain) [38] [i] | |||
Leonard Griffin | Black | 24 | March 20, 1925 | Harlan | Murder | J. V. Gross, white (constable) [39] | |
Sid Davis | Black | 38 | Fayette | Murder | |||
George Farrell | White | 24 | June 26, 1925 | Bourbon | Murder-Robbery | Frank Buchanan, white [40] | |
Richard Newhouse | White | 22 | |||||
Elmer Hall | White | 25 | |||||
Harry Armand | Black | 24 | July 3, 1925 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | A. K. Witten, white [41] | |
Ray Ross | Black | 25 | August 28, 1925 | Fayette | Rape | Female, 9, black [42] | |
Ed Harris | Black | 42 | March 5, 1926 | Fayette | Rape | Mrs. Clarence Bryant, white [43] [j] | |
John Baker | Black | 34 | May 28, 1926 | Jefferson | Murder | Maria Baker, black (wife) [44] [k] | |
Edward Lake | White | 32 | Murder | Mary Murphy Smith, white [45] [l] | |||
Elisha Sloan | White | 30 | Perry | Murder | Dr. Marvin Kingins, white [46] | ||
Smokey Harris | Black | 35 | December 17, 1926 | Christian | Murder | ||
Roger Brannon | White | 22 | Fayette | Murder-Robbery | William Nelson Fant, white [47] [48] | ||
Raymond Davis | White | 28 | September 16, 1927 | Fayette | Murder-Robbery | ||
Nathan Bard | Black | 31 | November 25, 1927 | Hopkins | Rape | Katherine Breithaupt, 16, white [49] [m] | |
Bunyan Fleming | Black | 32 | |||||
Clarence McQueen | Black | 38 | July 13, 1928 | Harrison | Murder | Lewis Williams, black [50] | |
James Howard | Black | 22 | Jefferson | Murder | Lucy Buckner, black (common-law wife) [51] | ||
Willie Moore | Black | 45 | Murder | Annie Eslick, black [52] | |||
Orlando Seymour | White | 21 | Murder-Robbery | William Schanzenbacher, white [53] | |||
Charles P. Mitra | White | 23 | Murder-Robbery | Marion George, white [54] | |||
Milford Lawson | White | 35 | Knox | Murder | John Stansberry, white [55] [n] | ||
Hascue Dockery | White | 21 | Harlan | Murder | Mrs. Bradley Howard, white [56] [o] | ||
Ivan Hutsell | White | 27 | September 13, 1929 | Oldham | Murder | Jesse Ditchler, white [57] [p] | |
Carl Hoard | White | 22 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | Marion George, white [54] | ||
Richard Edmonds | Black | 36 | June 13, 1930 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | Harry S. Long, 55, white [58] | |
Ballard Ratcliffe | White | 41 | Murder-Robbery | William A. Muse, white [59] | |||
Walter Holmes | Black | 31 | April 29, 1932 | Hardin | Murder | Thomas Tillery, white [60] | Laffoon |
Charles Rodgers | Black | 23 | |||||
A. B. Cooksey | Black | 23 | Hopkins | Murder | John H. Ashby, white (Madisonville police chief) [60] | ||
Sam Jennings | Black | 38 | June 17, 1932 | Breckinridge | Rape | Mabel Downs, 23, white [61] | |
Jeff Covington | Black | 30 | December 17, 1932 | Madison | Murder | James Turner, white (railroad detective) [62] [q] | |
Sam McGee | Black | 31 | April 7, 1933 | McCracken | Murder-Robbery | Charles Clark, 19, white [63] | |
Frank Carson | White | 19 | Nelson | Murder-Robbery | C. B. James, white [64] | ||
John Young | White | 37 | April 14, 1933 | Jefferson | Murder | Edward Parr and William Mulligan, white (Louisville police captain and detective sergeant) [65] | |
Kermit R. Pope | Black | 33 | Murder | Female, 27, black (wife) [66] | |||
Richard Gaines | Black | 25 | Caldwell | Murder | Bud Wilson, black [67] | ||
Harve Burton | White | 46 | November 3, 1933 | Elliott | Murder | Female, white (wife) [68] | |
Ishmael Scott | White | 40 | Floyd | Murder | Martin Stephens, white [69] | ||
William Waters | White | 36 | Montgomery | Murder | Stanley Helton, white (Menifee County deputy sheriff) [69] [r] | ||
Walter Dewberry | Black | 22 | November 10, 1933 | Hardin | Murder | Thomas Tillery, white [70] | |
Will Chaney | Black | 49 | August 24, 1934 | Jefferson | Murder | George Bottoms, 21, black [71] | |
George W. Tincher | White | 37 | Scott | Murder-Robbery | Ben Kennon, white [72] | ||
Francis Glenday | White | 29 | December 7, 1934 | ||||
Wiley Graves | Black | 29 | February 22, 1935 | Fayette | Murder | Charles W. Taylor, white [73] [s] | |
Charlie Williams | Black | 27 | March 1, 1935 | Christian | Murder | ||
William T. DeBoe | White | 22 | April 19, 1935 | Livingston | Rape | Female, white [74] [t] | |
James Smith | Black | 30 | May 24, 1935 | Fayette | Murder | Leslie Poyntz, white [75] | |
Bill Young | White | 23 | June 28, 1935 | Harlan | Murder | Joe Cawood, white [76] | |
Eulie Lotheridge | White | 26 | December 6, 1935 | Carroll | Murder-Robbery | Theodore Fitschen, 52, white [77] | |
Neal Bowman | White | 33 | January 10, 1936 | Mercer | Murder-Robbery | Four persons, white [78] [u] | Chandler |
Willard Hall | White | 33 | January 17, 1936 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | J. B. Schoering, 64, white [79] | |
Calvin Tate | White | 21 | |||||
James Matthews | White | 19 | January 31, 1936 | McCreary | Murder-Robbery | Cleve Spradlin, white [80] | |
Bennie Lee | Black | 27 | February 21, 1936 | Bell | Murder-Robbery | James Towns, black [81] | |
Erleon Whitehead | White | 34 | March 20, 1936 | Barren | Murder-Robbery | John Allen, black [82] [v] | |
Alfred Drake | Black | 30 | May 15, 1936 | Jefferson | Murder | James Edward Simpson, black (Louisville merchant policeman) [83] | |
Roy Simmons | Black | 22 | McCracken | Murder | Richard Kelly, white (railroad detective) [84] | ||
James R. Woodford | Black | 22 | May 29, 1936 | Fayette | Murder-Robbery | J. M. Anderson, 62, white [85] | |
Homer Young | Black | 39 | June 5, 1936 | Bell | Murder | Enoch Beeler, white [86] | |
Rainey Bethea | Black | 22 | August 14, 1936 | Daviess | Rape [w] | Elza Edwards, white [87] | |
George B. Underwood | White | 23 | February 19, 1937 | Bullitt | Murder | Wallace Van Fleet, white [88] | |
Sam Franklin | Black | 24 | March 19, 1937 | Jefferson | Robbery | J. C. O'Connor, white [89] | |
Arnold Clift | White | 24 | July 16, 1937 | Laurel | Murder-Robbery | Mr. and Mrs. Reed Taylor, white [90] | |
Perry Marion | White | 27 | November 12, 1937 | ||||
John Montjoy | Black | 24 | December 17, 1937 | Kenton | Rape | Female, white [91] | |
Troy Triplett | White | 22 | May 20, 1938 | Letcher | Murder | Dolphy Hall, 13, white [92] | |
Harold Venison | Black | 36 | June 3, 1938 | Kenton | Rape | Eleanor Nieberling, 25, white [93] [x] | |
Parkie Denny | White | 43 | September 2, 1938 | Madison | Murder | Ethel Yates, 51, white (wife) [94] | |
Leonard Mosley | Black | 43 | October 28, 1938 | Meade | Rape | ||
Sylvester Warner | White | 29 | February 10, 1939 | Casey | Murder-Robbery | John and Clay White, white [95] | |
Bonnie Griffin | White | 24 | March 3, 1939 | Estill | Murder-Robbery | Marion and Martha Short, 75 and 40, white [96] | |
Arnold Powell | White | 23 | |||||
Willie Waters | Black | 46 | March 24, 1939 | Jefferson | Murder | Female, black (wife) [97] | |
Arvil Rice | White | 20 | July 7, 1939 | Bell | Murder-Robbery | Walter Dorfman, white [98] | |
Charles H. Smith | White | 40 | July 14, 1939 | Lyon | Murder | Clayton Sloan, 23, white (cellmate) [99] [y] | |
Jack Davis | White | 47 | July 21, 1939 | Leslie | Murder | Abram Combs, white [100] | |
Edward Higgins | Black | 26 | July 25, 1939 | Mercer | Rape | Mollie Cunningham, 76, white [101] [z] | |
Henry Phillips | Black | 41 | July 26, 1940 | Jefferson | Murder | Ella Williamson, 46, black (common-law wife) [102] | Johnson |
Ernest Houston | Black | 20 | August 30, 1940 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | Arnold Smith, white [103] | |
Columbus Richardson | Black | 27 | January 20, 1941 | McCracken | Murder | Tom McNary, 63, black [104] | |
Grover Chism | White | 49 | July 4, 1941 | Hardin | Murder | Schuyler McClune, 68, white [105] | |
Bill Smiddy | White | 35 | August 29, 1941 | Whitley | Murder | Female, 17, white (wife) [106] | |
James Satterfield | Black | 35 | February 20, 1942 | Jefferson | Murder | John Bell, race unknown [107] | |
Eugene Burnam | Black | 18 | March 27, 1942 | Fayette | Rape | Female, 22, white [108] [aa] | |
Robert Williams | Black | 23 | June 5, 1942 | Fayette | Rape-Robbery | Virgie Wigginton, white [109] | |
James Lee Robertson | Black | 26 | August 7, 1942 | Fayette | Murder-Rape | Bertha Lehman, 26, white [110] [ab] | |
Otis Peter Smith | Black | 30 | August 28, 1942 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | Edward B. Hite, 55, white [111] | |
Jess Sanders | Black | 56 | Murder | Katrina Sanders, black (ex-wife) [112] | |||
Burnett Sexton | White | 17 | January 15, 1943 | Perry | Murder-Robbery | Robert McIntyre, white [113] | |
McCoy Combs | White | 20 | |||||
Ernest Trent | White | 26 | February 26, 1943 | Breathitt | Murder | Hiram Smith, 45, white (constable) [114] | |
Raymond S. Baxter | White | 28 | Fayette | Murder-Burglary | Elsa and Marion Miley, 26 (Marion), white [115] | ||
Thomas Penney | White | 32 | |||||
Robert Anderson | White | 36 | |||||
Archie Simpson | Black | 20 | June 25, 1943 | Fayette | Murder-Robbery | Byrd Taulbee, 66, white [116] | |
William Carson Gray | Black | 17 | |||||
Thomas Bass | Black | 25 | March 16, 1945 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | Thomas Brown, 60, white [117] | Willis |
Tommy Nelson | White | 35 | Pike | Murder | Frelin Estepp, 55, white | ||
Carl Fox | Black | 17 | April 6, 1945 | Campbell | Rape | Female, white [118] | |
Ed Hambrick | Black | 26 | May 25, 1945 | ||||
Anderson Adkins | White | 33 | March 15, 1946 | Pike | Murder | Mrs. Tom Johnson, 50, white [119] | |
Arthur Jones | Black | 16 | March 22, 1946 | Mason | Murder-Robbery | Oliver Greenlee, 80, white [120] | |
Thomas Earl Warner | Black | 19 | |||||
Edward Calhoun | White | 22 | March 24, 1946 | Garrard | Murder | Harold Hollars, 21, white [121] | |
Earl L. Tungett | White | 25 | July 11, 1947 | Lyon | Murder | L. R. Gumm, white (deputy warden) [122] [ac] | |
Luther Williams | Black | 27 | February 27, 1948 | Pulaski | Murder-Rape-Robbery | Ada Hughes, 55, white [123] | Clements |
Jasper Nease | White | 23 | July 30, 1948 | Jefferson | Robbery | Vernon L. Hodge, 26, white [124] [ad] | |
Daniel T. McPeak | White | 21 | November 5, 1948 | ||||
Charlie Pool | Black | 44 | January 28, 1949 | Christian | Murder-Rape | Virginia Harris, white [125] | |
Herbert H. Workman | White | 18 | March 4, 1949 | Jefferson | Robbery | Vernon L. Hodge, 26, white [124] [ae] | |
Lawrence B. Lightfoot | White | 27 | June 24, 1949 | Campbell | Murder-Robbery | Harvey Childers, 84, white [126] | |
Raymond Ellison | White | 39 | February 24, 1950 | Muhlenberg | Murder | Imogene Sims, ~13, white (wife) [127] [af] | |
Columbus Webb | White | 42 | June 16, 1950 | Martin | Murder-Robbery | Elijah Davis, white [128] | |
Albert Shelkels | Black | 20 | June 8, 1951 | Jefferson | Murder-Robbery | Milton Zimmerman, 30, white [129] | Wetherby |
James I. Robinson | White | 31 | January 18, 1952 | Jefferson | Murder-Rape | Joyce Joan Shouse, 3, white [130] | |
Earl D. Bircham | White | 49 | February 1, 1952 | Jefferson | Murder | John Tennyson, white (Louisville patrolman) [131] | |
Jessie Lee Quarles | Black | 27 | April 4, 1952 | Christian | Murder-Robbery | Everett Grady, white [132] | |
Roosevelt Spears | Black | 47 | February 27, 1953 | Campbell | Murder | Charles Edward Thompson, black [133] | |
Thomas William Reed | Black | 45 | June 4, 1954 | Jefferson | Murder | Louise Young, black (common-law wife) [134] [ag] | |
Leonard Tarrance | White | 26 | March 18, 1955 | Jefferson | Murder | Francis J. McCormack, white [135] | |
Roy Tarrance | White | 49 | |||||
Ed Milam | Black | 25 | September 16, 1955 | Christian | Murder-Robbery | Stephen Farmer, white [136] | |
David Nichols | Black | 55 | December 23, 1955 | Jefferson | Murder | Mary Georgia Roberts, 38, black (common-law wife) [137] | Chandler |
Chester Merrifield | White | 34 | Murder | Alvin Keown, white (policeman) [138] | |||
Robert Lee Sheckles | Black | 22 | November 30, 1956 | Jefferson | Rape | Female, 28, white [139] | |
Charles C. DeBerry | Black | 20 | Murder-Burglary | Richard V. Eddins, white [140] | |||
James F. Bowman | Black | 44 | Murder-Rape | Roberta Busby, 72, white [141] | |||
Kelly Moss | White | 47 | March 2, 1962 | Henderson | Murder | Charles Abbitt, 74, white (stepfather) [142] | Combs |