List of people executed in the United States in 1944

One hundred and twenty-two people, one hundred and nineteen male and three female, were executed in the United States in 1944, eighty-four by electrocution, twenty-four by gas chamber, thirteen by hanging, and one by firing squad. ^[1]

The U.S. territory of Hawaii would conduct its final execution this year before abolishing the death penalty in 1957; it was not a state until 1959. ^[2]

Finally, four notable executions were those of Emmanuel Weiss, Louis Buchalter, and Louis Capone (no relation to Al Capone). ^[3] George Stinney, meanwhile, was controversially executed by South Carolina and exonerated 70 years later. ^[4]

List of people executed in the United States in 1944

No.	Date of execution	Name	Age of person			Gender	Ethnicity	State	Method	Ref.
			At execution	At offense	Age difference
1	January 5, 1944	Willie Hubbard	28	Unknown	Unknown	Male	Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
2	January 6, 1944	Joseph Charles Mascari	32	31	1		White	New York		[5]
3	January 7, 1944	Isaac Irwin	31	29	2			Georgia		[1]
4		Adriano Domingo	33	32	1		Asian	Hawaii Territory	Hanging	[6]
5	January 8, 1944	Lionel James Allen	28	27			Black	Louisiana	Electrocution	[7]
6	January 13, 1944	Herbert Lewis	35	Unknown	Unknown			New York		[1]
7	January 14, 1944	Louis Vernon Hand	17	17	0		White	Ohio		[8]
8	January 21, 1944	Marcelino Bautista	31	31			Asian	California	Gas chamber	[9]
9		Louis Valle	43	42	1		White	New York	Electrocution	[10]
10	January 28, 1944	Farrington Graham Hill	31	30				California	Gas chamber	[11]
11		Alex Harris	48	47				North Carolina		[12]
12	February 3, 1944	Willie Hicks	18	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
13	February 4, 1944	Claude Newman	20	19	1			Mississippi		[13]
14	February 9, 1944	Elijah Parker	23	21	2					[14]
15	February 10, 1944	John Regan	34	32			White	New York		[15]
16	February 15, 1944	Glenard Brown	19	18	1			California	Gas chamber	[16]
17		John Swan	26	24	2		Black	New Jersey	Electrocution	[17]
18	February 18, 1944	Andrew Wilson Farrell	25		1		White	North Carolina	Gas chamber	[18]
19	February 25, 1944	William Charles Holsey	33	32			Black	Maryland	Hanging	[19]
20		Waymon Grainger	31	29	2			North Carolina	Gas chamber	[20]
21	February 29, 1944	Howard E. Jefferson	30	27	3			New Jersey	Electrocution	[1]
22	March 2, 1944	Joseph Palmer	28	26	2		White	New York		[21]
23		Vincent Sallami	26	24
24	March 3, 1944	James Raymond Woodall	36	36	0			Virginia		[22]
25	March 4, 1944	Parker Lloyd Adams	27	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Louisiana		[1]
26		Louis Capone	47	40	7		White	New York		[23]
27		Emanuel Weiss	37	30
28		Louis Buchalter	47	39	8
29	March 6, 1944	Anthony Wilson	30	28	2		Black	Louisiana		[24]
30		Harvey Cunningham	39	37				Oregon	Gas chamber	[25]
31	March 7, 1944	Marvin Lewis Lee	22	Unknown	Unknown			Georgia	Electrocution	[1]
32	March 10, 1944	Ernest L. Hoefgen	32	31	1		White	Kansas	Hanging	[26]
33		Willie Johnson	37	36			Black	Ohio	Electrocution	[27]
34	March 15, 1944	Paul Leroy Williams	25	23	2		White	Illinois		[28]
35	March 17, 1944	Rock Hooten	24	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Georgia		[1]
36	March 20, 1944	Michael Musto	45	44	1		White	Pennsylvania		[29]
37	March 24, 1944	Lewis Mitchell	28	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Alabama		[30]
38		James Sidney Newsom Jr.	17	16	1			Mississippi		[31]
39	March 31, 1944	Martin Smith	20	Unknown	Unknown			Maryland	Hanging	[1]
40	April 7, 1944	Herbert Rozier	72	71	1			Georgia	Electrocution	[32]
41	April 15, 1944	Fred L. Brady	47	46			White	Kansas	Hanging	[33]
42		Clark B. Knox	26	25			Black
43	April 16, 1944	Bruce Elton Jordan	25	24			White	Texas	Electrocution	[1]
44	April 28, 1944	Oscar Reed	26	25			Black	Georgia
45		Robert Walker		23	3
46		James Crosby	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown			Mississippi
47	May 2, 1944	Juan Gutierrez	40	Unknown	Unknown		Hispanic	Texas
48	May 3, 1944	Carlo James DeCaro Jr.	19	19	0		White	Connecticut		[34]
49	May 5, 1944	Lawrence Pascal Phillips Sr.	44	42	2			Mississippi		[35]
50	May 12, 1944	Daniel Kolez	53	51				California	Gas chamber	[36]
51		Sammy Joe Timmons	20	Unknown	Unknown		Black	South Carolina	Electrocution	[37]
52	May 19, 1944	James Samuel Hughes	Unknown	Unknown	1		White	Mississippi		[1]
53		Mildred Louise Johnson	23	22		Female	Black			[38]
54	May 25, 1944	Grady Ellison	36	34	2	Male		Georgia		[1]
55		John Ranford	41	40	1			New York		[39]
56	May 26, 1944	Howard Robinson Walker	27	Unknown	Unknown			Virginia		[40]
57	June 2, 1944	Seke Mack	40	Unknown	Unknown			Arkansas		[1]
58	June 3, 1944	Louis Parisi	24	22	2		White	New York
59	June 16, 1944	William Shaw	35	34	1		Black	California	Gas chamber	[41]
60		John Hinton	25	25	0			Maryland	Hanging	[42]
61		Allen Lambus	72	71	1			Missouri	Gas chamber	[43]
62		George Junius Stinney Jr.	14	14	0			South Carolina	Electrocution	[44]
63		George Bruce Hamilton	21	Unknown	Unknown
64		Thomas William Clatterbuck	34	33	1		White	Virginia		[45]
65	June 19, 1944	Austin Cox Jr.	38	38	0			Utah	Firing squad	[46]
66	June 23, 1944	Gordon Cooke	21	19	2		Black	New York	Electrocution	[47]
67		Winston A. Sealy	22	20
68	June 26, 1944	Edgar Flowers	21	19				Florida		[1]
69	June 29, 1944	Alex Bellomo	25	23			White	New York		[48]
70		Peter DeLutro	23	21
71		Frank DiMaria
72	June 30, 1944	Raymond Plunkett	30	29	1			Nevada	Gas chamber	[49]
73	July 7, 1944	Walker Hudson	53	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Arkansas	Electrocution	[1]
74	July 9, 1944	Bennie Johnson	41	40	1			Texas		[50]
75		David Williams	19	17	2
76	July 14, 1944	James Tacker	61	Unknown	Unknown		White	Arkansas		[1]
77	July 28, 1944	William B. Stroup	39	38	1			Georgia		[51]
78	July 30, 1944	Clay Whittle	37	36				Texas		[52]
79	August 10, 1944	Eddie Dillon	35	34			Black	Mississippi		[1]
80	August 18, 1944	Florencio Alcalde	31	29	2		Hispanic	California	Gas chamber	[53]
81	August 19, 1944	Edward Thompson	25	23			White	Florida	Electrocution	[54]
82		Earl Thompson	33	31
83	August 27, 1944	George Johnson	30	Unknown	Unknown		Black	Texas		[1]
84		Willie Johnson	38	36	2
85	August 31, 1944	York Hing Lew	19	18	1		Asian	New York		[55]
86		Tieh Li Yun	24	23
87	September 8, 1944	Persia Williams	38	38	0		Black	Washington	Hanging	[56]
88	September 15, 1944	Alvin Krause	29	28	1		White	Illinois	Electrocution	[57]
89	September 25, 1944	George Nelson Gatling	37	37	0		Black	Pennsylvania		[1]
90	September 26, 1944	Harry Ralph Bever	28	26	2		White	U.S. military	Hanging	[58]
91	September 29, 1944	Floyd Burton Loveless	17	15	2		White	Nevada	Gas chamber	[59]
92	October 9, 1944	James Davis	16	16	0		Black	Florida	Electrocution	[60]
93		Freddie Lee Lane	20	20
94		James C. Williams	26	26
95	October 19, 1944	James Thomas	20	18	2			Missouri	Gas chamber	[61]
96	November 3, 1944	Joe Vernon	38	31	7			Alabama	Electrocution	[1]
97		Charles Ivan Baa	22	20	2			California	Gas chamber	[62]
98		James Taylor	48	Unknown	Unknown			North Carolina		[1]
99		Hurley Jones	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown			South Carolina	Electrocution
100	November 16, 1944	Helen Fowler	37	36	1	Female		New York		[63]
101		George Franklin Knight	27	26		Male
102	November 17, 1944	Calvin William Watkins Jr.	24	24	0			Maryland	Hanging	[64]
103		Charles Alexander		Unknown	Unknown			North Carolina	Gas chamber	[1]
104		Cleveland Brown Jr.	27	26	1			Wyoming		[65]
105	November 24, 1944	George Walter Brooks	20	20	0			North Carolina		[66]
106		James W. Buchanan	19	19						[67]
107	November 27, 1944	Thomas Hays Elliott	25	23	2			Pennsylvania	Electrocution	[68]
108	December 1, 1944	Levi Clingham	41	41	0			Arkansas		[1]
109		John William Kehoe	50	46	4		White	Mississippi		[69]
110	December 8, 1944	Richard Harry Layton	36	35	1			Oregon	Gas chamber	[70]
111		Edward Heberling	32	32	0			Washington	Hanging	[71]
112	December 18, 1944	Charles B. Williams	26	26	0		Black	U.S. military		[72]
113	December 19, 1944	Joe Basil Stephens	37	36	1		White	Texas	Electrocution	[73]
114	December 22, 1944	Henry Lee Wiley	23	22			Black	Mississippi		[74]
115	December 28, 1944	Tom Mix	45	43	2			Florida		[75]
116	December 29, 1944	Stanley Morris Kaster	36	35	1		White	Iowa	Hanging	[76]
117		Joseph Marion Leemon	19	18				Mississippi	Electrocution	[77]
118		Maurice M. Shimniok
119		Bessie Mae Williams		19	0	Female	Black	North Carolina	Gas chamber	[78]
120		Ralph Thompson	18	18		Male
120		Melvin Wade	24	Unknown	Unknown
121	December 31, 1944	Allen Murray	32	30	2			Texas	Electrocution	[1]

Demographics

Gender
Male	119	98%
Female	3	2%
Ethnicity
Black	70	57%
White	46	38%
Asian	4	3%
Hispanic	2	2%
State
New York	20	16%
Mississippi	12	10%
Georgia	10	8%
North Carolina	10	8%
Texas	9	7%
California	7	6%
Florida	7	6%
Arkansas	4	3%
Maryland	4	3%
South Carolina	4	3%
Kansas	3	2%
Louisiana	3	2%
Pennsylvania	3	2%
Virginia	3	2%
Alabama	2	2%
Illinois	2	2%
Missouri	2	2%
Nevada	2	2%
New Jersey	2	2%
Ohio	2	2%
Oregon	2	2%
U.S. military	2	2%
Washington	2	2%
Connecticut	1	1%
Hawaii Territory	1	1%
Iowa	1	1%
Utah	1	1%
Wyoming	1	1%
Method
Electrocution	84	69%
Gas chamber	24	20%
Hanging	13	11%
Firing squad	1	1%
Month
January	11	9%
February	10	8%
March	18	15%
April	7	6%
May	10	8%
June	16	13%
July	6	5%
August	8	7%
September	5	4%
October	4	3%
November	12	10%
December	15	12%
Age
Unknown	3	2%
10–19	15	12%
20–29	47	39%
30–39	37	30%
40–49	14	11%
50–59	3	2%
60–69	1	1%
70–79	2	2%
Total	122	100%

Executions in recent years

Number of executions
1945	129
1944	122
1943	138
Total	389

References

1. "Executions in the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File" (PDF). Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved September 1, 2025.
2. "Hawaii". Death Penalty Information Center . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
3. "DEAD MEN WALKING: MURDER INC. TRIO ELECTROCUTED AT SING SING PRISON EIGHTY YEARS AGO". The Mob Museum. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
4. "It took 10 minutes to convict 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. It took 70 years after his execution to exonerate him". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
5. "Murderer Executed". The Daily Times. January 7, 1944. p. 5.
6. "Domingo Will Hang Today". Honolulu Star-Advertiser via newspapers.com. January 7, 1944. p. 5.
7. "Sheriff Witness at Negro's Trial in Butler's Death". Weekly Town Talk via newspapers.com. February 6, 1943. p. 7.
8. "17-Year-Old Slayer Dies in Electric Chair". Youngstown Vindicator. January 15, 1944. p. 1.
9. "News Flashes". San Jose Evening News. January 21, 1944. p. 5.
10. "Nassau Slayer Goes to Chair". The New York Times. January 21, 1944.
11. "Duo Killer is Executed". San Jose Evening News. January 28, 1944. p. 17.
12. "Gas Chamber To Be Used for Execution". The Mount Airy News. January 28, 1944. p. 1.
13. "Claude Newman, MS, 1944 February 4". M. E. Grenander Special Collections and Archives.
14. "Mississippi Negro Dies for Murder". The Evening Independent. February 9, 1944. p. 9.
15. "Dies in Chair After 4 Reprieves". The New York Times. February 11, 1944.
16. "19-Year-Old is Executed". San Jose Evening News. February 15, 1944. p. 4.
17. "Negro Electrocuted For Girl's Murder". Gettysburg Times. February 16, 1944. p. 2.
18. "State v. Farrell". vLex.
19. "Meister Killer Is Hanged". The Evening Sun via newspapers.com. February 25, 1944. p. 32.
20. "Man in 1942 Slaying Executed in Raleigh". Baltimore Afro-American. March 4, 1944. p. 4.
21. "Die as Scheduled". The Telegraph-Herald. March 3, 1944. p. 1.
22. "Woodall Says He Remembers Nothing Of Slayings: State To Press For Prompt Trial". The Bee via newspapers.com. September 2, 1943. p. 1.
23. "'Murder, Inc.' Boss, Lepke, is Dead; Berlin Hit in All-American Raid". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 5, 1944. p. 1.
24. "Negro Electrocuted for Attack on White Woman". Sun Herald via newspapers.com. March 8, 1944. p. 4.
25. "Negro is Executed in Oregon Chamber". The Spokesman-Review. March 7, 1944. p. 1.
26. "Hoefgen is Hanged for Brutal Killing of Young Wichitan". The Wichita Eagle via newspapers.com. March 10, 1944. p. 14.
27. "Slayer Dies In Chair". Painesville Telegraph. March 11, 1944. p. 1.
28. "Slayer is Electrocuted". San Jose Evening News. March 15, 1944. p. 7.
29. "Altoona Man Dies For Killing Wife". The Pittsburgh Press. March 20, 1944. p. 19.
30. "Death Sentence Affirmed". Times Daily. January 20, 1944. p. 2.
31. "Alcorn Negro Dies In Electric Chair". Clarion-Ledger via newspapers.com. March 25, 1944. p. 8.
32. "Rozier v. State". vLex.
33. "To Gallows With Smile". St. Joseph News-Press. April 15, 1944. p. 6.
34. "Conn. Murderer Waits Electric Chair". The Telegraph. May 3, 1944. p. 6.
35. "Slayer of Recluse Is Put to Death". The Evening Independent. May 5, 1944. p. 16.
36. "Convicted Murderer Executed at Prison". Berkeley Daily Gazette. May 12, 1944. p. 4.
37. "Negro Executed at S. C. Prison". Herald-Journal. May 13, 1944. p. 2.
38. "Johnson v. State". vLex.
39. "SLAYER PUT TO DEATH; Manhasset Hold-Up Man Dies in Sing Sing -- Another Gets Stay". The New York Times. May 26, 1944.
40. "Howard Walker Dies in Chair". The Afro American. June 10, 1944. p. 6.
41. "People v. Shaw". Stanford Law School.
42. "N.C. Man Dies on Maryland Gallows". Baltimore Afro-American. June 17, 1944. p. 7.
43. "Allen Lambus Pays Penalty". The Southeast Missourian. June 16, 1944. p. 1.
44. "14 And 21-Year Negroes Executed". The Newberry Observer. June 16, 1944. p. 13.
45. "Clatterbuck Dies in Electric Chair". The Free-Lance Star. June 16, 1944. p. 2.
46. "Mass Killer Is Executed". The Windsor Daily Star. June 19, 1944. p. 10.
47. "2 YOUTHS GO TO CHAIR; Sealy and Cooke Die at Sing Sing as Two Others Get Stays". The New York Times. June 23, 1944.
48. "Gunmen Executed". The Leader-Post. June 30, 1944. p. 13.
49. "Slayer of Son Executed". The Spokesman-Review. July 1, 1944. p. 13.
50. "Double Execution of Texas Negroes". Spokane Daily Chronicle. July 10, 1944. p. 9.
51. "Double Execution of Texas Negroes". St. Petersburg Times. July 29, 1944. p. 2.
52. "Prison Slayer Is Refused Clemency". The Victoria Advocate. July 30, 1944. p. 5.
53. "Alcalde's 'Revelation' Is Doubted". San Jose Evening News. August 18, 1944. p. 31.
54. "Jax Brothers Die In Raiford's Chair". The Evening Independent. August 19, 1944. p. 1.
55. "TWO CHINESE DIE IN CHAIR; They Pay Penalty for Murder of Girl Here in 1943". The New York Times. September 1, 1944.
56. "Negro Executed At Walla Walla". Lewiston Morning Tribune. September 8, 1944. p. 4.
57. "Slayer Spurns Chance To Live, Dies In Chair". The Deseret News. September 15, 1944. p. 2.
58. "Article clipped from The Cincinnati Enquirer". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 27, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
59. "Execute Loveless for 1942 Killing". Spokane Daily Chronicle. September 30, 1944. p. 11.
60. "Three Executed in Florida for Attack, Shooting". McComb Daily Journal via newspapers.com. October 11, 1944. p. 6.
61. "Negro Executed In Gas Chamber". The Windsor Daily Star. October 20, 1944. p. 7.
62. "Charles Baa Pays Supreme Penalty". Oxnard Press-Courier. November 3, 1944. p. 1.
63. "WOMAN GOES TO CHAIR; She is First of Sex in 8 Years to Pay Death Penalty at Sing Sing". The New York Times. November 17, 1944.
64. "Calvin Watkins Dies on Gallows". Baltimore Afro-American. November 18, 1944. p. 1.
65. "State v. Brown". vLex.
66. "State v. Brooks". CaseMine.
67. "State v. Buchanan". CaseMine.
68. "Slayer Executed". Greensburg Daily Tribune. November 27, 1944. p. 14.
69. "Farmer Dies in Electric Chair for Slaying Salesman". Sun Herald via newspapers.com. December 1, 1944. p. 8.
70. "Richard Layton Executed For Girl-Slaying". Eugene Register-Guard. December 8, 1944. p. 1.
71. "Slayer of Child Dies on Scaffold". St. Petersburg Times. December 9, 1944. p. 7.
72. Wilson, R. Michael (June 8, 2022). Legal Executions by the United States Military: A Complete Record, 1942-1961. McFarland. pp. 198–201. ISBN   978-1-4766-8882-4.
73. "Slayer of Deputy Dies In Chair". The Bonham Daily Favorite. December 20, 1944. p. 1.
74. "Wiley v. State". CaseMine.
75. "Florida News Briefs". St. Petersburg Times. December 29, 1944. p. 4.
76. "Draft Objector Is Hanged For Murder". San Jose News. December 29, 1944. p. 43.
77. "Two Sailors Executed For Slaying Ex-Sheriff". The Pittsburgh Press. December 29, 1944. p. 5.
78. "Three Negroes Die In State's Gas Chamber". The Herald-Sun via newspapers.com. December 30, 1944. p. 3.

Preceded by 1943

List of people executed       in the United States in    1944

Succeeded by 1945