Jimmy Lee Gray

Jimmy Lee Gray

Jimmy Lee Gray (1949 – September 2, 1983) was convicted for the murder of three-year-old Deressa Jean Seales in 1976, after kidnapping and sodomizing her. At the time of this murder, he was free on parole following a conviction in Arizona for the murder of a 16-year-old girl.

He was executed in 1983 by the State of Mississippi by gas chamber. He became the first person to be executed in Mississippi since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated.

Dan Lohwasser, a reporter for United Press International, was one of the observers who witnessed Gray's execution. Lohwasser's account of Gray's death sparked a controversy, because of its graphic nature. At the time of Gray's execution, the gas chamber used in Mississippi had a vertical iron bar directly behind the inmate's chair. There was no headrest or strap used to restrain Gray's head. As Gray began breathing in the toxic gas, he started thrashing his head around, striking the iron bar repeatedly before he finally lost consciousness. Officials decided to clear the observation room eight minutes after the gas was released, due to the graphic scene. The decision to clear the room was sharply criticized by Dennis Balske, Gray's attorney. "Jimmy Lee Gray died banging his head against a steel pole in the gas chamber while reporters counted his moans (eleven, according to the Associated Press)". It was ultimately revealed that the executioner was drunk during the procedure.

See also

* List of individuals executed in Mississippi
* Capital punishment in the United States

Sources

* [http://www.mdoc.state.ms.us/mississippi_and_the_death_penalt.htm Mississippi and the Death Penalty] . "Mississippi Department of Corrections". Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
* [http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/usexecute.htm U.S. Executions Since 1976] . "The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney". Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEED61739F934A35754C0A965948260 Stay Of Execution Is Continued] . "The New York Times" (1983-07-07). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30B17FE395C0C718CDDA00894DB484D81 Killer Of 3-Year-Old Mississippi Girl Executed After Justices Reject Plea] . "The New York Times" (1983-09-02). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
* Lee, Robert W. [http://www.thenewamerican.com/node/136 Cruel and Unusual Leniency] . "The New American" (1990-08-13). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
* Radelet, Michael L. [http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=8&did=478 Some Examples of Post-Furman Botched Executions] . "Death Penalty Information Center" (2007-05-24). Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
* "Gray v. Lucas", ussc|463|1237|1983. Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
* [http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=8&did=478#4] . "Some Examples of Post-Furman Botched Executions."
* Cabana, Donald. "Death at Midnight: The Confession of an Executioner. (Northeastern University Press, 1996), p. 7-8.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lee (Name) — Lee ist ein häufiger in englischsprachigen Ländern sowie in Südkorea und anderen asiatischen Staaten verbreiteter Familienname, seltener auch ein Vorname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Bei dem Namen Lee handelt es sich um eine historisch bedingte… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • James Gray — James or Jim Gray may refer to: * Sir James Gray, 1st Baronet (1667–1722), armiger and merchant Burgess of Edinburgh * Sir James Gray, 2nd Baronet (c.1708–1773), diplomat and antiquary * The male pseudonym of Hannah Snell (1723–1792) * James… …   Wikipedia

  • Jimmy Settle — Pas d image ? Cliquez ici. Biographie Nom James Se …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jimmy Glazzard — Pas d image ? Cliquez ici. Biographie Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink — (ou Jerrel Hasselbaink), né le 27 mars 1972 à Paramaribo (Surinam), est un ancien footballeur néerlandais qui évoluait au poste d attaquant. International néerlandais. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Carrière 3 Palma …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jimmy Armfield — James Christopher redirects here. For the former guitarist of Puddle of Mudd and current guitarist of alternative rock band Against All Will, see James Christopher Allen. Jimmy Armfield Personal information Full name James Christopher Armfield,… …   Wikipedia

  • Jimmy Carter — Infobox President name = James Earl Carter Jr. order = 39th President of the United States term start = January 20, 1977 term end = January 20, 1981 predecessor = Gerald Ford successor = Ronald Reagan order2 = 89th Governor of Georgia term start2 …   Wikipedia

  • Jimmy Jacobs — For the handball player and boxing manager, see Jimmy Jacobs (handballer) Jimmy Jacobs Jacobs posing for a photo in October 2009 Ring name(s) The Barbaric Berzerker[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Jimmy Greaves — James Peter Greaves, dit Jimmy Greaves, est un ancien footballeur anglais né le 20 février 1940 à Londres. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Carrière 3 Palmarès …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Jimmy McNulty — For other people of the same name, see James McNulty (disambiguation). James McNulty First appearance The Target (episode 1.01) Last appearance …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”