Billy Bailey
Encyclopedia
Billy Bailey was a convicted murder
er hanged in Delaware
in 1996. He became only the third person to be hanged in the United States since 1965 (the previous two were Charles Rodman Campbell and Westley Allan Dodd
, both in Washington) and the first hanged in Delaware in 50 years. He is currently the last person in the United States to be hanged as capital punishment
.
, but soon escaped. He later appeared at the home of his foster sister, Sue Ann Coker, in Cheswold, Delaware
, saying he was upset and was not going back to the Plummer House.
He and Charles Coker, his foster sister's husband, went on an errand in Coker's truck. Bailey asked Coker to stop at a liquor store
. Bailey entered the store and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. Emerging from the store with a pistol in one hand and a bottle in the other, Bailey told Coker that the police would be arriving and asked to be dropped at Lambertson's Corner, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.
At Lambertson's Corner, Bailey entered the farmhouse of Gilbert Lambertson, aged 80, and his wife, Clara Lambertson, aged 73. Bailey shot Gilbert Lambertson twice in the chest with a pistol and once in the head with the Lambertsons' shotgun. He also shot Clara Lambertson once in the shoulder with the pistol and once each in the abdomen and neck with the shotgun. Both Lambertsons died. Bailey arranged their bodies in chairs and then fled from the scene. He was spotted by a Delaware State Police
helicopter as he ran across the Lambertsons' field. He attempted to shoot the helicopter co-pilot with the pistol and was later arrested.
, he had the option of choosing that method. Bailey refused to accept lethal injection, telling a visitor "I'm not going to let them put me to sleep."
As Delaware had not carried out a hanging in 50 years, it sought advice from corrections officials at Washington State Penitentiary
in Walla Walla, Washington
, where hangings had recently been performed.
The wooden gallows
was built in the grounds of the Delaware Correctional Center at Smyrna
in 1986, as Bailey's execution date approached. The structure required renovation and strengthening before Bailey could be executed on it. The platform housing the trap door is 15 feet (4.6 m) from the ground and is accessed by 23 steps.
Delaware used an execution protocol written by Fred Leuchter
. This specifies the use of 30 feet (9.1 m) of 0.75 inches (19.1 mm) diameter Manila hemp rope, boiled to take out stretch and any tendency to coil. The area of the rope sliding inside the knot was lubricated with melted paraffin wax to allow it to slide freely. A black hood is specified by the protocol, as is a sandbag to test the trap door and a "collapse board" to which a prisoner can be strapped if necessary.
The day before, Bailey was weighed in at 220 lb (99.8 kg). and the drop was determined to be at around 5 feet (1.5 m).
Bailey was moved from his prison cell to a trailer close to the gallows in preparation for the execution. There he spent his last 24 hours sleeping, eating, watching television, talking with staff, and meeting with his fifty-three-year-old sister, Betty Odom; the prison chaplain; and his attorney.
For his last meal, he requested a well-done steak, a baked potato with sour cream and butter, buttered rolls, peas, and vanilla ice cream.
His final appeals having failed, Bailey was executed by the state of Delaware on January 25, 1996.
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er hanged in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
in 1996. He became only the third person to be hanged in the United States since 1965 (the previous two were Charles Rodman Campbell and Westley Allan Dodd
Westley Allan Dodd
Westley Allan Dodd was a convicted American serial killer and child molester. He has been called "one of the most evil killers in history." His execution on January 5, 1993, was the first legal hanging in the United States since 1965.- His childhood years :Westley Allan Dodd was born in Richland,...
, both in Washington) and the first hanged in Delaware in 50 years. He is currently the last person in the United States to be hanged as capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
.
The crime
In 1979, Bailey was assigned to the Plummer House, a work release facility in Wilmington, DelawareWilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, but soon escaped. He later appeared at the home of his foster sister, Sue Ann Coker, in Cheswold, Delaware
Cheswold, Delaware
Cheswold is a town in Kent County in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,380 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Cheswold is located at ....
, saying he was upset and was not going back to the Plummer House.
He and Charles Coker, his foster sister's husband, went on an errand in Coker's truck. Bailey asked Coker to stop at a liquor store
Liquor store
In the United States, Australia and Canada, a liquor store is a type of store that specializes in the sale of alcoholic beverages. In South Africa and Namibia these stores are generally called bottle stores....
. Bailey entered the store and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. Emerging from the store with a pistol in one hand and a bottle in the other, Bailey told Coker that the police would be arriving and asked to be dropped at Lambertson's Corner, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.
At Lambertson's Corner, Bailey entered the farmhouse of Gilbert Lambertson, aged 80, and his wife, Clara Lambertson, aged 73. Bailey shot Gilbert Lambertson twice in the chest with a pistol and once in the head with the Lambertsons' shotgun. He also shot Clara Lambertson once in the shoulder with the pistol and once each in the abdomen and neck with the shotgun. Both Lambertsons died. Bailey arranged their bodies in chairs and then fled from the scene. He was spotted by a Delaware State Police
Delaware State Police
The Delaware State Police is a division of the Delaware Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security and is responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Delaware, especially in areas underserved by local police departments...
helicopter as he ran across the Lambertsons' field. He attempted to shoot the helicopter co-pilot with the pistol and was later arrested.
Conviction
Bailey was found guilty of the murders in 1980. After his conviction the jury held that the crimes "were outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible, or inhuman" and recommended the death penalty. Bailey was sentenced to be hanged by his neck until he was dead.Preparations
Although Bailey had been sentenced to hang, because the method of execution in Delaware had been changed to lethal injectionLethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
, he had the option of choosing that method. Bailey refused to accept lethal injection, telling a visitor "I'm not going to let them put me to sleep."
As Delaware had not carried out a hanging in 50 years, it sought advice from corrections officials at Washington State Penitentiary
Washington State Penitentiary
Washington State Penitentiary is a Washington State Department of Corrections men's prison located in Walla Walla, Washington...
in Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
, where hangings had recently been performed.
The wooden gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
was built in the grounds of the Delaware Correctional Center at Smyrna
Smyrna, Delaware
Smyrna is a town in Kent and New Castle counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1986, as Bailey's execution date approached. The structure required renovation and strengthening before Bailey could be executed on it. The platform housing the trap door is 15 feet (4.6 m) from the ground and is accessed by 23 steps.
Delaware used an execution protocol written by Fred Leuchter
Fred A. Leuchter
Frederick A. Leuchter, Jr. is an American Federal Court qualified expert in execution technology and author of forensic Holocaust denial material. He claims to have improved the design of instruments for capital punishment and had execution equipment contracts with several states...
. This specifies the use of 30 feet (9.1 m) of 0.75 inches (19.1 mm) diameter Manila hemp rope, boiled to take out stretch and any tendency to coil. The area of the rope sliding inside the knot was lubricated with melted paraffin wax to allow it to slide freely. A black hood is specified by the protocol, as is a sandbag to test the trap door and a "collapse board" to which a prisoner can be strapped if necessary.
The day before, Bailey was weighed in at 220 lb (99.8 kg). and the drop was determined to be at around 5 feet (1.5 m).
Bailey was moved from his prison cell to a trailer close to the gallows in preparation for the execution. There he spent his last 24 hours sleeping, eating, watching television, talking with staff, and meeting with his fifty-three-year-old sister, Betty Odom; the prison chaplain; and his attorney.
For his last meal, he requested a well-done steak, a baked potato with sour cream and butter, buttered rolls, peas, and vanilla ice cream.
His final appeals having failed, Bailey was executed by the state of Delaware on January 25, 1996.