Billy Ray Hamilton
Encyclopedia
Billy Ray Hamilton (died October 22, 2007) was an American convicted murder
er who conspired
with Clarence Ray Allen
to murder eight witness
es to a crime committed by Allen in 1974. Hamilton met Allen in Folsom Prison in 1979. Allen befriended Hamilton and allegedly offered to pay him $25,000 to carry out the murders. At Folsom Prison, Allen used to refer to Hamilton as his "good dog", though at the time of Allen's trial, he claimed to only have met Hamilton three or four times.
After Hamilton was parole
d from Folsom Prison, Kenneth Allen, one of Allen's sons supplied Hamilton with $100. Hamilton and his girlfriend Connie Barbo went to Fran’s Market in Fresno
, California
where one of the witnesses, Bryon Schletewitz worked. On September 5, 1980, Hamilton murdered Schletewitz and fellow employees Josephine Rocha, 17, and Douglas White, 18, with a sawn-off shotgun
and wounded two other people, Joe Rios and Jack Abbott. Hamilton shot Schletewitz at near point-blank range in the forehead and murdered Rocha and White after forcing them to lay on the ground within the store. A neighbor, Jack Abbott, who heard the shotgun blasts came to investigate and was shot by Hamilton. Abbott returned fire and wounded Hamilton, who escaped from the scene.
Five days after the events at Fran's Market, Hamilton was arrest
ed shortly after robbing
a liquor store
in Modesto
, California. Hamilton carried a list with the names and addresses of the witnesses who testified
against Allen at the Kitts trial, including the name of Schletewitz. Hamilton was tried in Contra Costa County
, California. The jury convicted Hamilton of three counts of murder, one count of attempted robbery and two counts of assault
with a deadly weapon
. As special circumstances making Hamilton eligible for the death penalty, the jury found that Hamilton had committed murder-robbery, and multiple murders predicated on the killing of other victims. The jury returned a unanimous verdict of death, and the Contra Costa County Superior Court sentenced Hamilton on March 2, 1981.
Hamilton was on death row
at the San Quentin State Prison
in California where he died of natural causes on October 22, 2007 at the age of 57.
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 who conspired
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
with Clarence Ray Allen
Clarence Ray Allen
Clarence Ray Allen was an American murderer who was executed by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison in California for the murders of three people. At age 76 in 2006, he became the second-oldest inmate to be executed in the United States since 1976, after John B. Nixon of Mississippi who...
to murder eight witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
es to a crime committed by Allen in 1974. Hamilton met Allen in Folsom Prison in 1979. Allen befriended Hamilton and allegedly offered to pay him $25,000 to carry out the murders. At Folsom Prison, Allen used to refer to Hamilton as his "good dog", though at the time of Allen's trial, he claimed to only have met Hamilton three or four times.
After Hamilton was parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d from Folsom Prison, Kenneth Allen, one of Allen's sons supplied Hamilton with $100. Hamilton and his girlfriend Connie Barbo went to Fran’s Market in Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where one of the witnesses, Bryon Schletewitz worked. On September 5, 1980, Hamilton murdered Schletewitz and fellow employees Josephine Rocha, 17, and Douglas White, 18, with a sawn-off shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
and wounded two other people, Joe Rios and Jack Abbott. Hamilton shot Schletewitz at near point-blank range in the forehead and murdered Rocha and White after forcing them to lay on the ground within the store. A neighbor, Jack Abbott, who heard the shotgun blasts came to investigate and was shot by Hamilton. Abbott returned fire and wounded Hamilton, who escaped from the scene.
Five days after the events at Fran's Market, Hamilton was arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
ed shortly after robbing
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
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....
in Modesto
Modesto, California
Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
, California. Hamilton carried a list with the names and addresses of the witnesses who testified
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
against Allen at the Kitts trial, including the name of Schletewitz. Hamilton was tried in Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
, California. The jury convicted Hamilton of three counts of murder, one count of attempted robbery and two counts of assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
with a deadly weapon
Deadly weapon
A deadly weapon, sometimes dangerous weapon, is a statutory definition listing certain items which can inflict mortal or great bodily harm. In addition, deadly weapon statutes often contain "catch all" provisions which describe abilities used to designate other implements as deadly weapons.Whether...
. As special circumstances making Hamilton eligible for the death penalty, the jury found that Hamilton had committed murder-robbery, and multiple murders predicated on the killing of other victims. The jury returned a unanimous verdict of death, and the Contra Costa County Superior Court sentenced Hamilton on March 2, 1981.
Hamilton was on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
at the San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
in California where he died of natural causes on October 22, 2007 at the age of 57.
External links
- People v. Hamilton (1988) Record of events from automatic review
- Clarence Allen from The Malefactor's Register
- Death notice