Donald Beardslee
Encyclopedia
Donald Jay Beardslee was an American murderer executed by means of a lethal injection in San Quentin State Prison
, California
.
in 1943, Beardslee was the oldest of three children and his father died when he was 11. He was sent to a military school at age 15 and joined the U.S. Air Force at 19 where he served for four years as an aircraft mechanic. He and another airman were caught in 1965 while trying to steal a vehicle. He was sentenced to a work farm in Minnesota
where he was hit by a falling tree and suffered a head fracture and a days-long coma
.
He was married to Karen Kelly from 1966 to 1968.
, he choked, stabbed and drowned Laura Griffin, whom he had just met. They met in a bar, he went home with her and killed her. Beardslee turned himself in and confessed to the killing. He was convicted and served seven years before being released on parole
. No motive
was established nor did he offer any explanation.
Four years after leaving prison, he was arrested in California for the April 25, 1981 drug-related homicide of 19-year-old Patty Geddling and 23-year-old Stacie Benjamin in Redwood City, California
. Prosecutors claim that a drug deal between the friends of Beardslee's roommate had gone wrong. His roommate, Rickie Soria, lured the two to their apartment. The prosecutors noted that Beardslee sent Soria out to get duct tape
to bind the victims before they arrived. Beardslee and, according to the prosecution, Bill Forrester, both shot Geddling, and later Beardslee slashed Benjamin's throat after Cleo Frank Rutherford had tried to strangle her.
Beardslee's phone number was found near Geddling's body and when police called he confessed and led them to Benjamin's body. At the time of this offence, he was still on parole for the 1969 Missouri killing which made him eligible for the death penalty as a repeat offender. Rutherford was sentenced to life in prison and died there in 2003. Soria pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was still in prison in 2005. Bill Forrester was acquitted of charges in the case and charges against a fourth person were dropped before trial. Beardslee was convicted of first-degree murder
and sentenced to death.
The defense tried to appeal on the grounds of inadequate defense since the original lawyer quit the case, and on grounds of mental defect due to a head injury from a falling tree in the Minnesota work farm accident when he was 21. Prosecutors noted that he was of above average intelligence although family members testified he had life-long trouble expressing emotion and prison records indicate diagnoses of schizophrenia
.
He was executed on January 19, 2005. Beardslee was the first prisoner to be executed in California since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
took office. Schwarzenegger denied clemency to Beardslee, stating that "we are not dealing here with a man who is so generally affected by his impairment that he cannot tell the difference between right and wrong."
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...
, 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...
.
Early life
Born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1943, Beardslee was the oldest of three children and his father died when he was 11. He was sent to a military school at age 15 and joined the U.S. Air Force at 19 where he served for four years as an aircraft mechanic. He and another airman were caught in 1965 while trying to steal a vehicle. He was sentenced to a work farm in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
where he was hit by a falling tree and suffered a head fracture and a days-long coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
.
He was married to Karen Kelly from 1966 to 1968.
Criminal career
In 1969 in MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, he choked, stabbed and drowned Laura Griffin, whom he had just met. They met in a bar, he went home with her and killed her. Beardslee turned himself in and confessed to the killing. He was convicted and served seven years before being released on 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...
. No motive
Motive (law)
A motive, in law, especially criminal law, is the cause that moves people to induce a certain action. Motive, in itself, is not an element of any given crime; however, the legal system typically allows motive to be proven in order to make plausible the accused's reasons for committing a crime, at...
was established nor did he offer any explanation.
Four years after leaving prison, he was arrested in California for the April 25, 1981 drug-related homicide of 19-year-old Patty Geddling and 23-year-old Stacie Benjamin in Redwood City, California
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
. Prosecutors claim that a drug deal between the friends of Beardslee's roommate had gone wrong. His roommate, Rickie Soria, lured the two to their apartment. The prosecutors noted that Beardslee sent Soria out to get duct tape
Duct tape
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of and is generally silver or black...
to bind the victims before they arrived. Beardslee and, according to the prosecution, Bill Forrester, both shot Geddling, and later Beardslee slashed Benjamin's throat after Cleo Frank Rutherford had tried to strangle her.
Beardslee's phone number was found near Geddling's body and when police called he confessed and led them to Benjamin's body. At the time of this offence, he was still on parole for the 1969 Missouri killing which made him eligible for the death penalty as a repeat offender. Rutherford was sentenced to life in prison and died there in 2003. Soria pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was still in prison in 2005. Bill Forrester was acquitted of charges in the case and charges against a fourth person were dropped before trial. Beardslee was convicted of first-degree murder
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...
and sentenced to death.
The defense tried to appeal on the grounds of inadequate defense since the original lawyer quit the case, and on grounds of mental defect due to a head injury from a falling tree in the Minnesota work farm accident when he was 21. Prosecutors noted that he was of above average intelligence although family members testified he had life-long trouble expressing emotion and prison records indicate diagnoses of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
.
He was executed on January 19, 2005. Beardslee was the first prisoner to be executed in California since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
took office. Schwarzenegger denied clemency to Beardslee, stating that "we are not dealing here with a man who is so generally affected by his impairment that he cannot tell the difference between right and wrong."
External links
- Donald Beardslee. California Department of Corrections and RehabilitationCalifornia Department of Corrections and RehabilitationThe California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. CDC&R is the second largest law enforcement or police agency in the United States behind the New York City Police Department which employs approximately...
. Retrieved on 2007-11-12. - Beardslee Killed By State of California
- Detailed description of his life and crimes