Keith Zettlemoyer
Encyclopedia
Keith Zettlemoyer was convicted of the October 1980 murder of Charles DeVetsco, a friend who was planning to testify against him in a robbery trial. He was executed in 1995 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
by lethal injection
at the age of 39. He became the first person to be executed by Pennsylvania since 1976 when the death penalty
was reinstated. His last meal was 2 cheeseburgers, French fries, chocolate milk, chocolate pudding.
In court proceedings, Zettlemoyer looked forward to his execution, calling it "a blessed, merciful release from all of these health symptoms that I'm constantly suffering with." He attributed his acceptance of his sentence to the fact that he was a practicing Christian.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
by lethal injection
Lethal 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...
at the age of 39. He became the first person to be executed by Pennsylvania since 1976 when the death penalty
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...
was reinstated. His last meal was 2 cheeseburgers, French fries, chocolate milk, chocolate pudding.
In court proceedings, Zettlemoyer looked forward to his execution, calling it "a blessed, merciful release from all of these health symptoms that I'm constantly suffering with." He attributed his acceptance of his sentence to the fact that he was a practicing Christian.
See also
- List of individuals executed in Pennsylvania
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
Sources
- Pennsylvania Execution First Since '62. The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
(1995-05-03). Retrieved on 2007-11-18. - U.S. Executions Since 1976. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
- Roddy, Dennis B. Secrecy Governs Execution Process. Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-GazetteThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
(1995-04-23). Retrieved on 2007-11-18. - Roddy, Dennis B. Natural born killers. Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-GazetteThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
(1999-07-03). Retrieved on 2007-11-18. - http://vls.law.vill.edu/locator/3d/May1995/95a1034p.txt