Leroy Nash
Encyclopedia
Viva Leroy Nash was the oldest American on death row
at the time of his death in February 2010. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah
, Nash spent much of his life in and out of prison for crimes including transporting stolen vehicles, robbery, and attempted murder.
He was first imprisoned in 1930 at 15 years old for armed robbery.
In 1947 at 32 years old, he was sentenced to prison again, where he served 25 years, for shooting a Connecticut police officer.
In 1977 he was sentenced to life for having murdered postal carrier David J. Woodhurst, but escaped from a prison work crew in 1982 where soon after he went into a coin shop in Phoenix, Arizona
, and shot an employee dead.
He was sentenced to death in 1983.
His attorneys claimed that senility had rendered him not legally competent
to be executed, describing him as a "doddering old man, who can't hear, can't see, can't walk, and is very, very loony".
Nash died of natural causes
on February 12, 2010, at the age of 94. At the time of his death, he was the oldest American 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 time of his death in February 2010. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Nash spent much of his life in and out of prison for crimes including transporting stolen vehicles, robbery, and attempted murder.
He was first imprisoned in 1930 at 15 years old for armed robbery.
In 1947 at 32 years old, he was sentenced to prison again, where he served 25 years, for shooting a Connecticut police officer.
In 1977 he was sentenced to life for having murdered postal carrier David J. Woodhurst, but escaped from a prison work crew in 1982 where soon after he went into a coin shop in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, and shot an employee dead.
He was sentenced to death in 1983.
His attorneys claimed that senility had rendered him not legally competent
Competence (law)
In American law, competence concerns the mental capacity of an individual to participate in legal proceedings. Defendants that do not possess sufficient "competence" are usually excluded from criminal prosecution, while witnesses found not to possess requisite competence cannot testify...
to be executed, describing him as a "doddering old man, who can't hear, can't see, can't walk, and is very, very loony".
Nash died of natural causes
Death by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
on February 12, 2010, at the age of 94. At the time of his death, he was the oldest American on death row.