Robert Alton Harris
Encyclopedia
Robert Alton Harris was an American
career criminal
and murder
er who was executed in San Quentin
's gas chamber
in 1992. This marked the first execution in the state of California
since 1967. Harris had killed two teenage boys in 1978. Harris' execution is specifically remembered for his peculiar choice of final words (recorded by Warden Daniel Vasquez): "You can be a king or a street sweeper
, but everybody dances with the grim reaper." This was a reference to the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
, released in 1991.
Armed with a 9mm Luger automatic pistol, Robert Harris commandeered Mayeski's car and ordered him to drive to a wooded area near Miramar Lake. He promised them no one would be hurt.
After killing the two boys, according to testimony, the Harris brothers drove to a girlfriend's apartment, where Robert Harris allegedly finished the rest of the murdered boys' half-eaten hamburgers and flicked bits of gore from his pistol barrel. He laughed and bragged about how he had killed them and giggled at what it would be like to be a police officer telling the victims' families that the boys had been murdered.
About an hour later, wearing maroon ski masks over their faces, the Harris brothers held up the crowded Mira Mesa branch of the San Diego Trust and Savings Bank and fled with about $3,000.
By coincidence, one of the San Diego police officers to arrest the Harris brothers a few hours later was undercover officer Steven Baker, father of the boy who was shot point blank.
Later, after he was arrested, Robert Harris boasted to a cellmate that he told the terrified Baker boy to "quit crying and die like a man." When the boy started to pray, Harris said, "God
can't help you now, boy; you're going to die."
The San Diego District Attorney's Office filed felony charges of auto theft, kidnapping, murder and burglary against Robert Harris, while the U.S. Attorney's Office filed bank robbery charges against him.
On March 6, 1979, the elder Harris was convicted in the San Diego County
Superior Court of two counts of murder in the first degree with special circumstances, and of kidnapping
.
His younger brother, Daniel, was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to six years in state prison. He was released in 1983.
for clemency to California governor Pete Wilson
was rejected in a live television news conference, where Wilson read a statement acknowledging Harris' abusive childhood but ended with a clear rejection of the clemency request, saying, "As great as is my compassion for Robert Harris the child, I cannot excuse or forgive the choice made by Robert Harris the man."
Wilson then left without waiting for reporters' questions.
In 1990, federal appeals court judge John T. Noonan, Jr.
issued a stay
on the execution, as Harris argued that childhood brain damage interfered with his judgments during his crimes.
Robert Alton Harris was executed on April 21, 1992, in the gas chamber
at San Quentin State Prison -- the first execution in California in 25 years. For his last meal
, he requested and was given a 21-piece bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, two large Domino's pizzas, a bag of jelly beans, a six-pack of Pepsi
, and a pack of Camel cigarettes. At 6:01 a.m., Harris was escorted into the gas chamber.
The execution order was given at 6:07 a.m., and Harris was pronounced dead at 6:21 a.m. The body was removed from the chamber at 7:00 a.m. and left the grounds at 8:15 a.m.
Harris' execution was originally scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on the morning of April 21, but a series of four stays issued by individual federal judges delayed the execution until just after 6 a.m. In its order vacating the fourth stay of execution, the U.S. Supreme Court
stated, "No further stays of Robert Alton Harris's execution shall be entered by the Federal courts except upon order of this Court."
for petty larceny
, auto theft and escape . In 1975 he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter
and was parole
d three years later.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
career criminal
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
and 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...
er who was executed in San Quentin
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...
's gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
in 1992. This marked the first execution in the state of 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...
since 1967. Harris had killed two teenage boys in 1978. Harris' execution is specifically remembered for his peculiar choice of final words (recorded by Warden Daniel Vasquez): "You can be a king or a street sweeper
Street sweeper
A street sweeper or street cleaner can refer to a person's occupation or a machine that cleans streets, usually in an urban area.-History of street sweeping in the United States:...
, but everybody dances with the grim reaper." This was a reference to the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the directing debut of Peter Hewitt. It is the second film in the Bill & Ted franchise, and a sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure . Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin reprise their respective roles...
, released in 1991.
Crime
On July 5, 1978, Harris and his 18-year-old brother, Daniel, decided to steal a getaway car for a holdup they were planning at a branch of the San Diego Trust and Savings Bank. By chance they came upon John Mayeski, 16, and Michael Baker, 16, both high school sophomores, sitting in a green Ford LTD in a parking lot eating Jack in the Box hamburgers.Armed with a 9mm Luger automatic pistol, Robert Harris commandeered Mayeski's car and ordered him to drive to a wooded area near Miramar Lake. He promised them no one would be hurt.
After killing the two boys, according to testimony, the Harris brothers drove to a girlfriend's apartment, where Robert Harris allegedly finished the rest of the murdered boys' half-eaten hamburgers and flicked bits of gore from his pistol barrel. He laughed and bragged about how he had killed them and giggled at what it would be like to be a police officer telling the victims' families that the boys had been murdered.
About an hour later, wearing maroon ski masks over their faces, the Harris brothers held up the crowded Mira Mesa branch of the San Diego Trust and Savings Bank and fled with about $3,000.
By coincidence, one of the San Diego police officers to arrest the Harris brothers a few hours later was undercover officer Steven Baker, father of the boy who was shot point blank.
Later, after he was arrested, Robert Harris boasted to a cellmate that he told the terrified Baker boy to "quit crying and die like a man." When the boy started to pray, Harris said, "God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
can't help you now, boy; you're going to die."
The San Diego District Attorney's Office filed felony charges of auto theft, kidnapping, murder and burglary against Robert Harris, while the U.S. Attorney's Office filed bank robbery charges against him.
On March 6, 1979, the elder Harris was convicted in the San Diego County
San Diego County, California
San Diego County is a large county located in the southwestern corner of the US state of California. Hence, San Diego County is also located in the southwestern corner of the 48 contiguous United States. Its county seat and largest city is San Diego. Its population was about 2,813,835 in the 2000...
Superior Court of two counts of murder in the first degree with special circumstances, and of kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
.
His younger brother, Daniel, was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to six years in state prison. He was released in 1983.
Execution
An appealAppeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
for clemency to California governor Pete Wilson
Pete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
was rejected in a live television news conference, where Wilson read a statement acknowledging Harris' abusive childhood but ended with a clear rejection of the clemency request, saying, "As great as is my compassion for Robert Harris the child, I cannot excuse or forgive the choice made by Robert Harris the man."
Wilson then left without waiting for reporters' questions.
In 1990, federal appeals court judge John T. Noonan, Jr.
John T. Noonan, Jr.
John Thomas Noonan, Jr. is a Senior Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with chambers in San Francisco, California. He was appointed in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan.-Education and practice:...
issued a stay
Stay of execution
A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not necessarily mean the death penalty; it refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed....
on the execution, as Harris argued that childhood brain damage interfered with his judgments during his crimes.
Robert Alton Harris was executed on April 21, 1992, in the gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
at San Quentin State Prison -- the first execution in California in 25 years. For his last meal
Last meal
The last meal is a customary part of a condemned prisoner's last day. Often, the day of, or before, the appointed time of execution, the prisoner receives a last meal, as well as religious rites, if they desire. In the United States, inmates generally may not ask for an alcoholic drink...
, he requested and was given a 21-piece bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, two large Domino's pizzas, a bag of jelly beans, a six-pack of Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, and a pack of Camel cigarettes. At 6:01 a.m., Harris was escorted into the gas chamber.
The execution order was given at 6:07 a.m., and Harris was pronounced dead at 6:21 a.m. The body was removed from the chamber at 7:00 a.m. and left the grounds at 8:15 a.m.
Harris' execution was originally scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on the morning of April 21, but a series of four stays issued by individual federal judges delayed the execution until just after 6 a.m. In its order vacating the fourth stay of execution, the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
stated, "No further stays of Robert Alton Harris's execution shall be entered by the Federal courts except upon order of this Court."
Prior criminal history
Harris first came into contact with the police for killing neighborhood cats . Later, he served three years as a juvenile in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
for petty larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
, auto theft and escape . In 1975 he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and 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 three years later.
See also
- Capital punishment in CaliforniaCapital punishment in CaliforniaCapital punishment is a legal form of punishment in the U.S. state of California. The first recorded execution in the area that is now California took place on April 11, 1878 when four Native Americans were shot in San Diego County for conspiracy to commit murder. These were the first of 709...
- 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...
- The documentary film Procedure 769, Witness to an Execution features 11 people who were present at Harris's execution.
- Video footage of the crime and the conviction of Robert A Harris