Thomas J. Grasso
Encyclopedia
Thomas J. Grasso was a 34-year-old white male executed by lethal injection
at Oklahoma State Penitentiary
, McAlester, Oklahoma
USA on the March 20, 1995, for a double murder.
He strangled Hilda Johnson, an 87 year old female using her Christmas tree lights on the 24 December 1990, in her Tulsa home. He stole, $8 from her purse, $4 in loose change
and her television set which he sold for $125.
Six months later, after moving to New York with his wife Lana, he murdered Leslie Holtz, an 81 year old male, from Staten Island
, on the 4 July 1991, stealing his Social Security check .
Grasso was found guilty and sentenced in the State of New York for both crimes but as this State had its execution chamber closed from 1978 until 1994, his sentence was converted to life in prison without parole
. The New York Legislature
had passed legislation which would have restored the states death penalty, but Governors Hugh Carey
and Mario Cuomo
, who were both Democrats and opposed the death penalty, always vetoed the legislation.
won a court order sending Grasso back to New York to serve out a 20 year to life sentence for the murder of Leslie Holtz.
The court order, which was granted just 12 hours before the scheduled execution, ended months of legal battles between states and governors all with opposing views of the death penalty. In 1977, New York's highest court declared the death penalty unconstitutional and for the next 18 years, State Legislature regularly passed new death penalty legislation each year, and Democratic governors just as regularly vetoed it.
, signed an agreement that allowed Oklahoma correction officials to take custody of Grasso at Buffalo International Airport. Prison officials escorted him on a commercial flight to the state penitentiary at McAlester via Tulsa, on January 11, 1995.
Grasso spent his last days on a the normal prison schedule, confined for 23 hours a day to his 14 by 18-foot cell in the prison's Death Row (H-unit), which he shared with 49 other condemned men. He was allowed one hour's exercise per day and three showers per week.
The second, released at 8:25 p.m., read:
Shortly before 10 p.m., three hours before his execution time, he issued the third statement in the form of a light-hearted poem commemorating his forthcoming dispatch. The poem was entitled "A Visit with Mystery".
was; two dozen steamed mussels, two dozen steamed clams (flavored by a wedge of lemon), a double cheeseburger from Burger King
, half-dozen barbequed spare ribs, two strawberry milkshakes, one-half of a pumpkin pie with whipped cream, diced strawberries and a 16-ounce can of spaghetti-meatballs, served at room temperature.
Less than an hour before he died, he issued his fourth and final statement
, warden Ron Ward picked up a phone in the witness room and spoke to Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating
, who granted permission to proceed from his official residence in Oklahoma City. Grasso was pronounced dead at 1:22 a.m
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 Oklahoma State Penitentiary
Oklahoma State Penitentiary
The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates...
, McAlester, Oklahoma
McAlester, Oklahoma
McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant....
USA on the March 20, 1995, for a double murder.
He strangled Hilda Johnson, an 87 year old female using her Christmas tree lights on the 24 December 1990, in her Tulsa home. He stole, $8 from her purse, $4 in loose change
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
and her television set which he sold for $125.
Six months later, after moving to New York with his wife Lana, he murdered Leslie Holtz, an 81 year old male, from Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, on the 4 July 1991, stealing his Social Security check .
Grasso was found guilty and sentenced in the State of New York for both crimes but as this State had its execution chamber closed from 1978 until 1994, his sentence was converted to life in prison without 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...
. The New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
had passed legislation which would have restored the states death penalty, but Governors Hugh Carey
Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey was an American attorney, the 51st Governor of New York from 1975 to 1982, and a seven-term United States Representative .- Early life :...
and Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
, who were both Democrats and opposed the death penalty, always vetoed the legislation.
Arrest and conviction
New York Detectives investigating the murder of Leslie Holtz arrested Grasso and within two weeks he had confessed to both murders. He first told investigators about the Staten Island killing, then to the murder of Hilda Johnson. Grasso pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years to life on April 21, 1992.Opposition and delays to the execution
Grasso had almost been executed two years earlier, but in a symbol of New York's opposition to the death penalty, received a last-minute reprieve when on October 19, 1993, Gov. Mario CuomoMario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
won a court order sending Grasso back to New York to serve out a 20 year to life sentence for the murder of Leslie Holtz.
The court order, which was granted just 12 hours before the scheduled execution, ended months of legal battles between states and governors all with opposing views of the death penalty. In 1977, New York's highest court declared the death penalty unconstitutional and for the next 18 years, State Legislature regularly passed new death penalty legislation each year, and Democratic governors just as regularly vetoed it.
Extradition and execution
Grasso's case became an issue in George E. Pataki's gubernatorial campaign and 11 days after Mr. Pataki took office, Grasso's was extradited, fulfilling the new Governor's campaign pledge. Mr. Pataki and Gov. Frank Keating of Oklahoma, both RepublicansRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, signed an agreement that allowed Oklahoma correction officials to take custody of Grasso at Buffalo International Airport. Prison officials escorted him on a commercial flight to the state penitentiary at McAlester via Tulsa, on January 11, 1995.
Grasso spent his last days on a the normal prison schedule, confined for 23 hours a day to his 14 by 18-foot cell in the prison's Death Row (H-unit), which he shared with 49 other condemned men. He was allowed one hour's exercise per day and three showers per week.
Final day
On the day before is execution Gasso released four statements to the press, the first, at 3:00 p.m., read:The second, released at 8:25 p.m., read:
Shortly before 10 p.m., three hours before his execution time, he issued the third statement in the form of a light-hearted poem commemorating his forthcoming dispatch. The poem was entitled "A Visit with Mystery".
Last meal
His last mealLast 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...
was; two dozen steamed mussels, two dozen steamed clams (flavored by a wedge of lemon), a double cheeseburger from Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, half-dozen barbequed spare ribs, two strawberry milkshakes, one-half of a pumpkin pie with whipped cream, diced strawberries and a 16-ounce can of spaghetti-meatballs, served at room temperature.
Less than an hour before he died, he issued his fourth and final statement
Execution
At just before 1 a.m. (EST) on March 20, 1995, prisoner No. 209207, walked from his cell to the execution chamber. The witnesses, included Grasso's lawyers and 12 reporters, sat in an adjoining room. About 1 a.m., with Grasso strapped to the gurneyGurney
A gurney, known as a trolley in British medical context, is the U.S. term for a type of stretcher used in modern hospitals and ambulances in developed areas. A hospital gurney is a kind of narrow bed on a wheeled frame which may be adjustable in height. For ambulances, a collapsible gurney is a...
, warden Ron Ward picked up a phone in the witness room and spoke to Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating
Frank Keating
Francis Anthony "Frank" Keating is an American politician from Oklahoma. Keating served as the 25th Governor of Oklahoma. His first term began in 1995 and ended in 1999...
, who granted permission to proceed from his official residence in Oklahoma City. Grasso was pronounced dead at 1:22 a.m
External links
See also
- Capital punishment in Oklahoma
- 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...