Harry D. Mitts Jr. | |
---|---|
Born | Ohio, U.S. | June 18, 1952
Died | September 25, 2013 | (aged 61)
Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
Motive | Racial hate against African Americans (Bryant) Alleged wish to be killed by the police (Glivar) |
Conviction(s) | Aggravated murder (x2) Attempted murder (x2) Felony with a firearm |
Criminal penalty | Murder Death (x2) Attempted murder Ten-to-25 years' jail (x2) Felony with a firearm Three years' jail |
Details | |
Victims | Dead John Bryant, 28 Dennis Glivar, 40 Survived Thomas Kaiser, 38 John Mackey, 38 |
Date | August 14, 1994 |
Location(s) | Garfield Heights, Ohio |
Imprisoned at | Southern Ohio Correctional Facility |
Harry D. Mitts Jr. (June 18, 1952 – September 25, 2013) was an American convicted murderer who was executed in Ohio for the racially-motivated murder of his neighbor's African-American boyfriend, John Bryant, in Garfield Heights, Ohio in August 1994. Shortly after the fatal shooting of Bryant, Mitts engaged in a gunfight with several police officers, which resulted in the death of Sergeant Dennis Glivar. Another two police officers were wounded in the shootout before Mitts was apprehended. In November 1994, Mitts was found guilty of the double murder and sentenced to death. 19 years after the murders, Mitts was put to death by lethal injection on September 25, 2013. As of 2024, Mitts was the last white defendant to be executed for murdering an African-American victim in Ohio.[1][2]