James W. Rodgers | |
|---|---|
 Rodgers in 1958 | |
| Born | August 3, 1910[1] |
| Died | March 30, 1960 (aged 49)[2] Utah State Prison, Draper, Utah, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
| Occupation | Construction worker[2] |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder Armed robbery |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
James W. Rodgers (August 3, 1910 – March 30, 1960) was an American who was sentenced to death by the state of Utah for the murder of miner Charles Merrifield in 1957.[2] In his final statement before his execution by firing squad in 1960, Rodgers requested a bulletproof vest.[3] His execution by firing squad would be the last to be carried out in the United States before capital punishment was halted by the U.S. Supreme Court.[4] The death penalty was reinstated in 1976 and the first person executed in Utah subsequent to that date was Gary Gilmore in 1977.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Deseret-19581120was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "Slayer Shot By Firing Squad". The Milwaukee Sentinel. United Press International. March 31, 1960. p. 3. Retrieved October 28, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "National Affairs". Newsweek. Vol. 61, no. 1. January 7, 1963. p. 34. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
Usually, by choice, the doomed man is strapped into a scarred old chair facing the firing-squad enclosure 23 feet away. His head is hooded, and a white cloth heart, trimmed in red, is pinned to his chest. Precisely at sunup, five .30-30 rifles-one loaded with a blank—do the job. Utah's unique tradition has its own gallows humor. Just before he was shot in 1960 for killing a uranium miner, James W. Rodgers made a last request: a bulletproof vest.
- ^ Beecham, Bill (November 11, 1976). "Convicted Killer Gets His Wish: Firing Squad Monday". The Telegraph (Nashua). Associated Press. p. 22. Retrieved October 28, 2010.