Barton Kay Kirkham

Barton Kay Kirkham
Kirkham's Utah State Prison mug shot
Born(1936-11-29)November 29, 1936[1][2]
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Died (aged 21)
Utah State Prison, Draper, Utah, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Robbery (1955)
First degree murder (1956)
Criminal penaltyDeath

Barton Kay Kirkham (November 29, 1936 – June 7, 1958) was a member of the United States Air Force who was discharged in 1955 after committing a robbery in Colorado while absent without leave (AWOL).[3] In 1956, he was sentenced to death after the murder of two grocery store clerks during an armed robbery in Salt Lake City, Utah.[4]

Kirkham chose to die by hanging to generate publicity and become an inconvenience to the state of Utah.[4][5] Though an attempt was made to appeal his conviction by questioning his sanity, prison officials noted that Kirkham's defiant attitude remained remorseless until shortly before his execution, at which point he started crying and is reported to have wet himself.[6][dead link] His hanging at Utah State Prison in 1958 was the first to be carried out by the state in 46 years.[7] Kirkham is the last prisoner to be hanged by the state of Utah.[8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference DeseretNews-19561211-trial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference DeseretNews-19561228-delay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Martin, Jerry (May 19, 1958). "'I Want To Die' Says Young Killer". Tri-City Herald. p. 7. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Schindler, Hal (January 28, 1996). "Taylor's Death Was Quick . . . But Some Weren't So Lucky". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 24 June 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  5. ^ "A look at Utah's most infamous executions". KSL-TV. June 13, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference TCH-19580608-repents was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Utah Hangs Thug For Killing Two". The Palm Beach Post. June 8, 1958. p. 2A. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
  8. ^ Metcalf Jr., Dan (June 17, 2010). "History of Utah executions". KTVX. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.