Wilbert Lee Evans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 20, 1946 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | October 17, 1990 (aged 44) |
| Cause of death | Botched execution by electrocution |
| Other names | Willie Evans |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | William G. Truesdale, 47 |
| Date | January 27, 1981 |
Wilbert Lee Evans (January 20, 1946 – October 17, 1990) was an American convict who was executed in Virginia's electric chair for the murder of 47-year-old deputy sheriff William Gene Truesdale in Alexandria, Virginia. Truesdale's murder occurred in 1981 during Evans's attempted escape from custody, as Evans was accused of separate crimes in North Carolina and had been temporarily transported to Virginia to testify in another man's extradition hearing there.
Evans's execution was controversial due to three factors: his documented good behavior and rehabilitation behind bars, trial errors and prosecutorial misconduct that death penalty abolitionists and Evans's attorneys argued should have resulted in a retrial or a reduced sentence, and the gruesome nature of Evans's death, as his execution in Virginia's electric chair was botched; The Virginian-Pilot called Evans's execution "one of Virginia's worst."[1][2] In 2023, NPR obtained and released documents and tape recordings of several executions in Virginia's electric chair, one of which was that of Evans; the tape recording of Evans's execution did not include mention of it being botched, although press reports and witness accounts did.[3]
- ^ "TWO WHO WERE EXECUTED: WILBERT LEE EVANS". The Virginian-Pilot. 1994-06-27. pp. A5. Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
- ^ Howe, Robert F. (1990-10-18). "VA KILLER IS ELECTROCUTED AFTER LAST-MINUTE PLEAS FAIL". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2023-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
- ^ Eisner, Chiara (2023-01-19). "NPR Obtained Secret Tapes Recorded by Prison Staff During Virginia Executions". NPR. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-05-12.