Clarence Ray Allen
|
Clarence Ray Allen (January 16, 1930 - January 17, 2006) was an American criminal who was executed by lethal injection at the San Quentin State Prison in California for the murders of three witnesses. He accepted his native roots in prison and became the last executed in the state of California.
Biography edit
Allen's friends and family say he's a sentimental, kind-hearted soul who provided shelter and jobs to those in need, donated uniforms to the Little League and supported 4-H Club youth activities. They say that before Allen was imprisoned in 1977, he was a considerate boss, a devoted father and someone who picked up restaurant tabs and purchased furniture sets for his friends.
From his early days, however, there was another thread to Allen -- one that showed itself in acts of petty thievery as a young adult and grew into something darker in middle age.
"He presented himself as a typical, successful businessman, but on the side he had a group of young people who were doing robberies," said Jerry Jones, a former chief deputy district attorney for Fresno County who prosecuted two of Allen's accomplices.
"He was kind of a charismatic fellow, bright enough that he was able to walk between both of these worlds," Jones said. "He was a controlling guy, a scary guy. ... They did as he told them."
After Allen's capture, while in Folsom prison, Allen conspired with his fellow prisoner, Billy Ray Hamilton to assassinate several witnesses who had testified against him, including Bryon Schletewitz. Allen intended to obtain a new trial, where there would be no witnesses to testify about his actions and attempt to be acquitted of his first murder.
Allen is known to have kept a newspaper article about the murder of a man and a woman in Nevada, and claimed he had "blown them in half" with a shotgun.
Eventually, the jury convicted Allen of triple murder and conspiracy to murder eight witnesses.
Allen was eligible for the death penalty, for prior murder, had committed multiple murders, and had killed witnesses in retaliation for his previous testimony and to avoid future testimony. During a seven-day criminalization phase, the Attorney General presented evidence of Allen's career orchestrating violent robberies in the Central Valley, including ten violent crimes and six prior felony convictions. The jury issued a unanimous death verdict, and the Glenn County Superior Court convicted Allen on November 22, 1980.