Daryl Mack
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Daryl Linnie Mack (28 August 1958 - 26 April 2006) was an American double murderer responsible for the murders of Betty May and Kim Parks. He was the only African-American ever executed by the state of Nevada, the only prisoner executed in Nevada based solely on DNA evidence, the last person executed in Nevada State Prison and to date the last person executed in Nevada.
Biography edit
Murders edit
On 28 October 1988, 55-year-old Betty Jane May was found dead in her home by her neighbour Steven Floyd. She had been raped and strangled. Her murder was unsolved for 10 years.
On 8 April 1994, prostitute Kim Parks was found in her motel room, having been strangled to death with her own bra the previous day. Blood not belonging to Parks was found soaked into her bedsheet. A motel employee reported that she had been with Mack on the night of her death, and police obtained a warrant to test Mack's blood, which matched the blood taken from the crime scene. When arrested, Mack initially denied having been at the motel at all, but later changed his story and claimed that he had been present but had not killed Parks and his blood was only on her sheets because they had fought over money. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Imprisonment and execution edit
While Mack was in prison, the murder of Betty May was re-opened. DNA testing was performed on blood and semen from the body which was found to match the DNA profile of Mack. Mack was charged with the first-degree murder of Betty May in 2000. The state of Nevada sought the death penalty. Mack waived his right to a jury trial and was tried by a three-judge panel, which convicted Mack and sentenced him to death on 15 May 2002.
Mack declined to appeal against his execution, although he stated he would prefer life in prison. His execution was scheduled for 5 March 2004 but was stayed due to legal issues surrounding his lack of appeals. He was then scheduled to be executed on 1 December 2005 but the execution was stayed a second time. He was finally executed by lethal injection on 26 April 2006. He had converted to Islam while in prison and spent the hours before his execution reading the Quran. His last meal was a fish fillet sandwich with french fries and a soft drink.