Rainey Bethea: Difference between revisions

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Bethea soon made a full confession to the crime, telling police where to find the stolen jewellery. The Daviess County prosecutor only charged Betha with rape, as this carried the penalty of public hanging whereas murder and robbery were both only punishable with a private execution. Bethea pleaded guilty, but the state still presented its case in order to seek the death penalty. A jury only took four minutes to sentence Bethea to death. Bethea appealed, claiming his defence team had forced him to plead guilty and he had confessed under duress, but his appeal was rejected.

Bethea's death warrant was signed by Governor Albert Chandler on 6 August. His site of execution was later moved, necessitating a second death warrant, which was signed by Lieutenant Governor Keen Johnson. On 14 August Bethea mounted the scaffold outside the Daviess County Jail. However, the executioner, Arthur L. Hash, was drunk and failed to pull the lever that would drop Bethea through the trapdoor. After a few minutes, one of the guards was forced to pull the lever instead. Bethea dropped 8 feet through the trapdoor and instantly broke his neck. His body was interred in a pauper's grave in Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery, Owensboro. The media circus surrounding the execution ~~lead~~ to Kentucky abolishing public executions two years later, ending public executions in the United States.

Bethea's death warrant was signed by Governor Albert Chandler on 6 August. His site of execution was later moved, necessitating a second death warrant, which was signed by Lieutenant Governor Keen Johnson. On 14 August Bethea mounted the scaffold outside the Daviess County Jail. However, the executioner, Arthur L. Hash, was drunk and failed to pull the lever that would drop Bethea through the trapdoor. After a few minutes, one of the guards was forced to pull the lever instead. Bethea dropped 8 feet through the trapdoor and instantly broke his neck. His body was interred in a pauper's grave in Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery, Owensboro. The media circus surrounding the execution led to Kentucky abolishing public executions two years later, ending public executions in the United States.

[[Category:Execution]]

[[Category:Modern Villains]]

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 Bethea soon made a full confession to the crime, telling police where to find the stolen jewellery. The Daviess County prosecutor only charged Betha with rape, as this carried the penalty of public hanging whereas murder and robbery were both only punishable with a private execution. Bethea pleaded guilty, but the state still presented its case in order to seek the death penalty. A jury only took four minutes to sentence Bethea to death. Bethea appealed, claiming his defence team had forced him to plead guilty and he had confessed under duress, but his appeal was rejected.
-Bethea's death warrant was signed by Governor Albert Chandler on 6 August. His site of execution was later moved, necessitating a second death warrant, which was signed by Lieutenant Governor Keen Johnson. On 14 August Bethea mounted the scaffold outside the Daviess County Jail. However, the executioner, Arthur L. Hash, was drunk and failed to pull the lever that would drop Bethea through the trapdoor. After a few minutes, one of the guards was forced to pull the lever instead. Bethea dropped 8 feet through the trapdoor and instantly broke his neck. His body was interred in a pauper's grave in Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery, Owensboro. The media circus surrounding the execution lead to Kentucky abolishing public executions two years later, ending public executions in the United States.
+Bethea's death warrant was signed by Governor Albert Chandler on 6 August. His site of execution was later moved, necessitating a second death warrant, which was signed by Lieutenant Governor Keen Johnson. On 14 August Bethea mounted the scaffold outside the Daviess County Jail. However, the executioner, Arthur L. Hash, was drunk and failed to pull the lever that would drop Bethea through the trapdoor. After a few minutes, one of the guards was forced to pull the lever instead. Bethea dropped 8 feet through the trapdoor and instantly broke his neck. His body was interred in a pauper's grave in Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery, Owensboro. The media circus surrounding the execution led to Kentucky abolishing public executions two years later, ending public executions in the United States.
 [[Category:Execution]]
 [[Category:Modern Villains]]