Robert Alton Harris
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Robert Alton Harris (January 15, 1953–April 21, 1992) was an American career criminal and murderer who was executed in San Quentin's gas chamber in 1992. This marked the first execution in the state of California since 1967. Harris had killed two teenage boys in 1978. Harris' execution is specifically remembered for his peculiar choice of final words (recorded by Warden Daniel Vasquez): "You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the grim reaper." This was a reference to the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, released in 1991. The Grim Reaper (William Sadler) raps, "You might be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later you'll dance with the reaper."
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[edit] The crime
At 10:30 a.m. on July 5, 1978, Robert, and his brother Daniel Marcus Harris, drove to a fast food restaurant where they abducted two 16-year-old boys, John Mayeski and Michael Baker. Robert held the victims at gunpoint with a 9 mm Luger pistol and forced them to drive until they reached an isolated area. Daniel Harris followed in Robert's 1963 Ford.
They killed the boys and used the stolen car to commit a bank robbery. A witness followed the Harrises to their residence, then alerted the police.
The San Diego District Attorney's Office filed felony charges of auto theft, kidnapping, murder and burglary against Robert. The U.S. Attorney's Office filed bank robbery charges against him.
On March 6, 1979, Robert Alton Harris was convicted in the San Diego County Superior Court of two counts murder in the first degree with special circumstances, and kidnapping.
Daniel was convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to six years in state prison. He was released in 1983.
[edit] The execution
Robert Alton Harris was executed on April 21, 1992 in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison - the first execution in California in 25 years.
For his last meal, Harris requested and was given a 21-piece Kentucky Fried Chicken dinner, two Domino's pizzas, and ice cream. At 6:01 a.m., Harris was escorted into the gas chamber. The execution order was given at 6:07 a.m., and Harris was pronounced dead at 6:21 a.m. The body was removed from the chamber at 7 a.m. and left the grounds at 8:15 a.m.
The Harris execution was scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on the morning of April 21, but a series of four stays issued by individual federal judges delayed the execution until just after 6 a.m. In its order vacating the fourth stay of execution, the U.S. Supreme Court stated, "No further stays of Robert Alton Harris' execution shall be entered by the federal courts except upon order of this court."
[edit] Prior criminal history
- Initial police involvement was for killing neighborhood cats.
- Served three years as a juvenile in Florida for petty larceny, auto theft and escape.
- In 1975 he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and was paroled three years later.
[edit] See also
- Capital punishment in California
- Capital punishment in the United States
- The documentary Procedure 769, witness to an execution, features 11 people who were present at Robert Harris' execution on April 21, 1992. Throughout the film, we are made aware of the vital role the media played in the case and the impact the media had on public opinion. Procedure 769 is available on DocsOnline
