Capital punishment in Michigan

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Capital punishment has been illegal in the U.S. State of Michigan since 1846, making Michigan's death penalty history unusual in contrast to many other States. Michigan was the first English-speaking government in the world to totally abolish the death penalty.[1][2] The Michigan State Legislature voted to do so on May 18, 1846, and this has remained in law since.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

With one exception, all executions in areas which are now part of the State of Michigan were performed before the state was admitted to the Union.[4] Michigan became the 26th State on January 26, 1837.

Approximately a dozen people are known to have been executed from 1683 to 1836, although before 1783 the area of the state was outside U.S. jurisdiction and was de facto under British jurisdiction until 1796. In this early period, there were a number of cases where persons who had committed a capital crime in Detroit were transported to Montreal for trial and execution.

The first person executed in Michigan was a Native American named Folle-Avoine. The first person executed under U.S. jurisdiction was another Native American named Buhnah. Two females were put to death in Michigan - an unnamed slave (owned by a man named Clapham) in 1763, and an African American named Ann Wyley in 1777.[5] By race 7 of 14 were Native Americans, another 7 white and only one black.[6]

Although Michigan had abolished the death penalty, one execution took place after Michigan's statehood, when Anthony Chebatoris was hanged in Milan in 1938, for a murder he had committed while robbing a bank in Midland.[7] This was a federal execution, outside of the state's jurisdiction, and the last execution to be performed in Michigan.

[edit] Methods

The legal method of executions in Michigan was hanging, although two people were executed by shooting, one was bludgeoned and the method of one more execution remains unknown.

[edit] List of individual executed

Source: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/ESPYstate.pdf (the Espy File)

[edit] Before U.S. juridiction

Executed person Date of execution Crime Method Race
French jurisdiction
Folle-Avoine November 29, 1683 Murder Shot Native American
Unknown November 29, 1683 Murder Shot Native American
Pierre Berge (or Boucher) dit La Tulipe November 26, 1705 Assault Hanged (in Montreal)[8] White
Bartellemy Pichon dit La Roze November 7, 1707 Desertion Hanged[9] White
British jurisdiction
Unknown female slave (whose owner's name was Clapham) April, 1763 Murder Hanging Native American
Michael Dué late 1760s Murder Hanging[10] White
Joseph Hecker December 1775 Murder Hanging[11] White
Jean Baptiste Contincineau March 26, 1777 Robbery Hanging[5] White
Ann Wyley or Wiley March 26, 1777 Robbery Hanging[5] Black

[edit] Under U.S. Jurisdiction (territorial)

Executed person Date of execution Crime Method Race
Buhnah 1819 Murder Unknown method Native American
Ketauka December 27, 1827 Murder Hanging[12] Native American
Kewaubis December 27, 1827 Murder Hanging[12] Native American
Stephens Simmons September 24, 1830 Murder Hanging[13] White
Wau-Bau-Ne-Me-Mee July 1836 Murder Hanging Native American

[edit] After statehood (federal)

Executed person Date of execution Crime Method Under President Race
Anthony Chebatoris July 8, 1938 Murder Hanging Franklin Delano Roosevelt White

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Information on States Without the Death Penalty
  2. ^ History of the Death Penalty - Faith in Action - Working to Abolish the Death Penalty
  3. ^ See Caitlin pp. 420-422
  4. ^ Regional Studies The Midwest
  5. ^ a b c See Burton pp. 193-195 for an account of Contincineau's trial. The presiding judge Philip Dejean was subsequently indicted for the murder of Contincineau. According to the account in Burton, Contincineau's accomplice, the slave woman Ann Wyley, was freed by Dejean on the condition that she act as executioner on Contincineau. Caitlin p. 68 notes that Dejean later went back on his offer and had Wiley hanged.
  6. ^ Executions is the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File, http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/ESPYstate.pdf
  7. ^ Veselenak, Michigan History Magazine, May 1998
  8. ^ See Burton p. 164; Tulipe was a drummer in the company of Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac who assaulted a 12-year old girl. He was convicted and executed in Quebec.
  9. ^ See Burton pp. 164-165
  10. ^ See Burton p. 142; Dué was arrested for murdering a man in Detroit and was tried, convicted and executed in Montreal.
  11. ^ See Caitlin p. 68. Burton p. 194 mentions the execution of a person named "Ellers" in December 1775.
  12. ^ a b See Caitlin p. 262 for a description of the execution of Ketauka and Kewaubis
  13. ^ For a detailed account of Simmons' execution, see Caitlin "Michigan's Last Infliction of Capital Punishment" pp. 289-293

[edit] References

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Capital punishment in the United States
In depth
Lists of those executed
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