Kevin Conner was executed by the State of Indiana for three murders
According to court documents Kevin Conner would go out drinking with three men, Steve Wentland, Tony Moore, and Bruce Voge, by the end of the night all three would be dead
Kevin Conner would go for a drive with Steve Wentland and Tony Moore who started to argue. Moore would stab Wentland with a knife. Wentland would get out of the vehicle but would be run over by Moore. Kevin would fatally stab Wentland
Kevin Conner and Tony Moore would have a discussion regarding their story on what happened to Wentland which would end with Conner fatally shooting Moore
Kevin Conner would go back to the Moore home where Bruce Voge would be fatally shot.
Kevin Conner would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Kevin Conner would be executed by lethal injection on July 27 2005
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When Was Kevin Conner Executed
Kevin Conner was executed on July 27 2005
Kevin Conner Case
An Indianapolis man who told the governor he wanted to die got his wish early this morning, as he was executed for killing three men back in 1988. Kevin A. Conner was put to death at 12:31 a.m. by lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison, officials said. Outside, a steady rain had limited protesters to a few moments of gathering outside their cars.
Conner had wanted no protests, no efforts to save his life, and had told Gov. Mitch Daniels just that in a letter, writing that “killing a person is far more honest and humane than imposed repression under the guise of justice in the penal system.” A statement released earlier Tuesday through his attorneys reflected a similar view: “Everybody has to die sometime . . . let’s get on with the killing.”
Besides being convicted in the deaths of three men in Indianapolis, Conner also claimed to have killed a fellow Death Row inmate in 2002.
Despite Conner’s wishes, capital punishment opponents wanted to use the occasion of another execution — the fourth this year — to call attention to an issue that, they said, goes beyond the desires of one condemned man. One protester, Marti Pizzini of the Duneland Coalition Against the Death Penalty, said fewer prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Capital punishment “is beginning to wither away in the United States,” she said. “We want to keep nipping at its heels.” Conner, an avid reader of philosophy and science fiction, donated most of his books to the prison library. He donated his television to Fredrick Michael Baer, sentenced to death last month for killing Cory Clark, 26, and Jenna Clark, 4, at their rural Madison County home.
Defense lawyer Linda Wagoner met with Conner on Monday and Tuesday. “He’s definitely ready,” Wagoner said. Monday, prison officials say, Conner was served a last meal from Dairy Queen: four chili dogs, onion rings, a banana split and an Oreo Blizzard. He also watched Showtime’s “Dead Like Me,” a dark comedy about a team of grim reapers.
Tuesday, he spent his final hours alone in his cell, making phone calls to friends and relatives. He also was allowed to smoke two cigars. He did not meet with a spiritual adviser.
In January 1988, Conner killed Steven Wentland, 19; Anthony Moore, 24; and Bruce Voge, 19, during an hourlong rampage. Last week, he also admitted stabbing to death inmate Jerry Thompson, 41, during a recreation break at the prison on Oct. 27, 2002. Thompson was convicted of fatally shooting two people in 1991.
Moore’s sister Dianna Bevers said Conner has never shown remorse. “We feel like Kevin’s life was a tragedy to start with,” Bevers said. “My heart goes out to his family and him because he destroyed his life; he destroyed my brother’s life.” Conner calls his spiritual beliefs “nondenominational mystic,” which troubles Bevers. “I’m gonna be on my knees praying that at the last minute he asks God for forgiveness,” she said. Wentland’s mother said her family has found closure. “You can’t dwell on it,” Sharon Wentland said. “It’s much better to say yes, we lost a son, we miss him and love him, but now we have to keep going.”
Some have described Conner as a cold, remorseless killer; Kathy Stinton-Glen, a Zionsville attorney who also represents him, said the inmate she knows has been generous, kind and funny. “I think he is a bright, talented kid who’s paying for a hell of a night,” she said. “He’s easy to work with, and very appreciative. I will miss him.”
Conner and his victims were drinking at Moore’s Southside home. Prosecutors say Conner, Moore and Wentland went for a drive. They argued, and Moore stabbed Wentland and struck him with a car. Conner also stabbed Wentland more than a dozen times, police say. Soon after, prosecutors say, Conner shot Moore to death with a sawed-off shotgun at a business in the 1600 block of Deloss Street. Conner then returned to Moore’s home and gunned down Voge. Police captured Conner two days later in Amarillo, Texas, on a bus bound for California.
The day after a judge sentenced Conner to die, he jumped a wall and escaped from the Marion County Jail. He ran for about three minutes before being recaptured. In 1994, Conner and four others on Death Row used hacksaw blades, makeshift knives and a grappling hook in an attempt to escape from prison. Conner and three others made it to the base of the outside wall before being spotted and captured.
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