Willie Watson was executed by the State of Louisiana for the sexual assault and murder of a college student
According to court documents Willie Watson would kidnap, sexually assault and murder Tulane University Medical Student Kathy Newman
Willie Watson would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Willie Watson would be executed by way of the electric chair on July 24 1987
Willie Watson FAQ
When was Willie Watson executed
Willie Watson was executed on July 24 1987
How was Willie Watson executed
Willie Watson was executed by way of the electric chair
Willie Watson Case
Willie Watson Jr., convicted of the 1981 sex killing of a Tulane University medical student, was executed early Friday after a two-hour reprieve, becoming the second person this week to die in Louisiana’s electric chair.
The execution followed a 4-4 vote by the Supreme Court rejecting Watson’s last-ditch appeal. The possibility of a tie vote, which is insufficient to overturn a death sentence, was made possible by the retirement of Justice Lewis Powell
The four justices who voted in favor of a stay said they did so because Watson’s appeal raised issues similar to those in another Louisiana death penalty case the high court has accepted for review.
The appeal of Leslie Lowenfield, convicted of killing five people, deals with the number of aggravating factors needed to impose the death penalty. ‘Three votes suffice to hold a case, but it takes five votes to stay an execution,’ wrote Justices William Brennan and Thurgood Marshall. ‘The court today thus permits Mr. Watson’s legal claim to stay alive while condemning Watson himself to die under a sentencing scheme that within a matter of months the court may conclude is unconstitutional.
Half the members of this court believe that Watson’s claim might be indistinguishable from Lowenfield’s, yet tonight Watson will be executed while Lowenfield may prevail and be spared,’ the justices wrote. ‘This prospect is the ultimate derogation of the court’s duty to provide equal justice under law.’
Watson, 31, was pronounced dead at 2:09 a.m. by West Feliciana Coroner Alfred Gould at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
He had been scheduled to die shortly after 12:01 a.m., but received a two-hour reprieve when Gov. Edwin Edwards agreed to meet with defense lawyers who asked that his death sentence be reconsidered.
However, the governor indicated he had no reason to disagree with the high court, Corrections Secretary C. Paul Phelps said Friday. Since taking office in 1984, Edwards has never granted a stay of execution.
Watson was condemned for the 1981 abduction, robbery, rape and shooting death of Tulane University medical student Kathy Newman, 25. He had blamed a life of drug addiction and poverty for twisting him into a sex killer.
His execution was Louisiana’s second this week and the sixth in the state this year, all carried out within the last seven weeks. The fifth execution was Monday.
He was the 13th person executed in Louisiana, and the 85th put to death in the United States, since the Supreme Court lifted its ban on capital punishment in 1976.
Louisiana ranks third in the nation for number of executions with 13, following Texas with 24 and Florida with 16.
Watson’s lawyer, Jed Stone, said Friday he deplored the decisions by the high court and the governor because of a pending Supreme Court decision in the case of condemned killer Leslie Lowenfield.
Lowenfield contends Louisiana’s sentencing scheme in a first-degree murder case is unconstitutional because a jury considers the same aggravating factors during the sentencing phase as during the deliberation of guilt or innocence.
‘People ought to realize how obscene it is that a man can go to his death on a 4-to-4 tie,’ Stone said. ‘Governor Edwards was unable to look me in the eye and say he wouldn’t do it (grant a reprieve).’
When Watson entered the death chamber at 1:58 a.m., he shook his head to indicate he did not wish to make a final statement. He appeared calm as he was buckled into the electric chair. He mouthed the words ‘I love you,’ to his spiritual advisor, Sister Lee Scardina, who witnessed his execution.
When the first of four jolts of electricity surged through his body, Watson’s clenched fists turned slowly until the palms, still closed tightly, faced upward. He was pronounced dead five minutes later.
