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Thread: Willie Jasper Darden - Florida Execution - March 15, 1988

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    Willie Jasper Darden - Florida Execution - March 15, 1988




    Willie Jasper Darden


    Summary of Offense: Convicted of killing a Lakeland businessman while robbing his wife of $15 in 1973.

    Victim: James Turman

    Time of Death: 7:12 a.m.

    Manner of execution: Electric Chair

    Last Meal:

    Final Statement: ''I was not guilty for the charge for which I was arrested and this morning I tell you I am not guilty of the charge for which I am about to be executed, I go this morning with a clear conscience. I bear no guilt. I'm at peace with myself, with the world, with each of you. God bless you.''

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    March 16, 1988

    FLORIDA EXECUTES CELEBRATED KILLER

    Willie Jasper Darden, who maintained his innocence through 14 years on death row and became the focus of an international debate over capital punishment, was executed today in Florida's electric chair.

    Mr. Darden, who was 54 years old, was convicted of killing a Lakeland businessman while robbing his wife of $15 in 1973.

    ''I was not guilty for the charge for which I was arrested and this morning I tell you I am not guilty of the charge for which I am about to be executed,'' Mr. Darden told 30 witnesses in the death chamber at the Florida State Prison here. ''I go this morning with a clear conscience. I bear no guilt. I'm at peace with myself, with the world, with each of you. God bless you.''

    Mr. Darden winked and nodded at one of his lawyers just before the hood was put over his head. He was declared dead at 7:12 A.M. after 2,000 volts of electricity flowed through his body for two minutes. Two puffs of smoke rose from his right leg where one of the electrodes was attached. Appeals Are Denied

    Mr. Darden's case attracted worldwide attention, including pleas for clemency from Andrei Sakharov, the Soviet dissident who is a Nobel peace prize winner, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the actress Margot Kidder and others. They said Mr. Darden's conviction resulted from an unfair trial that took place because he was black and the victim was white.

    Opponents of the death penalty, led by Amnesty International, have said Mr. Darden had an alibi to prove his innocence and were critical of the behavior of prosecutors.

    On Monday the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, a Federal judge and the Florida Supreme Court rejected Mr. Darden's final appeals.

    His last hope was a reprieve from Gov. Bob Martinez, who signed a seventh death warrant last week. But he said Monday he would not issue a stay.

    ''I think of the victim at a moment like this and the family which was destroyed,'' Governor Martinez said. ''A hideous murder took place and that's what I keep in mind. Just because it's 15 years later, that doesn't reduce a crime that was committed at the time.'' 'He Did It to Himself'

    Amnesty International said in a statement, ''The Governor's hands are now stained with the blood of a man from whom justice was withheld.''

    But the victim's widow, Helen Turman Baum, said after the execution: ''I think it's long overdue. He did it to himself. I'm just thinking right now I want some peace of mind.''

    ''It's been a long time and I'm glad it's finally over,'' she added.

    The crime for which Mr. Darden was convicted took place on Sept. 8, 1973 in a furniture store owned by James C. Turman, Mrs. Baum's first husband. Mr. Darden robbed Mrs. Turman of $15 when Mr. Turman came on the scene.

    Court records say that after shooting Mr. Turman between the eyes, Mr. Darden unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and ordered Mrs. Turman to perform oral sex on him while her husband lay dying a few feet away.

    Mrs. Turman and a neighbor, Philip Arnold, identified Mr. Darden at the trial. Mr. Arnold, then 16, entered the store after hearing the shooting and the woman's cries. He was shot three times but survived.

    Mr. Darden became the 18th person executed in the state and the 96th executed in the nation since the Supreme Court restored capital punishment in 1976.

    He was born in Snow Hill, N.C., the second of four children. His conviction record dated to 1964 and included breaking and entering and attempted rape.

    http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/16/us...xecuted&st=nyt

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