- Napoleon Beazley
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Napoleon Beazley 
Born August 5, 1976 Died May 28, 2002 (aged 25) Conviction(s) Murder Penalty Lethal injection Status Executed Napoleon Beazley (August 5, 1976 – May 28, 2002) was a convicted murderer executed by lethal injection by the State of Texas for the murder of 63-year-old Texas businessman John Luttig in 1994. Beazley shot Luttig in his garage on April 19, 1994 in order to steal his family's Mercedes-Benz car. Beazley also shot at Luttig's wife, but he missed and she survived the assault by playing dead. Beazley carried out the crime with two accomplices, Cedrick and Donald Coleman, who later testified against him. Both are serving life sentences in prison.
Beazley's case is notable because he was 17 years, eight and one-half months old at the time of the offense and because his victim was the father of a Federal Judge, J. Michael Luttig. During his appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, three of the nine justices recused themselves because of their personal ties to Judge Luttig, leaving six justices to review the case. Justice Antonin Scalia recused himself because Luttig had clerked for him, while Justices David Souter and Clarence Thomas recused themselves from the decision because Luttig had led the George H. W. Bush Administration's successful effort to gain U.S. Senate confirmation for them to the Supreme Court.
On August 13, 2001, the Court voted 3-3 on Beazley's request for a stay of execution, with the tie vote resulting in a rejection of the request.[1] On May 28, 2002, the Court voted unanimously 6-0 to reject Beazley's request for a writ of habeas corpus.[2] Scalia, Souter, and Thomas recused themselves in both votes.
Beazley's execution sparked a fierce debate between opponents and supporters of the death penalty, particularly with respect to juvenile offenders.[3] Some organizations, such as Amnesty International, argued in favor of clemency due to his age (Beazley was at the time of the offense 3½ months from his 18th birthday) and their opposition to the death penalty in general.[4]
Beazley was one of the last juvenile offenders to be executed in the United States. In 2004, the Supreme Court (in Roper v. Simmons) banned the practice of executing offenders who were under the age of 18 when they committed their crimes.
A documentary on his story, entitled "Two Hours to Tyler", recently aired on BET and has been shown in numerous film festivals.
See also
References
- ^ "Beazley, Napoleon v. Johnson, Dir. TX DOCJ" (PDF). FindLaw. 2001-08-13. http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/orders/2000/081301pzr.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
- ^ "Habeas Corpus denied in re Napoleon Beazley" (PDF). FindLaw. 2002-05-28. http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/orders/2001/052802pzr.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
- ^ "Death row inmate is hardly a victim". Pro-Death Penalty.com. http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/Kane2.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
- ^ "Too young to vote, old enough to be executed". Amnesty International. 2001-07-31. http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engAMR511052001?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
External links
- Video interviews and their transcripts from the Texas After Violence Project. Two separate interviews with Napoleon Beazley's father, Ireland, and his brother, Jamaal. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- Interview with Jamaal Beazley, Brother of Napoleon Beazley. Human Rights Documentation Initiative and Texas After Violence Project. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- Interview with Ireland Beazley, Father of Napoleon Beazley. Human Rights Documentation Initiative and Texas After Violence Project. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- Offender Information (JPG). Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- Last Statement. Texas Department of Criminal Justice (2002-05-29). Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- Napoleon Beazley. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- Two Hours to Tyler. Two Hours to Tyler-Documentary on Napoleon Beazley.
- [1]
- Caged Animals. An essay on confinement, by Napoleon Beazley.
Categories:- 1976 births
- 2002 deaths
- 1994 murders in the United States
- American people convicted of murder
- People executed for murder
- People executed by lethal injection
- 21st-century executions by the United States
- People executed by Texas
- People convicted of murder by Texas
- Executed African-American people
- Juvenile offenders executed by the United States
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