American history is filled with interesting and twisted tales of some of the world’s most evil criminals. Famous murderers, rapists, and other types of devious criminals have roots in the USA. These criminals spent their life’s final moments on death row waiting for their last meal and the long walk to their execution. What were the most famous executions in American history? What crimes were committed to earn a spot on death row? In what ways were these American criminals executed? This list answers those questions and more. Execution in America has evolved over the decades. Firing squads and hangings used to be popular methods of execution, whereas lethal injection and the electric chair are the most commonly used methods today. The electric chair was once such a controversial method of execution in the United States that many lawyers argued that it was cruel and unusual punishment, and by the rule of the Eighth Amendment, should be outlawed. There were even a few cases where the electric chair was faulty and needed multiple tries to execute a convict. The criminals on this list have very different crimes and marks on the world, but their way out of the world was very similar. These men and women were all executed through the American legal system.
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In 1991, Aileen Wuornos made headline news when she was arrested for killing at least six men who she claimed had tried to rape her. Her self-defense excuse didn't work, and she was sentenced to death by lethal injection. She was executed in 2002.
Frank Abbandando, AKA the Dasher, was a member of Murder, Inc., a gang of thugs who created chaos in New York in the 1930s. Abbandando was a contract killer for the powerful gang and was convinced his connections would lead to a not-guilty verdict. However, he was found guilty and was executed in 1942.
Famous for his reputation of dressing up like a clown for fundraisers and children events, John Wayne Gacy killed and sexually assaulted at least 33 young men between 1972 and 1978. He was sentenced to death for 12 of his murders and spent 14 years on death row. On May 10, 1994, he was executed by lethal injection.
Gary Gilmore had a history violent crimes throughout his life, but it was a gas station stick-up that led to his demise. He killed a gas station attendant and later a motel manager while robbing them. He was caught but only charged with the first murder. While on death row, he tried to kill himself twice and was finally executed on January 17, 1977, by firing squad.
As one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, Ted Bundy horrified people by kidnapping, raping, and murdering at least 30 victims. His crimes were committed between 1974 and 1978. He was executed on January 24, 1989.
Robert Alton Harris killed two teenage boys in 1978 in order to steal their car and to rob a bank. He stole $2,000 from the bank but was arrested soon after. One of the arresting officers was the father of one of the murdered boys. He was executed on April 21, 1992, after misquoting Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.
John Louis Evans was just out of prison when he and his buddy went on a crime spree that consisted of over 30 armed robberies, nine kidnappings, and two extortion schemes. In 1977, he killed a pawn shop owner and was caught soon after. His execution was particularly gruesome, as Alabama used a faulty electric chair, which took multiple tries to finally kill him.
When Jason Fairbanks was rejected by Elizabeth Fales, he stabbed her 11 times and claimed she had committed suicide. However, one of her stab wounds was in the back, so Fairbanks was convicted and sentenced to death. Shortly before his execution, he escaped from prison and tried to make it to Canada, but was soon caught and hanged.
Barbara Graham, AKA Bloody Babs, was arrested for the murder of Mabel Monohan when she and her accomplices tried to rob her. On June 3, 1955, she was executed after stating her last words: "Good people are always so sure they're right."
While robbing a grocery story, Jerry White killed a shopper, James Melson. He was executed by electric chair in Florida on December 4, 1995.
Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish went by many names during his history as a serial killer, including the Gray Man and the Moon Maniac. He was a cannibal, child rapist, and murderer, confessing to hundreds of crimes during his lifetime. He was executed via electric chair on January 16, 1936.
Paul Jennings Hill killed Dr. John Britton and Britton's bodyguard, James Barrett, since he didn't approve of Britton, who was an abortion doctor. Hill had previously been a minister. He was sentenced to death and was executed on September 3, 2003, by lethal injection.
George Atzerodt was one of the many conspirators who assisted John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He was supposed to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson, but his nerves failed him. Still, he was executed in 1865 by hanging.
David Herold was another accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in his quest to assassinate Abraham Lincoln and other top officials. He surrendered to troops when he and Booth were surrounded. He was sentenced to death by hanging in 1865.
Mary Surratt was another accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in Abraham Lincoln's assassination. She was the first woman executed by the US government. Her son was also connected to the assassination, but he was not convicted.
Lewis Powell was part of the conspiracy to kill Abraham Lincoln. He attempted to assassinate US Secretary of State William H. Seward, but failed. He was executed by hanging on July 7, 1865.
Nathan Hale is most famous for his final words, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." During the American Revolution, he was executed for spying on the British and was hanged on September 22, 1776.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg earned their place in history when they allegedly passed information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union during WWII. They were charged with espionage and sentenced to death. They were both executed by electric chair on June 19, 1953.
Timothy McVeigh killed 168 people and injured many more when he bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. He was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.
Manny Babbit may have been a Marine veteran, but that didn't stop him from murdering a 78-year-old woman while robbing her home. His legal defense was that he had post traumatic stress disorder, but he was still executed on May 4, 1999. While on death row, he earned a Purple Heart medal.
Charles Campbell was sentenced to 40 years in prison after raping Renae Wicklund. He was released only five years later in 1981 for good behavior. His victim wasn't notified of the release. A year later, Renae, her neighbor who had been a witness in the trial, and Renae's 8-year-old daughter were severely beaten and murdered by Campbell. He was executed on May 27, 1994.
Stanley "Tookie" Williams was best known as the leader of the Los Angeles gang the Crips. He committed at least four murders, which led to his death sentence. While in prison, Williams became an anti-gang advocate and wrote many books for young audiences. Many people protested his execution, since he was making a strong effort in his anti-violence campaigns, but he was still executed on December 13, 2005.
James Arcene was convicted of robbery and murder when he was just 10 years old. He was sentenced to death but escaped. When he was caught 13 years later, he was hanged. His case is often used as an example of how Native Americans received unfair treatment from the US government.
Jack Alderman was sentenced to death for beating his wife with a crescent wrench and dumping her in a creek. He spent 33 years on death row, the longest time in history. He was executed on September 16, 2008, by lethal injection.
Although Bruno Richard Hauptmann was originally from Germany, he committed one of the most infamous crimes in American history. He kidnapped and murdered the Lindbergh baby, which was dubbed the Crime of the Century. He was executed on April 3, 1936, by electric chair.
American criminal Arthur Lucas had the honor of being one of the last people to be executed in Canada. He murdered a Detroit police informant while in Toronto. He was hanged on December 11, 1962.
Harry Pierpont made his place in history for being a mentor of notorious criminal John Dillinger. However, it was his own crime spree that ended with his death sentence. Pierpont made multiple escape attempts. His last attempt left him so crippled that he had to be carried to the electric chair. He was executed on October 17, 1934.
William Kemmler murdered his common-law wife with a hatchet. He was the first person to ever be sentenced to death by electrocution. Although his lawyers tried to argue that it was cruel and unusual punishment, he was still electrocuted on August 6, 1890.
James Lee Clark was convicted of the robbery, rape, and murder of a 17-year-old girl in Texas. His death sentence was controversial since he was considered by many to be mentally handicapped. The Supreme Court ruling in Atkins v. Virginia had previously called executing the mentally disabled to be cruel and unusual punishment. Nevertheless, he was executed on April 11, 2007.
Juan Garza murdered three people during his tenure as a drug smuggler. He was sentenced to death and executed on June 19, 2001.
In 2002, Teresa Lewis arranged for the murders of her husband and stepson in order to profit from their life insurance policies. Lewis was executed on September 23, 2010. She was the first woman put to death in Virginia since 1912.
Billy Bailey was found guilty of the murder of an elderly couple in 1980. He became the last person to be hanged by the United States government on January 25, 1996.
William Bonin, otherwise known as the Freeway Killer, raped, tortured, and murdered at least 21 young men and boys between 1979 and 1980. He was executed on February 23, 1996 by lethal injection. He was not remorseful for his crimes, and filed many appeals against his conviction.
Jack Gilbert Graham planted a bomb in his mother's suitcase before she boarded United Airlines Flight 629. Forty-four people were killed by the bomb, including his mother. He was sentenced to death and executed by gas chamber on January 11, 1957.
In 1957, Charles Starkweather went on a killing spree in which he took 11 lives. He was accompanied by his 14-year-old girlfriend. Their relationship was depicted in many films, and inspired Natural Born Killers. He was executed on June 25, 1959, by electric chair.
Jereboam O. Beauchamp murdered Kentucky legislator Solomon P. Sharp when he was accused of fathering the child of Beauchamp's wife, Anna Cooke. He stabbed Sharp in order to defend his wife's honor. He was executed by hanging in 1826.
In 1991, Kenneth Biros killed Tami Engstrom, who was 22 years old, while attempting to rape her. He was executed on December 8, 2009, by lethal injection.
In 1989, Oba Chandler killed Joan Rogers and her two daughters while they were on vacation in Florida. Chandler had lured them onto his boat by promising a free sunset cruise. He tied concrete bricks to the women and threw them overboard, forcing them to drown. Chandler was not arrested for three years after the murders. He was executed on November 15, 2011.
Raymond Lisenba, better known as "Rattlesnake James," earned his nickname after he purchased rattlesnakes to kill his wife. The snakes didn't kill her though, and he later drowned her. He was hanged on May 1, 1942.
Charles J. Guiteau was a lawyer and writer who assassinated President James A. Garfield in 1881. An insanity defense was used, which was backed up by his weird behavior during his trial, including testimony in the form of a poem and cursing at the judge. Still, he was executed in 1882. As he walked up to the gallows, he sang a song he wrote called "I Am Going to the Lordy."
Leon Czolgosz was an anarchist inspired by the assassination of King Humbert I of Italy in 1900. Czolgosz fired the fatal bullet that killed President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1901. The crowd instantly attacked Czolgosz and held him to be arrested. He was sentenced to death by electrocution and died on October 29, 1901.
American abolitionist John Brown led a violent attack on pro-slavery supporters. He was hanged on December 2, 1859.
Caryl Chessman was convicted of robbery and rape and was sentenced to die. He maintained his innocence during his 12 years on death row through letters, essays, and popular memoirs. Many famous figures argued for his clemency, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Robert Frost, and Norman Mailer. However, all legal and emotional appeals failed, and Chessman was executed on May 2, 1960.
During WWII, Eddie Slovik was court-martialed for desertion. He was the first soldier to be executed for this reason since the Civil War. He was executed by firing squad on January 31, 1945.
