Daryl Linnie Mack
Encyclopedia
Daryl Linnie Mack, a 47 year-old black male, was voluntarily executed by lethal injection
at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City, Nevada
on April 26, 2006. Mack was found guilty of the 1988 murder of Betty Jane May, a 55 year-old white female. Mack, who was 30 years old when he committed the capital crime, was sentenced to death on May 15, 2002. He was the 1019th execution carried out in US since 1976.
. Steven Floyd lived in the house next door with the managers of the boarding house, Jim and Kelly Bassett. On the night of October 28, 1988, Floyd, who had been drinking at a nearby bar that night, was returning home to try to borrow some money. He knew May and saw that her light was on, so he went to her room to ask for money. Floyd knocked on her door, which was slightly open, but there was no response. He opened the door and saw May kneeling by her bed with her upper body facedown on the bed. He then turned her over and realized that she was dead. Floyd immediately went home and told the Bassetts, and police were called.
An autopsy
was performed the next morning. Fingernail scrapings and evidentiary swabs from May's vagina and left foot were collected. The swabs tested positive for semen
. There were abrasions on May's neck, bruises on her inner thighs, lacerations of her fingertips, lips, and nose, blood in her vagina, and a hemorrhage within her cervix. May was wearing a blue blouse that was bloodstained. The medical experts at trial all agreed that she had been manually strangled to death. An expert for the State testified that May had suffered forceful traumatic sexual penetration not long before her death.
. At that time of his arrest police had taken a blood sample from Mack. Some 12 years later, with DNA
forensic testing more fully established, Detective David Jenkins took over the May investigation and requested DNA testing of the samples taken from May in 1988. Jenkins also obtained a saliva
sample from Mack pursuant to a seizure order.
A criminalist for the Washoe County
Sheriff testified that semen taken from May's body and that blood stains on May’s blouse matched Mack's DNA profile. Blood and tissue found under May's fingertips were also consistent with Mack's DNA.
The State charged Mack with the first-degree murder with deliberation and premeditation and/or during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a sexual assault. The State sought the death penalty, alleging two aggravating circumstances: the six foot three inch tall Mack committed the murder while under sentence of imprisonment, and he committed the murder while committing or fleeing after committing a sexual assault. Mack denied any involvement in killing May.
Before trial Mack personally informed the Second Judicial District Court of Washoe County that he would "like to waive the jury trial and have a judge trial alone." After carefully reviewing the matter, the court granted Mack's request after which one judge, James W. Hardesty, found him guilty.
During the penalty phase the State argued for the death penalty showing that Mack was under sentence of imprisonment for a burglary conviction in California
in June 1988. Mack offered condolences, spoke to May's family, and apologized to his own family. He said that he could not find words to express his shame and he asked the panel for the opportunity to continue his rehabilitation in prison. The three-judge panel sentenced him to death. Mack did not pursue any federal appeals. Before his execution Mack had a fish fillet sandwich, french fries and a soft drink as his last meal. His last words
were, "Allah is great, Allah is great".
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City, Nevada
Carson City, Nevada
The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...
on April 26, 2006. Mack was found guilty of the 1988 murder of Betty Jane May, a 55 year-old white female. Mack, who was 30 years old when he committed the capital crime, was sentenced to death on May 15, 2002. He was the 1019th execution carried out in US since 1976.
Crime
Betty May lived in a basement room at a boarding house in Reno, NevadaReno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. Steven Floyd lived in the house next door with the managers of the boarding house, Jim and Kelly Bassett. On the night of October 28, 1988, Floyd, who had been drinking at a nearby bar that night, was returning home to try to borrow some money. He knew May and saw that her light was on, so he went to her room to ask for money. Floyd knocked on her door, which was slightly open, but there was no response. He opened the door and saw May kneeling by her bed with her upper body facedown on the bed. He then turned her over and realized that she was dead. Floyd immediately went home and told the Bassetts, and police were called.
An autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
was performed the next morning. Fingernail scrapings and evidentiary swabs from May's vagina and left foot were collected. The swabs tested positive for semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
. There were abrasions on May's neck, bruises on her inner thighs, lacerations of her fingertips, lips, and nose, blood in her vagina, and a hemorrhage within her cervix. May was wearing a blue blouse that was bloodstained. The medical experts at trial all agreed that she had been manually strangled to death. An expert for the State testified that May had suffered forceful traumatic sexual penetration not long before her death.
Conviction and Execution
In April 1994 Mack strangled a woman, Kim Parks, to death for which he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of paroleParole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
. At that time of his arrest police had taken a blood sample from Mack. Some 12 years later, with DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
forensic testing more fully established, Detective David Jenkins took over the May investigation and requested DNA testing of the samples taken from May in 1988. Jenkins also obtained a saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
sample from Mack pursuant to a seizure order.
A criminalist for the Washoe County
Washoe County, Nevada
Washoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 421,407 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County includes the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area.-History:...
Sheriff testified that semen taken from May's body and that blood stains on May’s blouse matched Mack's DNA profile. Blood and tissue found under May's fingertips were also consistent with Mack's DNA.
The State charged Mack with the first-degree murder with deliberation and premeditation and/or during the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a sexual assault. The State sought the death penalty, alleging two aggravating circumstances: the six foot three inch tall Mack committed the murder while under sentence of imprisonment, and he committed the murder while committing or fleeing after committing a sexual assault. Mack denied any involvement in killing May.
Before trial Mack personally informed the Second Judicial District Court of Washoe County that he would "like to waive the jury trial and have a judge trial alone." After carefully reviewing the matter, the court granted Mack's request after which one judge, James W. Hardesty, found him guilty.
During the penalty phase the State argued for the death penalty showing that Mack was under sentence of imprisonment for a burglary conviction in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in June 1988. Mack offered condolences, spoke to May's family, and apologized to his own family. He said that he could not find words to express his shame and he asked the panel for the opportunity to continue his rehabilitation in prison. The three-judge panel sentenced him to death. Mack did not pursue any federal appeals. Before his execution Mack had a fish fillet sandwich, french fries and a soft drink as his last meal. His last words
Last words
Last words are a person's final words spoken before death.Last Words may also refer to:* Last Words , an Australian punk band* Last Words , a memoir by George Carlin* Last Words , a 1968 short film directed by Werner Herzog...
were, "Allah is great, Allah is great".
See also
- Capital punishment in Nevada
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...