David M. Brewer
Encyclopedia
David M. Brewer was the ninth person executed by the state of Ohio
since it reinstated the death penalty in 1981. Brewer died by lethal injection
on April 29, 2003, after spending 17 years and six months on death row
. He was convicted of the 1985 rape
and murder
of Sherry Byrne, the wife of a college fraternity brother.
After his indictment by a grand jury
, Brewer waived his right to a jury and elected to be tried by a three-judge panel. He was found guilty on September 19, 1985, and sentenced to death in October 1985. His subsequent appeals at the state and federal levels were unsuccessful, as was his request for executive clemency.
At 10:00 AM on April 29, 2003, Brewer was lead into the execution chamber at the state prison in Lucasville, Ohio
. He was declared dead at 10:20 AM.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
since it reinstated the death penalty in 1981. Brewer died by lethal injection
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...
on April 29, 2003, after spending 17 years and six months on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
. He was convicted of the 1985 rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of Sherry Byrne, the wife of a college fraternity brother.
After his indictment by a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
, Brewer waived his right to a jury and elected to be tried by a three-judge panel. He was found guilty on September 19, 1985, and sentenced to death in October 1985. His subsequent appeals at the state and federal levels were unsuccessful, as was his request for executive clemency.
At 10:00 AM on April 29, 2003, Brewer was lead into the execution chamber at the state prison in Lucasville, Ohio
Lucasville, Ohio
Lucasville is a census-designated place in Scioto County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The village of Lucasville was laid out by Captain John Lucas in June 1819 and recorded August 7, 1819. Captain Lucas built the first tavern in the village and kept it until...
. He was declared dead at 10:20 AM.
Resources
- Clark Prosecutor
- "Ohio's Seventh Execution Since 1999; Killer Offers No Final Apology" Columbus Dispatch (Ohio). April 30, 2003
- State v. Brewer, 1996 Ohio App. LEXIS 2517
- State v. Brewer, 1988 Ohio App. LEXIS 3492
- 2005 Capital Crimes Report (PDF) Office of the Ohio Attorney General.