Gary Lee Davis
Encyclopedia
Gary Lee Davis was a convicted murder
er and rapist
who was executed by the U.S. state
of Colorado
in 1997. He is the first person to have been subject to the death penalty
in Colorado since the 1960s.
. Although raised by his mother, he later claimed to have suffered sexual abuse
from an early age at the hands of his older stepbrothers. After dropping out of school in the ninth grade, Davis joined the United States Marine Corps
in 1961; he married Tonya Ann Tatem and had two sons with her before their divorce. Davis held various jobs before marrying Leona Coates in 1974; he was 30 and she was 17 years old. They had four children.
Although Davis apparently had a history of predatory sexual behavior, which he later admitted to in various accounts following his conviction for murder (on one occasion, he estimated that he had raped 15 women), his criminal record included only convictions for grand larceny
and burglary in Kansas
in 1970 and 1971, and menacing in Colorado
in 1979. In 1982, Davis was jailed on a sexual assault
conviction in Colorado; during his imprisonment, he struck up a correspondence with Rebecca Fincham. The two married in 1984, while Davis was still in prison. He was released in 1985 and he and Fincham moved to Byers, Colorado
.
Davis alternately encouraged and suspended appeals of his death sentence, which was upheld by state courts in 1990 and federal courts in 1995. During the time he sat on Colorado's death row, Davis was able to reunite with some of his family, including his first two wives, and, according to some witnesses, experienced a dramatic spiritual conversion during his final years.
Colorado Governor Roy Romer refused to grant clemency to Davis, stating, in part: "[T]here undoubtedly has been some rehabilitation of his character and his demeanor. But I do not believe that whatever remorse or rehabilitation that is displayed here justifies reaching that extraordinary event that would cause this governor to give him clemency."
. Shortly before his execution, Davis also requested a cigarette
; as a smoking ban
was in place in Colorado prisons, his request was denied. He made no final statement before being executed by lethal injection
.
Davis was pronounced dead at the Colorado
State Penitentiary
at 8:33 p.m. on October 13, 1997. As his death was the first execution carried out by the state of Colorado in approximately three decades, the event was subject to intense media coverage; about 200 anti-death-penalty protesters gathered outside the prison as Davis was executed, as did a smaller group of death penalty supporters. , Davis remains the only prisoner executed in the state of Colorado since 1967; his execution was the 417th carried out in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
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...
er and rapist
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...
who was executed by the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in 1997. He is the first person to have been subject to the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in Colorado since the 1960s.
Early life
Davis was born in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. Although raised by his mother, he later claimed to have suffered sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
from an early age at the hands of his older stepbrothers. After dropping out of school in the ninth grade, Davis joined the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
in 1961; he married Tonya Ann Tatem and had two sons with her before their divorce. Davis held various jobs before marrying Leona Coates in 1974; he was 30 and she was 17 years old. They had four children.
Although Davis apparently had a history of predatory sexual behavior, which he later admitted to in various accounts following his conviction for murder (on one occasion, he estimated that he had raped 15 women), his criminal record included only convictions for grand larceny
Grand Larceny
Grand Larceny is a 1987 thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and starring Marilu Henner, Ian McShane, Omar Sharif and Louis Jourdan.-Plot summary:...
and burglary in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1970 and 1971, and menacing in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in 1979. In 1982, Davis was jailed on a sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
conviction in Colorado; during his imprisonment, he struck up a correspondence with Rebecca Fincham. The two married in 1984, while Davis was still in prison. He was released in 1985 and he and Fincham moved to Byers, Colorado
Byers, Colorado
Byers is a census-designated place in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2010 census. The Byers Post Office has the ZIP Code 80103.-Geography:Byers is located at ....
.
Murder, trial, and conviction
On July 21, 1986, Davis and Fincham kidnapped their neighbor, Virginia May, from in front of her children; they subsequently drove her to a deserted field, where Davis raped May and then shot her 14 times with a rifle. At trial, Davis confessed to the murder, despite the advice of his attorneys; he was sentenced to death exactly one year after the murder, on July 21, 1987. The jury took only three hours to reach a verdict.Davis alternately encouraged and suspended appeals of his death sentence, which was upheld by state courts in 1990 and federal courts in 1995. During the time he sat on Colorado's death row, Davis was able to reunite with some of his family, including his first two wives, and, according to some witnesses, experienced a dramatic spiritual conversion during his final years.
Colorado Governor Roy Romer refused to grant clemency to Davis, stating, in part: "[T]here undoubtedly has been some rehabilitation of his character and his demeanor. But I do not believe that whatever remorse or rehabilitation that is displayed here justifies reaching that extraordinary event that would cause this governor to give him clemency."
Execution
Davis's last meal before his execution was vanilla and chocolate ice creamIce cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
. Shortly before his execution, Davis also requested a cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
; as a smoking ban
Smoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
was in place in Colorado prisons, his request was denied. He made no final statement before being executed 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...
.
Davis was pronounced dead at the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
State Penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
at 8:33 p.m. on October 13, 1997. As his death was the first execution carried out by the state of Colorado in approximately three decades, the event was subject to intense media coverage; about 200 anti-death-penalty protesters gathered outside the prison as Davis was executed, as did a smaller group of death penalty supporters. , Davis remains the only prisoner executed in the state of Colorado since 1967; his execution was the 417th carried out in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
See also
- List of individuals executed in Colorado
- 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...
External links
- The Killer Inside Him, by Alan Prendergast. (westword.com)
- Scenes from an Execution, by Alan Prendergast (westword.com)