Napoleon Beazley
Encyclopedia
Napoleon Beazley was a convicted murder
er executed
by lethal injection
by the State of Texas
for the murder of 63-year-old Texas business
man 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 appeal
s 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.
On May 28, 2002, the Court voted unanimously 6-0 to reject Beazley's request for a writ of habeas corpus
.
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. 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.
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.
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 executed
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...
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...
by the State of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
for the murder of 63-year-old Texas business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man John Luttig in 1994. Beazley shot Luttig in his garage on April 19, 1994 in order to steal his family's Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
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
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
, J. Michael Luttig
J. Michael Luttig
J. Michael Luttig is an American lawyer and a former federal appellate court judge.-Education and early work:Born in Tyler, Texas, Luttig graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1976. He then attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in...
. During his appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
s to the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, three of the nine justices recused
Recusal
Judicial disqualification, also referred to as recusal, refers to the act of abstaining from participation in an official action such as a legal proceeding due to a conflict of interest of the presiding court official or administrative officer. Applicable statutes or canons of ethics may provide...
themselves because of their personal ties to Judge Luttig, leaving six justices to review the case. Justice Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
recused himself because Luttig had clerked for him, while Justices David Souter and Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
recused themselves from the decision because Luttig had led the George H. W. Bush Administration's
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
successful effort to gain U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
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
Stay of execution
A stay of execution is a court order to temporarily suspend the execution of a court judgment or other court order. The word "execution" does not necessarily mean the death penalty; it refers to the imposition of whatever judgment is being stayed....
, with the tie vote resulting in a rejection of the request.
On May 28, 2002, the Court voted unanimously 6-0 to reject Beazley's request for a writ of habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
.
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. Some organizations, such as Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, 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.
Beazley was one of the last juvenile offenders to be executed in the United States. In 2004, the Supreme Court (in Roper v. Simmons
Roper v. Simmons
Roper v. Simmons, was a decision in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18. The 5-4 decision overruled the Court's prior ruling upholding such sentences on offenders above or at the...
) 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.
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 (JPGJPEGIn computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
). Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
. Retrieved on 2007-11-11. - Last Statement. Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(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.
- http://web.archive.org/web/20040208061330/www.tdcj.state.tx.us/stat/beazleynapoleonlast.htm
- Caged Animals. An essay on confinement, by Napoleon Beazley.
