Ralph Hudson
Encyclopedia
Ralph Hudson was the last person to be executed
by New Jersey
.
A native of Coatesville, Pennsylvania
, Hudson was tried and convicted of stabbing his estranged wife Myrtle Hudson to death as she worked at a Atlantic City, New Jersey
restaurant on December 27, 1960. Hudson had been convicted of assault and battery four months earlier and was sentenced to six months in jail but had been let out for Christmas.
He was executed by electric chair
in the Trenton State Prison. Although other prisoners were sentenced to death by New Jersey after Hudson, no prisoner has been executed since Hudson.
The New Jersey Legislature
voted to abolish the death penalty in 2007, and the measure was signed into law by Governor
Jon S. Corzine.
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 New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
A native of Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Coatesville is the only city in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,100 at the 2010 census. Coatesville is approximately 39 miles west of Philadelphia....
, Hudson was tried and convicted of stabbing his estranged wife Myrtle Hudson to death as she worked at a Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
restaurant on December 27, 1960. Hudson had been convicted of assault and battery four months earlier and was sentenced to six months in jail but had been let out for Christmas.
He was executed by electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
in the Trenton State Prison. Although other prisoners were sentenced to death by New Jersey after Hudson, no prisoner has been executed since Hudson.
The New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
voted to abolish the death penalty in 2007, and the measure was signed into law by Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Jon S. Corzine.