Steven Van McHone
Encyclopedia
Steven Van McHone was a murder
er executed by the U.S. state
of North Carolina
. He was convicted of killing his mother, Mildred Johnson Adams, and stepfather Wesley Dalton Adams, Sr. on June 3, 1990 in Surry County, North Carolina
.
. Wesley, Jr. saw his father and half-brother wrestling and McHone was holding a handgun. Wesley, Jr. managed to disarm McHone but then when he returned to the phone, the wrestling resumed and then the two headed out of sight of him, up a hallway. His father returned about a minute later saying that his mother was "facedown out back". McHone reappeared carrying a shotgun, raising it into a firing position. His stepfather moved towards him and attempted to grab the gun, but McHone fired, throwing Wesley, Sr. with such force that he hit and knocked down Wesley, Jr.. McHone and Wesley, Jr. struggled again, with McHone cursing Wesley and crying, asking Wesley to shoot McHone for what he had done.
The first response team arrived at the scene and found Wesley, Sr. dead with a large chest wound, and Mildred Adams alive, but with a gunshot wound to the head. About 2 a.m., a Deputy Sheriff with the Surry County Sheriff's Department arrived and McHone was placed into a patrol car. The Deputy Sheriff would testify that although he smelled alcohol on McHone's breath, he did not believe that he was drunk to the point of not being aware of his actions and the consequences.
His appeals centered on the fact he was under the influence of alcohol and possibly other drugs at the time of the murders. Voluntary intoxication is a defense to a capital indictment under North Carolina state law. Also the trial counsel
had failed to object to inappropriate statements of the prosecutor and unsatisfactory jury instruction.
On November 9, 2005, the execution had been stayed after Surry County Superior Court Judge Anderson Cromer had agreed to hear testimony from paramedic Teresa Durham, who said in an affidavit
that Mildred Adams had said McHone had not shot her. This ruling was overturned by the North Carolina Supreme Court
the next day, without reason in their one page decision.
Clemency was denied by Governor
Mike Easley
on November 10 and McHone's appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States
was denied without comment. Easley had met with the family of McHone, some of whom wished that he not be executed.
For his last meal he ordered medium rare
porterhouse steak
, steak fries
, chocolate cheese cake, and a 20 oz.
Mountain Dew
. After entering the execution chamber
strapped to a gurney at 1:50 a.m. EST, he did not make an official final statement but did appear to say "I'm so sorry" to his half-brother. McHone then exchanged smiles and laughter with his attorney and with two friends, who were among nine people who served as official witnesses.
At about 2 a.m., executioners added a sedative to McHone's intravenous lines. He closed his eyes within two minutes and appeared to be asleep. Two lethal chemicals were added, and at 2:05 a.m. McHone's torso shook quickly and his face became pale. He appeared not to move afterward. He was pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m..
Wesley Adams, Jr. released a statement after the execution:
"We have sympathy and pray for comfort for those who will grieve Steve's passing. We do, however, feel that justice was upheld and that this fate was sealed many years ago. We feel that the enforcement of duly deliberated and prescribed sentences send a stronger message, as to the sanctity of human life, than does the sparing of those who have taken life willfully and brutally."
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 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 North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He was convicted of killing his mother, Mildred Johnson Adams, and stepfather Wesley Dalton Adams, Sr. on June 3, 1990 in Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County, North Carolina
Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 73,673. Its county seat is Dobson.- History :The county was formed in 1771 from Rowan County...
.
Crime
Steven McHone's step brother Wesley Adams, Jr. and his wife Wendy were visiting Wesley Adams Sr. and his wife, Mildred. Just after midnight on June 3, McHone was heard arguing with the couple by Wesley, Jr. and Wendy, who were in bed. Mildred Adams entered their room and asked if they had moved a handgun that was in the house. They replied that they hadn't and she left and closed the door. Before Wesley, Jr. could get dressed, three shots were heard. Wendy said she heard the elder Wesley tell her husband to call 9-1-19-1-1
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan .It is one of eight N11 codes.The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose can be a crime.-History:In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the...
. Wesley, Jr. saw his father and half-brother wrestling and McHone was holding a handgun. Wesley, Jr. managed to disarm McHone but then when he returned to the phone, the wrestling resumed and then the two headed out of sight of him, up a hallway. His father returned about a minute later saying that his mother was "facedown out back". McHone reappeared carrying a shotgun, raising it into a firing position. His stepfather moved towards him and attempted to grab the gun, but McHone fired, throwing Wesley, Sr. with such force that he hit and knocked down Wesley, Jr.. McHone and Wesley, Jr. struggled again, with McHone cursing Wesley and crying, asking Wesley to shoot McHone for what he had done.
The first response team arrived at the scene and found Wesley, Sr. dead with a large chest wound, and Mildred Adams alive, but with a gunshot wound to the head. About 2 a.m., a Deputy Sheriff with the Surry County Sheriff's Department arrived and McHone was placed into a patrol car. The Deputy Sheriff would testify that although he smelled alcohol on McHone's breath, he did not believe that he was drunk to the point of not being aware of his actions and the consequences.
Execution
McHone was sentenced to death on March 7, 1991.His appeals centered on the fact he was under the influence of alcohol and possibly other drugs at the time of the murders. Voluntary intoxication is a defense to a capital indictment under North Carolina state law. Also the trial counsel
Counsel
A counsel or a counselor gives advice, more particularly in legal matters.-U.K. and Ireland:The legal system in England uses the term counsel as an approximate synonym for a barrister-at-law, and may apply it to mean either a single person who pleads a cause, or collectively, the body of barristers...
had failed to object to inappropriate statements of the prosecutor and unsatisfactory jury instruction.
On November 9, 2005, the execution had been stayed after Surry County Superior Court Judge Anderson Cromer had agreed to hear testimony from paramedic Teresa Durham, who said in an affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
that Mildred Adams had said McHone had not shot her. This ruling was overturned by the North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...
the next day, without reason in their one page decision.
Clemency was denied by Governor
Governor of North Carolina
The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...
Mike Easley
Mike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
on November 10 and McHone's appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States
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...
was denied without comment. Easley had met with the family of McHone, some of whom wished that he not be executed.
For his last meal he ordered medium rare
Medium Rare
The Medium is Singapore's first full-length English language film. It was released in local cinemas in late 1991 and produced by Singaporean Errol Pang. It was initially supposed to be directed by a Singaporean, Tony Yeow, then by an American, Stan Barret, and finally by Arthur Smith, who was...
porterhouse steak
T-bone steak
The T-bone and Porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin and including a T-shaped bone with meat on each side: the larger is a strip steak and the smaller a tenderloin steak...
, steak fries
French fries
French fries , chips, fries, or French-fried potatoes are strips of deep-fried potato. North Americans tend to refer to any pieces of deep-fried potatoes as fries or French fries, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of deep-fried potatoes are...
, chocolate cheese cake, and a 20 oz.
Fluid ounce
A fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 28.4 mL in the imperial system or about 29.6 mL in the US system. The fluid ounce is distinct from the ounce, which measures mass...
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew is a citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in the 1940s by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman and was first marketed in Marion, VA, Knoxville and Johnson City, Tennessee. A revised formula was...
. After entering the execution chamber
Execution chamber
An execution chamber, or death chamber, is a room or chamber in which a legal execution is carried out. Execution chambers are almost always inside the walls of a maximum-security prison, although not always at the same prison where the death row population is housed...
strapped to a gurney at 1:50 a.m. EST, he did not make an official final statement but did appear to say "I'm so sorry" to his half-brother. McHone then exchanged smiles and laughter with his attorney and with two friends, who were among nine people who served as official witnesses.
At about 2 a.m., executioners added a sedative to McHone's intravenous lines. He closed his eyes within two minutes and appeared to be asleep. Two lethal chemicals were added, and at 2:05 a.m. McHone's torso shook quickly and his face became pale. He appeared not to move afterward. He was pronounced dead at 2:10 a.m..
Wesley Adams, Jr. released a statement after the execution:
"We have sympathy and pray for comfort for those who will grieve Steve's passing. We do, however, feel that justice was upheld and that this fate was sealed many years ago. We feel that the enforcement of duly deliberated and prescribed sentences send a stronger message, as to the sanctity of human life, than does the sparing of those who have taken life willfully and brutally."
See also
- 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...
- List of individuals executed in North Carolina