William Henry Furman
Encyclopedia
William Henry Furman is an American convicted felon who was the central figure in Furman v. Georgia
, the case in which the United States Supreme Court outlawed most uses of the death penalty
in the United States
. Furman had a six-grade education and was judged "emotionally disturbed and mentally impaired." Furman was convicted of murdering, during a home invasion, William Micke, a father of 5, in Savannah
, Georgia
on August 11, 1967 and subsequently sentenced to death on September 20, 1968 after a one-day trial
. The sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court on the basis of the Eighth
and Fourteenth Amendment
s. Furman was parole
d in April 1984. He pleaded guilty to a 2004 burglary charge in Bibb County Superior Court, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison
.
, a man sentenced to death for a double killing during a robbery, would also
be standing before the Supreme Court, also pleading for his life (See: Gregg v. Georgia
). However, he would hear an entirely different decision; a decision that would end the short judicial abolition of the death penalty in the US and lead the renewal of the use of capital punishment in 1977 with the firing-squad execution of Gary Gilmore
in Utah
.
Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
, the case in which the United States Supreme Court outlawed most uses of 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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Furman had a six-grade education and was judged "emotionally disturbed and mentally impaired." Furman was convicted of murdering, during a home invasion, William Micke, a father of 5, in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
on August 11, 1967 and subsequently sentenced to death on September 20, 1968 after a one-day trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
. The sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court on the basis of the Eighth
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual...
and Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
s. Furman was parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d in April 1984. He pleaded guilty to a 2004 burglary charge in Bibb County Superior Court, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison
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...
.
Aftermath
Four years after the landmark decision, Troy Leon GreggTroy Leon Gregg
Troy Leon Gregg was the first condemned individual whose death sentence was upheld by the United States Supreme Court after the Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia invalidated all previously enacted death penalty laws in the United States. Gregg was convicted of having murdered Fred Edward...
, a man sentenced to death for a double killing during a robbery, would also
be standing before the Supreme Court, also pleading for his life (See: Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
). However, he would hear an entirely different decision; a decision that would end the short judicial abolition of the death penalty in the US and lead the renewal of the use of capital punishment in 1977 with the firing-squad execution of Gary Gilmore
Gary Gilmore
Gary Mark Gilmore was an American criminal, and murderer, who gained international notoriety for demanding that his own death sentence be fulfilled following two murders he committed in Utah. He became the first person executed in the United States after the U.S...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.