Welcome to the first monthly post of the remote recording season of The Witching Hour! For this September post, we are gonna talk about some famous last words of some death row inmates and the crimes that put them there!
First, we have the last words of Gary Gilmore: “Let’s do it!” Gilmore began his life as a crime committing petty thief as a teen. He was first sent to reform school when he was 14 for stealing a car. After only a year, he was released and continued with his criminal habits. He spent time in and out of jail for the rest of his life for sentences varying from 1 year to 15 years. In 1976, Gilmore committed two murders. Gilmore was only tried for one, the murder of motel manager Ben Bushnell, where the evidence was especially strong. He was elected to be executed by firing squad on January 14.1977. Gilmore’s last words also serve as the inspiration for the famous tagline of the brand Nike, “Just do it.”
Next, we will discuss the last words of Robert Alton Harris. Before his execution, Harris said, “You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everyone dances with the grim reaper.” Harris’ execution in 1992 was the first execution in the state of California since 1967. In 1978, Harris and his brother hijacked a car that had two teenage boys in it. He had the 16 year olds drive to a remote area before he killed them. Harris was only 23 at the time. The brothers then robbed a nearby bank and used the stolen car as a getaway vehicle. He was arrested an hour later, and on March 6,1979 he was sentenced to death.
The final last words from death row inmates we will be covering today is those of Carl Panzram. He committed his first crime at age 12, where he stole food and a revolver from a neighbor’s home. Upon being caught, he was sent to reform school. Unfortunately, this did not change Pansram’s behavior. He later claimed to have committed over 22 murders across the globe. He was sentenced to death for murdering a foreman while serving a prison sentence later in his life. In 1930, Panzram was executed, but showed absolutely no remorse for his actions. His final words being: “Hurry up…I could hang a dozen men while you’re screwing around!”
Thanks for listening to the Witching Hour! To stay updated, follow us on instagram @thewitchinghour.khdx! To conclude, I would like to end on a quote not given by a death row inmate. Instead, I will give the last word to the last words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: “You are wonderful!”
Sources:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58534/64-people-and-their-famous-last-words
http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/13-of-the-most-disturbing-last-words-from-death-row-prisoners/
https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-serial-killer-last-words/ranker-crime
https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/gary-gilmore
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gary-Gilmore
https://scarycarries.com/2019/06/10/robert-alton-harris/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/carl-panzram
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/carl-panzram-34302.php
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