The state's first execution in almost 10 years and only the third since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976 was carried out tonight at Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville.Marco Chapman, 37, was put to death by lethal injection and pronounced dead at 7:34 p.m., for the 2002 murders of two children. Chapman pled guilty to the killings and was sentenced to death in 2004. He refused to exhaust all of his appeals, claiming he deserved die for the crimes. Outside efforts to delay the execution were denied and the courts found Chapman competent to deny his appeals.
“Tonight, the state carried out the mandate of the court in a professional and solemn manner," Gov. Steve Beshear said shortly after the execution. "Let there be no question: Mr. Chapman committed a horrible crime, he pled guilty and was repeatedly found competent to make decisions. The state responded by doing its duty.
"My hope is that the Marksberry family, whose lives were torn apart by Mr. Chapman’s horrifying acts, can find some level of peace and the ability to move forward. I pray for them, and I pray for Mr. Chapman and his family on this difficult day.”
Chapman pled guilty to taking the life of a 7-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy in the early morning of Aug. 23, 2002. He also stabbed a 10-year-old girl and the children's mother, but both survived. The mother was also bound and raped. The crime took place in Warsaw, Ky.
Chapman's last meal, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal was a 32 oz., medium rare steak, 20 butterfly shrimp, salad with ranch dressing, iced tea and banana cream pie.
The last execution in Kentucky was that of 50-year-old Edward Lee Harper on May 25, 1999. A year earlier, Harold McQueen became the first person in Kentucky executed since the death penalty was reinstated 21 years earlier. There have been 165 men executed at Kentucky State Penitentiary since 1911. All but two, Chapman and Harper, died in the electric chair.
As of Nov. 1, 2008, 1,130 convicted murderers have been executed in the U.S. Four hundred and nineteen have taken place in Texas. There are currently 37 on death row in Kentucky, including one woman. Of the total, only six of the inmates facing execution are minorities. To view all of Kentucky's death row inmates, visit www.corrections.ky.gov/inmateinfo/deathrow.htm.
The last execution in Kentucky was that of 50-year-old Edward Lee Harper on May 25, 1999. A year earlier, Harold McQueen became the first person in Kentucky executed since the death penalty was reinstated 21 years earlier. There have been 165 men executed at Kentucky State Penitentiary since 1911. All but two, Chapman and Harper, died in the electric chair.
As of Nov. 1, 2008, 1,130 convicted murderers have been executed in the U.S. Four hundred and nineteen have taken place in Texas. There are currently 37 on death row in Kentucky, including one woman. Of the total, only six of the inmates facing execution are minorities. To view all of Kentucky's death row inmates, visit www.corrections.ky.gov/inmateinfo/deathrow.htm.
