Caryl Chessman A well-known criminal, rapist and robber. Date of Birth: 27.05.1921 Country: USA

Biography of Caryl Chessman

Caryl Chessman, a notorious criminal, rapist, and robber, was born on May 27, 1921. He grew up in difficult circumstances, and as an adult, he found himself behind bars multiple times, spending a significant portion of his life in prisons. At the age of 27, Chessman was accused of seventeen crimes, including robberies, kidnappings, and rapes, and was sentenced to death. This sparked a debate about the legitimacy of the death penalty in both society and legal circles. While most believed that Chessman deserved the harshest punishment and should face it, Chessman vehemently opposed it.

Chessman acted as his own lawyer and vigorously argued for his innocence. He tried to convince the court and the jury that he was falsely accused of crimes he did not commit. Chessman claimed to know the true culprit but was unable to reveal their identity. He persistently asserted that his previous confessions were obtained through torture. For twelve years, Chessman remained on death row, filing complaints and appeals, which delayed the execution (the execution was postponed eight times).

After lengthy proceedings, the Supreme Court of the United States finally rendered a final verdict in February 1960: Chessman was to be executed. Chessman then appealed to the governor of California, Edmund Brown, who was a staunch opponent of the death penalty and found himself in a difficult situation. Initially, Brown did not intervene in the case, but just hours before the scheduled execution, he stepped in and postponed it for 60 days. He justified this decision by expressing concerns that carrying out the sentence could provoke public unrest, especially on the eve of the 34th President of the United States' visit to South America.

A significant portion of the public advocated for saving Chessman's life. However, despite the 1955 decision to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment, Chessman's sentence remained unchanged. On May 2, 1960, Chessman was taken to the gas chamber. As the execution was underway, an unexpected order to halt it was received due to the discovery of new details in the case. Unfortunately, it was not possible to interrupt the execution, and the sentence was carried out.