John Louis Evans

John Louis Evans

First prisoner executed in Alabama
Date of Birth: 04.01.1950
Country: USA

Content:
  1. Biography of John Lewis Evans III
  2. Life of Crime
  3. Death Sentence
  4. Legal Appeals
  5. Execution
  6. Last Moments
  7. Legacy

Biography of John Lewis Evans III

John Lewis Evans III was born on January 4, 1950, in Beaumont, Texas. He became the first executed prisoner in the state of Alabama after the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1976.

John Louis Evans

Life of Crime

After his release from prison in Indiana in 1976, Evans, along with his accomplice Wayne Ritter, went on a crime spree for two months. They admitted to committing over 30 armed robberies, kidnapping 9 people, and extorting money from citizens in seven different states. On January 5, 1977, Evans and Ritter robbed and killed Edward Nassar, the owner of a pawnshop in Mobile, Alabama, in front of his two young daughters. The criminals fled but were captured by FBI agents in Little Rock, Arkansas, on March 7.

Death Sentence

During the trial, Evans confessed to all the crimes and expressed no remorse. He even threatened to escape and kill the jurors if they didn't sentence him to death. Despite his admissions, the jury deliberated for only 15 minutes before convicting Evans and recommending the death penalty for him. Evans was sentenced to death for first-degree murder committed during a robbery in a state court in Mobile on April 26, 1977.

Legal Appeals

Evans' mother, Betty, filed a petition with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama as a next friend on April 2, 1982, seeking to have his sentence declared unconstitutional. However, the district court rejected her petition on the grounds that she did not have the right to act as his next friend. Betty then appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which overturned the district court's decision. In July 1982, Evans fired his attorneys and requested to halt all appeals. The Court of Appeals granted his request on October 19.

Execution

On April 22, 1982, at the age of 33, John Lewis Evans III was executed in Holman Prison, near Atmore, Alabama. An electric chair, known as the "Yellow Mama," was used for the execution. It had not been used since 1965, when a series of Supreme Court decisions placed a de facto moratorium on the death penalty until the case of Gregg v. Georgia in 1976. Mark Harris, a reporter, witnessed the execution and described the horrifying scene in an article published on May 4, 1983.

Last Moments

Harris witnessed the doctors examining Evans' body and confirming his death. However, Evans' body still showed signs of life after the first electric shock, leading to a second shock. Finally, after a third shock, doctors declared Evans dead at 8:44 PM. The entire execution lasted 14 minutes.

Legacy

Shortly before his execution, Evans appeared in an episode of the television series "After School Special" titled "Dead Wrong," where he shared his life story with young viewers and urged them not to make the mistakes that led him to the electric chair. Wayne Ritter, Evans' accomplice, was also executed by electric chair on August 28, 1987.

© BIOGRAPHS