State & Federal
Michigan
History of Death Penalty
Only 13 executions were carried out in Michigan’s history, just 6 of which occurred after Michigan officially became a territory in 1805. The only execution carried out in Michigan after it gained statehood was the federal execution (outside state jurisdiction) of Anthony Chebatoris in 1938. The death penalty has been constitutionally banned in Michigan since 1963.
Famous Cases
In 1828, Patrick Fitzpatrick was hanged after being declared guilty for the rape and murder of an innkeeper’s daughter. In 1835, Fitzpatrick’s former roommate confessed to the murder on his deathbed, proving that Fitzpatrick had been executed for a murder in which he was innocent.
Other Interesting Facts
Michigan became the first English-speaking territory in the world to abolish capital punishment in 1847. Treason remained a crime punishable by the death penalty in Michigan despite the 1847 abolition, but no one was ever executed under that law. In 1962 a constitutional convention passed a proposal to abolish the death penalty for all crimes in Michigan by a 108 to 3 vote.
Resources
News & Developments
News
Jul 27, 2015
Citing High Cost of Death Penalty Appeals, California Prosecutor Agrees to Reduce Prisoner’s Sentence to Life Without Parole
Citing the high cost of death penalty appeals and difficulty obtaining custody of an out-of-state prisoner, the Kern County, California District Attorney’s office has agreed to reduce the 1989 death sentence imposed upon Clarence Ray (pictured) to a sentence of life without parole. Ray’s lawyers had filed a petition challenging the constitutionality of his California conviction and death sentence. The parties reached agreement that Ray’s death sentence would be reversed in…
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Oct 16, 2014
NEW RESOURCES: Podcast Series on Each State’s Death Penalty
DPIC has recently added four podcasts to our new series on important facts about the death penalty in each state. Seven state podcasts are now available: Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii. We expect to add new episodes each week, with two more coming tomorow (Oct. 17). The series has begun with states that have abolished the death…
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Aug 29, 2014
NEW RESOURCES: Podcasts on Individual States
DPIC is beginning a new series of podcasts based on the history of the death penalty in each state. The series will first present the states that have ended the death penalty. Three podcasts, featuring Michigan, Wisconsin, and Maine, are now available. These short audio clips summarize the history surrounding the repeal of the death penalty in those states, including famous cases, issues that spurred legislators to take action, and subsequent…
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Mar 12, 2013
BOOKS: Gil Wanger’s Lifetime of Work Against Capital Punishment
The Michigan Committee Against Capital Punishment has published a collection of over 40 years of testimony, brochures, and other information by attorney and death-penalty expert Eugene Wanger. The collection begins with the resolution from Michigan’s 1962 constitutional convention banning capital punishment in the state. It includes Wanger’s testimony at numerous hearings opposing bills attempting to reinstate the death penalty, as well as brochures and short…
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Aug 04, 2011
First Federal Death Sentence in Non-Death Penalty State Overturned
On August 3 the U.S. Court of the Appeals for the Sixth Circuit overturned the federal death sentence of Marvin Gabrion, who was convicted of a 1997 murder in a National Forest in Michigan. Gabrion was the first defendant in the country to receive the federal death penalty for a crime committed in a non-death penalty state since the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988. All three members of the judicial panel upheld Gabriion’s murder…
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