AMERICAN KILLERS Vol 4. Alaska & Arkansas - Paperback

by Barry Faulkner (Author)

Biographies of the killers and serial killers of Alaska and Arkansas. Their backgrounds, lives, crimes and punishments.

ALASKA; Capital punishment has never been practiced in Alaska throughout its history as a state, as it was abolished in 1957. Between December 28th, 1869, and April 14th, 1950, between the Department, District, and Territory of Alaska, twelve felons, all male, were executed by hanging for murder, robbery, and other crimes. Some were European, some were Native American, and two were African. The territorial legislature abolished capital punishment in 1957 during preparations for statehood, making Alaska the first in the West Coast of the United States to outlaw executions, along with Hawaii, which did the same.

ARKANSAS; Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. State of Arkansas. The verdict must be delivered by a jury and be unanimous. The method of execution was changed from hanging to the electric chair in 1913. The chair was constructed from wood taken from the old gallows. A new chair was installed in the 1970s. The current method of execution is by lethal injection. Executions are currently performed at the Arkansas Department of Correction Cummins Unit situated adjacent to death row in the Varner Unit. The female death row is located in McPherson Unit. The last person executed as of 2024 was Kenneth Williams in 2017.