254:. He forced the Rodstein family to go to his room at the same motel, which was located directly next door to their own room. He bound the family of four with tape, gagged them, and took their money. Over the next two days, Dawson strangled three of the four family members: 39-year-old David Rodstein, his wife 39-year-old Monica, and their 11-year-old son Andrew. Their 15-year-old daughter Amy was found alive in Dawson's motel room two days after the murders.
31:
226:. As a child, Dawson was described as sickly and clumsy and had difficulty making friends. He married as a young adult and reportedly may have fathered a daughter. The couple divorced, however. In the early 1980s, Dawson moved to Montana to work in construction and found work in
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320:. It was the first execution in Montana in more than eight years. Dawson remains the third of only three people to be executed in Montana since the resumption of the death penalty. The others were
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210:. He was the second of three children and had two sisters. His father reportedly owned several businesses that failed, and the family moved around states when he was younger, moving to
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The trial for Dawson came to a close in
February 1987. The jury deliberated for about 14 hours and returned with guilty verdicts for three counts of deliberate
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As of 2023, Dawson remains the most recent person to be executed by the state of
Montana, which has gone over seventeen years without an execution.
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242:. Before the Rodstein family murders, he worked as a construction worker and was described as a drug addict.
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On April 18, 1986, Dawson broke into a motel room that was occupied by the
Rodstein family in
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182:(October 20, 1957 – August 11, 2006) was an American convicted murderer who was executed at
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312:. When asked if he had any last words, Dawson said "No." He was executed by
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190:. Dawson was executed for the April 1986 murders of the Rodstein family in
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802:"Montana lawmakers hear bill that would allow executions to move forward"
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274:. On April 15, 1987, Dawson was sentenced to death by District Judge
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591:"A timeline of events in the David Dawson murder case and execution"
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774:"Montana House committee tables bill to abolish death penalty"
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each member of the
Rodstein family, and a guilty verdict for
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on August 11, 2006, under the authority of the state of
559:"USA (Montana): Death penalty: David Thomas Dawson (m)"
531:"Classmates In Shock Following Montana Triple Slaying"
471:"Man convicted of three murders executed in Montana"
361:
List of people executed in the United States in 2006
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409:"Gazette opinion: Abolish Montana's death penalty"
685:"Man convicted of killing 3 executed in Montana"
499:"'87 killings studied in light of Bromgard case"
194:. He remains the most recent person executed in
653:"Dawson put to death six minutes past midnight"
904:People executed by Montana by lethal injection
351:List of most recent executions by jurisdiction
8:
879:21st-century executions of American people
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18:
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206:Dawson was born on October 20, 1957, in
800:Ambarian, Jonathon (February 3, 2021).
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346:Capital punishment in the United States
772:Hanson, Amy Beth (February 23, 2021).
899:People convicted of murder by Montana
7:
889:American people executed for murder
712:MacDonald, John (August 11, 2006).
651:MacDonald, John (August 11, 2006).
874:21st-century executions by Montana
356:List of people executed in Montana
14:
839:Executions carried out in Montana
751:Death Penalty Information Center
618:Bohrer, Becky (August 7, 2006).
497:Tuttle, Greg (January 2, 2003).
469:Florio, Gwen (August 11, 2006).
438:"Survivor calmly told of ordeal"
894:Executed people from California
746:"Searchable Execution Database"
567:. July 19, 2006. Archived from
436:Tuttle, Greg (August 5, 2006).
278:. Dawson waived the ability to
884:American murderers of children
1:
341:Capital punishment in Montana
282:his conviction and sentence.
91:Execution by lethal injection
16:American murderer (1957–2006)
230:. He rented an apartment in
384:"David Thomas Dawson #1039"
266:, four guilty verdicts for
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322:Duncan Peder McKenzie Jr.
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96:
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293:, two large servings of
289:consisted of two double
258:Sentencing and execution
779:San Francisco Chronicle
388:Clark County Prosecutor
909:People from San Diego
714:"Dawson put to death"
564:Amnesty International
308:, and two bottles of
208:San Diego, California
832:Terry Allen Langford
719:The Montana Standard
620:"Dawson's last days"
326:Terry Allen Langford
184:Montana State Prison
75:Montana State Prison
417:. February 21, 2019
297:, half a gallon of
188:Deer Lodge, Montana
180:David Thomas Dawson
139:Andrew Rodstein, 11
137:Monica Rodstein, 39
109:Deliberate homicide
87:Cause of death
79:Deer Lodge, Montana
23:David Thomas Dawson
658:Independent Record
625:Independent Record
571:on August 10, 2006
135:David Rodstein, 39
852:
851:
844:Succeeded by
726:on March 26, 2021
693:. August 11, 2006
665:on March 26, 2021
632:on March 26, 2021
599:. August 10, 2006
511:on March 26, 2021
450:on March 26, 2021
252:Billings, Montana
192:Billings, Montana
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314:lethal injection
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116:Criminal penalty
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103:Conviction(s)
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811:. Retrieved
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755:. Retrieved
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728:. Retrieved
724:the original
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669:November 10,
667:. Retrieved
663:the original
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636:November 10,
634:. Retrieved
630:the original
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575:November 10,
573:. Retrieved
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541:. Retrieved
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509:the original
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482:November 10,
480:. Retrieved
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452:. Retrieved
448:the original
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419:. Retrieved
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393:November 10,
391:. Retrieved
387:
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324:in 1995 and
295:french fries
284:
261:
249:
205:
179:
178:
69:(2006-08-11)
869:2006 deaths
864:1957 births
858:Categories
367:References
276:Diane Barz
268:kidnapping
212:California
202:Early life
111:(3 counts)
56:California
44:1957-10-20
813:March 26,
785:March 26,
757:March 26,
730:March 26,
697:March 26,
603:March 26,
543:March 26,
515:March 26,
476:USA Today
454:March 26,
421:March 26,
328:in 1998.
310:Dr Pepper
306:ice cream
287:last meal
285:Dawson's
236:marijuana
52:San Diego
690:NBC News
335:See also
264:homicide
232:Billings
228:Colstrip
216:Colorado
163:State(s)
807:KTVH-DT
318:Montana
304:ripple
299:vanilla
272:robbery
246:Murders
224:Montana
220:Florida
196:Montana
168:Montana
152:Country
132:Victims
127:Details
280:appeal
222:, and
81:, U.S.
58:, U.S.
302:fudge
120:Death
847:None
815:2021
787:2021
759:2021
732:2021
699:2021
671:2007
638:2007
605:2021
577:2007
545:2021
517:2021
484:2007
456:2021
423:2021
395:2007
238:and
144:Date
64:Died
38:Born
186:in
860::
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375:^
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46:)
42:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
