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in court, which biased their view of him during the trial. After the second trial, attorneys argued that the judge who presided over the trial gave an improper response to an inquiry by the jury regarding what life imprisonment meant. French had his third trial in 1965. All three trials involved French making a full, voluntary, and eager confession to
Shelton's murder and giving the exact same reason each time. Each trial ended with a death sentence. The third was the only one that was not successfully appealed, largely because French himself wrote to the
336:. However, the remark was not made at his execution, but in days prior, when French discussed his upcoming execution with reporter Bob Gregory. Gregory attended the execution and corroborated that French's real last words were, "Everything's already been said." Earlier, however, Gregory had met with French for an interview in the office of the warden of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. During the interview, Gregory reported that the following exchange took place:
526:
241:, in 1958. French had requested a death sentence for that charge, but the jury handed down a life sentence anyway, against his wishes. Dismayed, French wrote several letters to the governor asking for a new trial, one in which he could get a death sentence, but the letters went unanswered and ignored.
304:
placed a nationwide moratorium on the death penalty, causing every state to re-sentence all condemned inmates to life imprisonment. French's psychiatrist, upon reflecting on the crimes that sent him to the death chamber, wrote: "If
Oklahoma had not had the death penalty, it is likely that both of the
281:
The tests also revealed that French had long been suicidal, with one psychiatrist writing that French had "seriously attempted suicide several times in the past but always 'chickened out' at the last minute. His basic (and obviously abnormal) motive in murdering his inoffensive cellmate was to force
255:
French was fully aware of the consequences for his actions, making an immediate voluntary confession and explaining that he murdered
Shelton because Shelton "was stupid and refused to shape up." When he went to trial for Shelton's murder, French asked the judge to sentence him to death and deny all
268:
Third parties tried to save French's life during his time on death row. He won a total of three trials thanks to the efforts of attorneys working against his wishes. After the first trial, those attorneys won French a new trial based on the fact that jury members saw French in shackles while he was
251:
during French's time on death row, French "determined the victim should have a last meal," so he treated
Shelton to a steak sandwich from the prison canteen and "allowed" Shelton to go to breakfast. Upon Shelton's return from breakfast, "French wrapped a towel around neck" and strangled Shelton to
290:
At the time of French's execution, the death penalty was at a near standstill nationwide as a result of changing sentiments towards the death penalty. Oklahoma's last execution before French's was that of
Richard Dare, who died in the electric chair on June 1, 1963. Dare was executed for murdering
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During his time on death row, psychiatric tests revealed that French was of above average intelligence. Unlike most death row inmates, French had completed high school and two years of post-secondary education at college. He was also the author of a book on crime compulsion called
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his father-in-law and notably spent 717 days awaiting execution after his death sentence, which was unusually long for the time. Dare was executed only after a protracted legal struggle.
465:
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reporter at the scene wrote that "James Donald French got what he demanded: death in the electric chair", and commented that "he faced death with the same cockiness he faced life".
325:, but contemporaneous accounts of the execution mentioned that when prison warden Ray Page asked if French had any last words, "French replied: 'Everything's already been said.
900:
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Charles Owens was quoted as saying, almost two decades later, that had French not aggressively pursued his own death, he likely never would have been executed. After the
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haking hands as French prepared to return to death row, he leaned over to say: "If I were covering my execution, do you know what I'd say in the newspaper headline?"
920:
244:
While serving his life sentence, French was placed with inmate Eddie Lee
Shelton. The two did not get along, in addition to French growing tired of prison life.
910:
905:
260:, and he explained that he committed the murder to compel the state of Oklahoma to execute him. The judge obliged his request, imposing a death sentence.
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407:
at the
Oklahoma State Penitentiary. It was the first execution carried out in Oklahoma in over twenty-four years, since that of French's in 1966.
210:
367:, and the only execution to occur in the United States in 1966. Overall, it was the third to last nationwide, only being succeeded by that of
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After French "resisted all efforts to spare his life", he walked calmly into the execution chamber at 10:00 p.m. on August 10, 1966. An
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On
October 27, 1961, French attacked Shelton. According to Oklahoma County District Judge Charles Owens, who was an assistant
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asking them to reject all future legal efforts made on his behalf to save his life, and the Court of
Appeals obliged him.
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on May 25, 1979. The first post-Furman execution in
Oklahoma did not occur until September 10, 1990, when
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the state to deliver to him the electrocution to which he felt entitled and which he deeply desired."
895:
703:
625:
441:
363:
The execution of James French was the last execution by electric chair in the United States before
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in Colorado's gas chamber on June 2, 1967. After the moratorium on capital punishment was lifted,
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The Death Penalty in the Nineties: An Examination of the Modern System of Capital Punishment
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on January 17, 1977. Two years later, the first post-Furman electrocution occurred when
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were: "How's this for your headline? 'French Fries'." The story appeared in 1977 in
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became the first person to be executed nationwide when he volunteered for death by
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191:– August 10, 1966) was an American double murderer who was the last person
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466:"Brash killer died quietly // Murderer J.D. French executed 24 years ago"
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105:
65:
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77:
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The Mammoth Book of Zingers, Quips, and One-Liners: Over 8,000
621:"Gov. Bellmon Rules Richard Dare Must Go to Electric Chair"
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Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Oklahoma
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men murdered by James French would still be alive."
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42:
23:
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916:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
300:ruling six years after French's execution, the
550:"Execution-inspired Murder: A Form Of Suicide?"
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256:future appeals because he wished to die in the
926:People executed by Oklahoma by electric chair
500:
498:
496:
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8:
437:"Last Man Executed in State Asked for Death"
830:Executions carried out in the United States
593:State of Oklahoma Department of Corrections
901:20th-century executions of American people
787:
31:
20:
548:van Wormer, Katherine (8 December 1995).
354:Bob Gregory, "They Died for Their Sins",
416:
211:capital punishment in the United States
921:People convicted of murder by Oklahoma
479:from the original on 21 September 2023
651:"Cocky Slayer Gets Wish: Execution".
332:French himself did make a quip about
237:motorist who had picked him up while
7:
748:Thacker, Kathi (10 September 1990).
463:Jones Jr., Jenk (23 February 2019).
911:American people executed for murder
906:20th-century executions by Oklahoma
672:Tibballs, Geoff (11 October 2004).
792:Executions carried out in Oklahoma
554:Journal of Offender Rehabilitation
529:from the original on 18 March 2015
315:It has been alleged that French's
16:American murderer (c. 1936 – 1966)
14:
701:"Gets His Wish, Dies In Chair".
505:White, Welsh S. (15 July 1991).
435:Farley, Tim (9 September 1990).
750:"Charles Troy Coleman Executed"
1:
784:, 1966 OK CR 84 416 P.2d 171.
185:
50:
707:. 11 August 1968. p. 1.
661:. 11 August 1966. p. 1.
619:Duncan, Bill (30 May 1963).
513:University of Michigan Press
37:French's 1965 mugshot photo.
233:for killing Frank Boone, a
227:Oklahoma State Penitentiary
221:James French was serving a
86:, McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S.
84:Oklahoma State Penitentiary
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720:"They Died for Their Sins"
96:Execution by electrocution
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724:Oklahoma Monthly Magazine
356:Oklahoma Monthly Magazine
271:Oklahoma Courts of Appeal
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349:'French Fries.' See ya."
286:Execution and last words
654:Wilmington News Journal
375:on April 12, 1967, and
588:"Execution Statistics"
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213:from 1972 until 1976.
80:(aged approx. 30)
718:Gregory, Bob (1976).
566:10.1300/J076v22n03_01
515:. pp. 178–179.
217:Background and crime
704:Cincinnati Enquirer
626:The Daily Oklahoman
600:on 23 November 2017
442:The Daily Oklahoman
182:James Donald French
124:First degree murder
92:Cause of death
47:James Donald French
822:September 10, 1990
678:Carroll & Graf
302:U.S. Supreme Court
264:Trials and appeals
209:, which suspended
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878:
862:Succeeded by
847:December 10, 1965
815:Succeeded by
687:978-0-7867-1407-0
403:was executed via
365:Furman v. Georgia
322:The Book of Lists
297:Furman v. Georgia
206:Furman v. Georgia
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138:Life imprisonment
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859:August 10, 1966
836:Preceded by
812:August 10, 1966
798:Preceded by
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405:lethal injection
395:was executed in
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310:Associated Press
249:attorney general
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146:(Shelton murder)
131:Criminal penalty
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781:French v. State
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401:Charles Coleman
393:John Spenkelink
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102:Criminal status
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78:August 10, 1966
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873:April 12, 1967
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865:Aaron Mitchell
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638:Newspapers.com
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522:978-0472064618
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369:Aaron Mitchell
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140:(Boone murder)
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560:(3–4): 1–10.
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891:1930s births
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803:June 1, 1963
800:Richard Dare
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759:. Retrieved
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731:. Retrieved
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673:
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636:– via
630:. Retrieved
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602:. Retrieved
598:the original
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531:. Retrieved
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483:21 September
481:. Retrieved
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446:. Retrieved
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385:firing squad
381:Gary Gilmore
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334:French fries
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25:James French
18:
896:1966 deaths
761:19 February
472:Tulsa World
448:30 November
373:gas chamber
239:hitchhiking
189: 1936
165:Frank Boone
54: 1936
885:Categories
869:California
411:References
377:Luis Monge
317:last words
126:(2 counts)
733:28 August
632:28 August
604:28 August
574:1050-9674
231:McAlester
855:Oklahoma
527:Archived
477:Archived
352:—
343:"What?"
197:Oklahoma
193:executed
106:Executed
66:Illinois
843:Wyoming
533:25 July
397:Florida
252:death.
225:in the
159:Victims
154:Details
56: (
684:
572:
519:
358:(1976)
195:under
68:, U.S.
144:Death
763:2017
735:2019
682:ISBN
634:2019
606:2019
570:ISSN
535:2019
517:ISBN
485:2023
450:2019
389:Utah
74:Died
58:1936
43:Born
562:doi
387:in
279:We.
229:in
199:'s
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867:–
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558:22
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493:^
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419:^
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186:c.
51:c.
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184:(
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