Douglas Wright (murderer)
Encyclopedia
Douglas Franklin Wright was the first criminal
executed by lethal injection
in Oregon
.
on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
with a false promise of work, and then killing them. Wright later admitted killing a fourth man, Anthony Nelson, a Makah Indian. If Wright had not quit his appeal process, he would have been tried before a federal court in the Nelson case, because killing a Native American
on an Indian reservation
is a federal crime, under the Major Crimes Act
.
Shortly Before his execution, Wright confessed to the abduction and murder of Portland, Oregon
10-year-old Luke Tredway, committed in 1984.
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
The crimes
Wright was sentenced to death on October 11, 1993 for luring three homeless white men to a remote area of Wasco CountyWasco County, Oregon
Wasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for a local tribe of Native Americans, the Wasco, a Chinook tribe who lived on the south side of the Columbia River. In 2010, its population was 25,213...
on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
Warm Springs Indian Reservation
The Warm Springs Indian Reservation consists of 1,019.385 sq mi in north central Oregon, in the United States, and is occupied and governed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.-Tribes:...
with a false promise of work, and then killing them. Wright later admitted killing a fourth man, Anthony Nelson, a Makah Indian. If Wright had not quit his appeal process, he would have been tried before a federal court in the Nelson case, because killing a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
on an Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
is a federal crime, under the Major Crimes Act
Major Crimes Act
The Major Crimes Act is a law passed by the United States Congress in 1885. It places 7 major crimes under federal jurisdiction if they are committed by a Native American against another Native American in Native territory....
.
Shortly Before his execution, Wright confessed to the abduction and murder of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
10-year-old Luke Tredway, committed in 1984.