Ellis Wayne Felker
Encyclopedia
Ellis Wayne Felker was convicted and executed for murder.
Ellis Wayne Felker was convicted and executed for the 1981 disappearance and murder of a Georgia
woman, Evelyn Joy Ludlum, an extremely naive young woman from a strict Christian background. She wore no makeup and always dressed in knee-length dresses. She never cut her hair, instead habitually keeping it in a single long braid. Ludlum was working her way through college as a cocktail waitress. Felker invited her to meet with him under the pretense of a job opportunity at his leather shop, which Joy Ludlam was attracted to because of the contradiction between her job and her religious beliefs. He was put under police surveillance for 2 weeks (because, when Ludlam's car was found abandoned in Warner Robins, there was a datebook with an entry mentioning a meeting with Felker later in the day after her last sighting), during which time Ludlum's body was found in a creek, raped, and murdered by asphyxiation.
performed determined that Ludlum had been dead for 5 days when found. This finding would eliminate Felker as a suspect due to his surveillance, however the findings were changed. Later study of the autopsy notes by independent analysis showed that Ludlum had been dead no more than 3 days when found. However, since Ludlam's body was found in running water in late autumn, the exact time of death was difficult to determine.
In September 1996, as a result of an Open Records Act lawsuit, Felker's attorneys received boxes of evidence that had been unlawfully withheld by the prosecution. This included possible DNA
samples of the perpetrator and a signed confession made by another suspect who was mentally retarded. The District Attorney
in charge denied under oath that such evidence existed and the presiding judge at one of Felker's hearings stated that Felker's right to a fair trial had been severely compromised.
. This was because he had been on death row for sometime and had not appealed any of the evidence until a death warrant was issued.
Felker was originally scheduled to be executed in May 1996, but a stay was granted and the execution was delayed during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta
and he was eventually executed on November 15, 1996 at the age of 48.
Ellis Wayne Felker was put to death by electrocution in Georgia's electric chair at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson, GA. The previous night, when fellow death row inmate Larry Grant Lonchar was executed for three murders, Felker had requested to be able to videotape Lonchar's execution to prove that the electric chair was cruel and unusual punishment. The next time an execution would be videotaped would be that of Andrew Grant DeYoung
on July 21, 2011.
History
Felker was convicted for aggravated sodomy in 1977 and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment, but was paroled after four.Ellis Wayne Felker was convicted and executed for the 1981 disappearance and murder of a Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
woman, Evelyn Joy Ludlum, an extremely naive young woman from a strict Christian background. She wore no makeup and always dressed in knee-length dresses. She never cut her hair, instead habitually keeping it in a single long braid. Ludlum was working her way through college as a cocktail waitress. Felker invited her to meet with him under the pretense of a job opportunity at his leather shop, which Joy Ludlam was attracted to because of the contradiction between her job and her religious beliefs. He was put under police surveillance for 2 weeks (because, when Ludlam's car was found abandoned in Warner Robins, there was a datebook with an entry mentioning a meeting with Felker later in the day after her last sighting), during which time Ludlum's body was found in a creek, raped, and murdered by asphyxiation.
Controversy
An autopsyAutopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
performed determined that Ludlum had been dead for 5 days when found. This finding would eliminate Felker as a suspect due to his surveillance, however the findings were changed. Later study of the autopsy notes by independent analysis showed that Ludlum had been dead no more than 3 days when found. However, since Ludlam's body was found in running water in late autumn, the exact time of death was difficult to determine.
In September 1996, as a result of an Open Records Act lawsuit, Felker's attorneys received boxes of evidence that had been unlawfully withheld by the prosecution. This included possible DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
samples of the perpetrator and a signed confession made by another suspect who was mentally retarded. The District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
in charge denied under oath that such evidence existed and the presiding judge at one of Felker's hearings stated that Felker's right to a fair trial had been severely compromised.
Execution
Despite all the mounting evidence and doubts of his guilt, the Supreme Court of Georgia refused to order a new trial or even grant a stay long enough to sort through the mountains of paperwork in the case that had been withheld allowing the defense time to investigate the case further for possible exonerationExoneration
Exoneration occurs when a person who has been convicted of a crime is later proved to have been innocent of that crime. Attempts to exonerate convicts are particularly controversial in death penalty cases, especially where new evidence is put forth after the execution has taken place.The term...
. This was because he had been on death row for sometime and had not appealed any of the evidence until a death warrant was issued.
Felker was originally scheduled to be executed in May 1996, but a stay was granted and the execution was delayed during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
and he was eventually executed on November 15, 1996 at the age of 48.
Ellis Wayne Felker was put to death by electrocution in Georgia's electric chair at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson, GA. The previous night, when fellow death row inmate Larry Grant Lonchar was executed for three murders, Felker had requested to be able to videotape Lonchar's execution to prove that the electric chair was cruel and unusual punishment. The next time an execution would be videotaped would be that of Andrew Grant DeYoung
Andrew Grant DeYoung
Andrew Grant DeYoung was executed by the state of Georgia in H-5 of the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson, Georgia for murder. DeYoung was 37 when he died. His last words were "I'm sorry to everyone I hurt. I love you Dawn...
on July 21, 2011.
Exoneration attempt
In 2000, a Georgia judge ruled that DNA testing would be performed in the first-ever attempt by a court to exonerate an executed person in the United States. The results were ruled as inconclusive; however this finding alone would not have been enough to grant a new trial, or exoneration and release.See also
- List of individuals executed in Georgia
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
- Wrongful executionWrongful executionWrongful execution is a miscarriage of justice occurring when an innocent person is put to death by capital punishment, the "death penalty." Cases of wrongful execution are cited as an argument by the opponents of capital punishment....