Jesse Bishop
Encyclopedia
Jesse Walter Bishop was convicted of the murder of David Ballard, aged 22.
In 1977, Bishop was in the process of robbing El Morocco Casino, a Las Vegas Strip
casino, when he was interrupted by Ballard, who had left his nearby wedding reception to intervene. According to a witness, Bishop shot Ballard "like a dog".
He voluntarily waived appeals following his conviction and was executed in 1979 by the State of Nevada
by gas chamber
at the age of 46. He became the first person to be executed in Nevada since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated, and the third person to be executed in the United States since 1976, after Gary Gilmore
and John Arthur Spenkelink. He was also the last inmate in Nevada to be executed by the gas chamber. Executions thereafter have been carried out by lethal injection in the same chamber.
Bishop had spent twenty years of his life incarcerated for various felony offenses and bragged about having committed an estimated eighteen homicides, most of them drug related.
In 1977, Bishop was in the process of robbing El Morocco Casino, a Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
casino, when he was interrupted by Ballard, who had left his nearby wedding reception to intervene. According to a witness, Bishop shot Ballard "like a dog".
He voluntarily waived appeals following his conviction and was executed in 1979 by the State of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
by gas chamber
Gas chamber
A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing humans or animals with gas, consisting of a sealed chamber into which a poisonous or asphyxiant gas is introduced. The most commonly used poisonous agent is hydrogen cyanide; carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide have also been used...
at the age of 46. He became the first person to be executed in Nevada since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated, and the third person to be executed in the United States since 1976, after Gary Gilmore
Gary Gilmore
Gary Mark Gilmore was an American criminal, and murderer, who gained international notoriety for demanding that his own death sentence be fulfilled following two murders he committed in Utah. He became the first person executed in the United States after the U.S...
and John Arthur Spenkelink. He was also the last inmate in Nevada to be executed by the gas chamber. Executions thereafter have been carried out by lethal injection in the same chamber.
Bishop had spent twenty years of his life incarcerated for various felony offenses and bragged about having committed an estimated eighteen homicides, most of them drug related.
Sources
- U.S. Executions Since 1976. The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved on 2007-11-12.
- Riley, Brendan. Nevada executions follow precise procedures. Reno Gazette-JournalReno Gazette-JournalThe Reno Gazette-Journal is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It came into being when the Nevada State Journal and the Reno Evening Gazette were combined in 1983...
(2004-03-21). Retrieved on 2007-11-12. - Ryan, Cy. He says he's ready; will he die tonight?. Las Vegas SunLas Vegas SunThe Las Vegas Sun is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. It is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group....
(2007-10-15). Retrieved on 2007-11-12. - Lenhard v. Wolff,
- United States of America: The illusion of control. Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
(2001-04-24). Retrieved on 2007-11-12. - Jesse Bishop - A killer smiles at his own execution. London Daily Mail (1979-10-23). Retrieved on 2010-02-06.