Ronald Wolfe (rapist)
Encyclopedia
Ronald Wolfe was the last person executed in the United States
for non-homicidal
rape
, and second-to-last put to death for crime other than murder (the last was James Coburn
, electrocuted
in Alabama
the same year for robbery
). He was also second-to-last person executed in Missouri
before the US moratorium on capital punishment
.
Wolfe, a 34-year-old white man, was put to death in Missouri
's gas chamber
on May 8, 1964.
Recently, Wolfe's case drew nationwide attention due to United States Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Louisiana
, which banned death penalty for child rape, and was directly cited in court opinions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for non-homicidal
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, and second-to-last put to death for crime other than murder (the last was James Coburn
James Coburn (criminal)
James Coburn was the last defendant executed in the United States for a crime other than murder.A white farmhand, Coburn was convicted of robbery in Dallas County, Alabama and was sentenced to death...
, electrocuted
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
the same year for robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
). He was also second-to-last person executed in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
before the US moratorium on capital punishment
Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
.
Wolfe, a 34-year-old white man, was put to death in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
's 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...
on May 8, 1964.
Recently, Wolfe's case drew nationwide attention due to United States Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Louisiana
Kennedy v. Louisiana
Kennedy v. Louisiana, 554 U.S. 407 was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that held that the Eighth Amendment's Cruel and Unusual Punishment Clause did not permit a state to punish the crime of rape of a child with the death penalty; more broadly, the power of the state...
, which banned death penalty for child rape, and was directly cited in court opinions.