Steven Brian Pennell
Encyclopedia
Steven Brian Pennell aka The U.S. 40 Killer, was convicted of the murder
s of two New Castle County, Delaware
women and suspected of three more. Pennell, an electrician by trade, picked up his victims in his van along U.S. 40 near Bear
, a corridor known for prostitution
activity.
Pennell was identified as the suspect by carpet fibers found on a victim's body; the fibers were from a carpet located on the floor of his van. Initially tried for first-degree murder and spared the death penalty on two murders in 1990, Pennell later decided to plead no contest
to the murder of Kathleen Meyer in 1991 once DNA
evidence linked him to the case.
He was executed in 1992 by the State of Delaware
by lethal injection
. He became the first person to be executed in Delaware since 1976, when the death penalty
was reinstated. He was the state's first and to date only confirmed serial killer
.
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s of two New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 its population was 538,479, an increase of 7.6% over the previous decade. The county seat is Wilmington. The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of...
women and suspected of three more. Pennell, an electrician by trade, picked up his victims in his van along U.S. 40 near Bear
Bear, Delaware
Bear is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 17,593 at the 2000 census.Originally a small crossroads in a rural area south of Wilmington, the area supported small farms growing mainly corn and cattle...
, a corridor known for prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
activity.
Pennell was identified as the suspect by carpet fibers found on a victim's body; the fibers were from a carpet located on the floor of his van. Initially tried for first-degree murder and spared the death penalty on two murders in 1990, Pennell later decided to plead no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to the murder of Kathleen Meyer in 1991 once 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...
evidence linked him to the case.
He was executed in 1992 by the State of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
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...
. He became the first person to be executed in Delaware since 1976, when the death penalty
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
was reinstated. He was the state's first and to date only confirmed serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
.
See also
- 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...
- List of individuals executed in Delaware
Sources
- Reid Kanaley. Serial killer Pennell executed in Del.. The Philadelphia Inquirer (1992-03-15). Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- Inmates Executed In Delaware Since 1992. Delaware Department of Correction. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- Steven Pennell. Frances Farmers Revenge. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- http://www.hbo.com/autopsy/interactive/#