In 1948 and 1950, Juneau executed two Black men — Austin Nelson and Eugene LaMoore — for the murder of a local grocer. The trials, according to a legal historian who has researched them for decades, were riddled with misconduct and errors.
Headlines from Alaska newspapers in the late 1940s covering the trials of Austin Nelson and Eugene LaMoore.
Seven years after the second execution, Alaska’s Territorial Legislature abolished the death penalty. At the time, one of the legislators leading the abolition movement pointed out that capital punishment had been used almost exclusively against Black and Alaska Native people. A second man would also be convicted for the murder ten months later. At Nelson’s trial, LaMoore took the stand to offer an alibi. He said he was with Nelson for some of the night and saw him on-and-off during the time when Nelson was accused of having committed the murder.
And in the post-mortem of Nelsonʼs and LaMooreʼs cases, nearly 50 years later, Lerman found a trial transcript that has stuck with her since. It was the testimony of LaMoore, the last person executed in Juneau. At Nelson’s trial in 1947, the prosecution had one eyewitness: Dolly Silvers, who was held in the city jail for a month so she would testify against Nelson, Lerman said. Silvers told the jury she saw Nelson leaving Ellen’s store after two o’clock in the morning, by himself.
The prosecuting attorney filed for a stay of execution for Nelson that read, “it would be impossible to prove a murder charge against LaMoore without the testimony of said Austin Nelson.”At his trial, in April 1948, LaMoore testified that the “confession” he had signed was false, and that it had been made in order to try to save Nelson’s life. LaMoore said that Nelson had been framed and that he believed that could be proved.
Lerman said the prosecutors, the judge, and the investigators all likely knew the story didnʼt line up, but they wanted a conviction for the murder. Taylor asked Fischer if he wanted to co-sponsor a bill abolishing the death penalty, according to Fischer’s 2012 autobiography To Russia with Love: An Alaskan’s Journey.
Alaska Death Penalty Alaska Territorial Legislature Austin Nelson Averil Lerman Charles Nelson Death Penalty Eugene Lamoore Execution Federal Jail Instagram Mary Lou Spartz Vic Fischer Warren Taylor Willoughy Avenue
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Is Israel’s current assault on Gaza worse than the 1948 Palestinian Nakba?Some Palestinians say yes, based on the sheer number of casualties, Israel’s unprecedented bombing and starvation campaign and a lack of support from Arab states.
Read more »
‘The most momentous time in global health security since 1948’With a deadline looming in May, experts say the stakes of failing to reach agreement on a global pandemic accord are immeasurable.
Read more »
Cruise ship employee charged after allegedly stabbing 3 people with medical scissorsNtando Sogoni was arrested in Juneau, Alaska, on Tuesday, prosecutors said.
Read more »
A History of the Met Gala: Everything You Didn't KnowVogue retraces the glamorous history of the Met Gala, since the first party in 1948.
Read more »
Sunny & warm in Southcentral Alaska with snow impacting Western AlaskaLingering showers can be expected through the day, although much of Southcentral will remain on the drier side. Out west, winter weather alerts are in effect for up to 10 inches of snow.
Read more »
Alaska legislators introduce Chugach Alaska Land Exchange and Oil Spill Recovery ActNew legislation directing a land exchange between the federal government and Chugach Alaska Corporation.
Read more »