Charles Hudspeth (a.k.a. Andrew J. "Andy" Hudspeth) was an American man convicted of murder in

Marion County, Arkansas Marion County is located in the Ozark Mountains in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for Francis Marion, the famous "Swamp Fox" of the Revolutionary War. Created as Arkansas's 35th county in 1836, Marion County is home to one in ...

, in 1887. On December 30, 1892, he was

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

, although his alleged victim was purportedly later found to be alive.Malloy, Daniel (8 February 2009
Prosecutors don't always need a body as evidence
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. Retrieved June 8, 2012. George Watkins and his wife, Rebecca, moved in 1886 from Kansas to

, where Rebecca apparently soon became intimately involved with Charles Hudspeth. The following year, Watkins disappeared. Rebecca and Hudspeth were arrested and, after lengthy interrogation, Rebecca allegedly made a statement accusing Hudspeth of murdering Watkins to get him out of the way so they could be married. Based on Rebecca's testimony, Hudspeth was convicted and sentenced to death, but the Arkansas Supreme Court set aside the conviction on the ground that the trial judge, R. H. Powell, had improperly barred testimony regarding Rebecca's alleged lack of good character. Hudspeth v. State, 50 Ark. 534 (1888). Upon retrial, Hudspeth was again convicted and again sentenced to death. He was hanged at

Harrison, Arkansas Harrison is a city and the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is named after General Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimate ...

, on December 30, 1892. In June 1893, Hudspeth's lawyer, W. F. Pace, reportedly located Watkins alive and well in Kansas, although this is disputed.

References

1887 murders in the United States 1892 deaths 19th-century executions by the United States 19th-century executions of American people American people convicted of murder Murder convictions without a body Overturned convictions in the United States People convicted of murder by Arkansas People convicted of murdering victims who were later found alive People executed by Arkansas by hanging People executed for murder People from Marion County, Arkansas Wrongful executions Year of birth unknown {{US-crime-bio-stub

See also

References