Curtis Osborne (March 1970 – June 4, 2008)
was an American convicted murderer on
death row
Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...
in
Georgia from
Spalding County.
He murdered Arthur Lee Jones and Linda Lisa Seaborne in 1990 to avoid paying a $400 debt.
[ Johnny Mostiler, his court-appointed attorney, allegedly neglected to inform Osborne that the prosecutor had offered him a ]life sentence
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
in exchange for a plea bargain
A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or '' nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendan ...
, declaring "That little nigger deserves the death penalty." Osborne's case for clemency was championed by former U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
and former Deputy U.S. Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
Larry Thompson
Larry Dean Thompson (born November 15, 1945) is an American lawyer and law professor, most notable for his service as deputy Attorney General of the United States under United States President George W. Bush until August 2003.
Early life and e ...
, who wrote letters to the clemency board pleading for mercy.[ Former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell also spoke on his behalf.] His execution was carried out despite these appeals.
Murders
On August 7, 1990, the bodies of Arthur Lee Jones and Linda Lisa Seaborne were found in an abandoned car on a dirt road in Spalding County, Georgia. Both victims had been shot in the head, with Jones sustaining a gunshot wound just below his left eye and Seaborne sustaining a gunshot wound to her neck. Three weeks before the murders, Jones had asked Osborne, his sister's boyfriend, to help him sell a motorcycle. Osborne had sold the motorcycle for USD 400 and kept the money. Osborne was interviewed by authorities and eventually admitted to the crime. He claimed, however, that Jones had reached towards the floor for a weapon, and he had acted in self-defense. However, evidence from the crime scene showed Jones had been sitting upright when Osborne shot him and that the gun was only an inch away from his skull. Osborne's mother later testified that her husband's .357 Ruger was missing, a gun which was already suspected as the murder weapon. The gun was never recovered.
Trial
In October 1990, Osborne was indicted on two counts of malice murder
Malice murder is a criminal offense in the U.S. state of Georgia, committed when a homicide is done with express or implied malice.
Definition
According to Georgia law, express malice is "that deliberate intention unlawfully to take the life of ...
and two counts of felony murder.[ Prosecutors alleged Osborne murdered Jones after he was confronted about the money from the motorcycle sale. Jones had demanded Osborne give him the USD 400, and Osborne had killed him in retaliation, as well as Seaborne because she was a witness.][ On August 14, 1991, a jury found Osborne guilty, and he was sentenced to death the following day.][
]
Execution
On June 4, 2008, Osborne was executed via lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...
. He refused any special last meal
A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be.
Contemporary restrictions in the United States
In the United States, most states gi ...
and made no final statement. He had initially been scheduled for execution at around 7:00 p.m., however, the execution was delayed when the executioners took over thirty-five minutes to find a suitable vein they could use to administer the lethal drugs.[
]
See also
* Capital punishment in Georgia (U.S. state)
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Georgia. Georgia reintroduced the death penalty in 1973 after ''Furman v. Georgia'' ruled all states' death penalty statutes unconstitutional. The first execution to take place afterwards ...
* Capital punishment in the United States
In the United States, capital punishment is a legal penalty throughout the country at the federal level, in 27 states, and in American Samoa. It is also a legal penalty for some military offenses. Capital punishment has been abolished in 23 s ...
* List of people executed in Georgia (U.S. state)
This is a list of people executed in Georgia. Since 1976, a total of 76 people have been executed by the state of Georgia in the United States.
List of people executed in Georgia since 1976
Summary of executions
* Sex
** Male: 75 (99%)
** ...
* List of people executed in the United States in 2008
This is a list of people executed in the United States in 2008. Thirty-seven people were executed in the United States in 2008. Eighteen of them were in the state of Texas. One (James Earl Reed) was executed via electrocution. Executions were not c ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osborne, Curtis
1970 births
2008 deaths
21st-century executions by Georgia (U.S. state)
21st-century executions of American people
People executed for murder
People from Spalding County, Georgia
People executed by Georgia (U.S. state) by lethal injection
American people convicted of murder
People convicted of murder by Georgia (U.S. state)
Executed African-American people
Executed people from Georgia (U.S. state)
21st-century African-American people