David Wilson (died 20 July 1998) was a convicted

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

er and the second person to be executed by Saint Kitts and Nevis since it became a sovereign state in 1983. In February 1996, Wilson and Clement Thomas were convicted of beating a

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...

to death in 1994. Wilson was sentenced to death by the trial judge, and his appeal was rejected by the appeal court. After the appeal court's judgment,

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Sir

Cuthbert Sebastian Sir Cuthbert Montraville Sebastian (22 October 1921 – 25 March 2017) was the second governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1996 to 2013. He was appointed Governor-General in 1995 and was sworn in on 1 January 1996. While in office, he ...

signed Wilson's

death warrant An execution warrant (also called death warrant or black warrant) is a writ that authorizes the execution of a condemned person. An execution warrant is not to be confused with a " license to kill", which operates like an arrest warrant but ...

, and he was executed by

hanging 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 i ...

on 20 July 1998. It was the first execution in Saint Kitts and Nevis since 1985. Wilson's execution was controversial because it was carried out before he was able to appeal his case to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, which is the

supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

References

*Hans Göran Franck, Klas Nyman, and William Schabas (2003). ''The Barbaric Punishment: Abolishing the Death Penalty'' (Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers ) p. 118

External links

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

"St Kitts and Nevis: First hanging in 13 years – a backward step for the Caribbean"
press release, 1998-07-20, accessed 2008-08-08 1998 deaths People executed by Saint Kitts and Nevis by hanging Executed Saint Kitts and Nevis people 20th-century executions by Saint Kitts and Nevis People executed for murder People convicted of murder by Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis people convicted of murder Year of birth missing {{SaintKittsNevis-bio-stub