Edward Dean Kennedy (May 25, 1945 – July 21, 1992) was an American murderer and

prison escape A prison escape (referred as a bust out, breakout, jailbreak, or prison break) is the act of an inmate leaving prison through unofficial or illegal ways. Normally, when this occurs, an effort is made on the part of authorities to recapture th ...

e who was executed for the murders of Florida state trooper Robert McDermon and McDermon's cousin Floyd Cone. The killings occurred just hours after Kennedy escaped from the

Union Correctional Institution The Union Correctional Institution, formerly referred to as Florida State Prison, Raiford Prison and State Prison Farm is a Florida Department of Corrections state prison located in unincorporated Union County, Florida, near Raiford. First o ...

, where he was serving 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 fo ...

for murder. Kennedy was sentenced to death for the murders of McDermon and Cone and was executed by the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

Crimes

On May 19, 1978, Kennedy, along with a man named Oliver Cochran, murdered 33-year-old Robert Brown, a motel clerk, during a robbery in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. Both were apprehended and tried, but Kennedy was able to convince the judge not to give him a death sentence by stating he wanted to do something good for society. Kennedy and Cochran were ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment. Kennedy was housed at the Union Correctional Institution. On April 11, 1981, Kennedy, along with two other inmates, escaped from the prison. The two other escapees were quickly recaptured, while Kennedy remained at large. During this time, Kennedy broke into a home where he stole multiple weapons and changed clothes. While Kennedy was in the house, the home's owner, Floyd Cone, and Cone's cousin, Robert C. McDermon, a Florida Highway Trooper, entered the home. Kennedy then shot both men to death before fleeing, running to another house on the same block. Kennedy held the second homeowners hostage while police and other authorities surrounded the area. Kennedy exclaimed he wanted television news stations covering the events as he let the occupants free. He was arrested and taken into custody not long after.

Trial

Kennedy was tried on two counts of

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

, and was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death. In 1984, Kennedy attempted to appeal his sentence, arguing his confession should not have been admissible in court, citing that the state did not prove he had knowingly been informed of his right to remain silent. Other arguments, including the excusing of a venireman, the admissibility of photographic evidence, and the propriety of certain jury instructions and of the prosecutor's closing argument, were presented. In the end, the appeal was dismissed and Kennedy's death sentence was upheld.

Execution

Kennedy was scheduled to die on February 11, 1986, at 7 a.m. along with convicted killer Paul B. Johnson, who was condemned for killing a deputy sheriff. However, a high court granted a stay of execution for Kennedy. The decision to execute Kennedy was argued upon, and on the day of his new scheduled execution, about a half-dozen people protested outside the prison. On July 21, 1992, after the supreme court refused a stay of execution, Kennedy was executed by the

. His execution was the 29th in Florida since capital punishment was reinstated in the United States. Oliver Cochran, the man whom assisted Kennedy in the 1978 murder that originally sent him to prison, remained imprisoned until his death on December 19, 2021.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Edward Dean 1945 births 1992 deaths 1978 murders in the United States 1981 murders in the United States 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American criminals 20th-century executions by Florida 20th-century executions of American people American escapees American male criminals American people executed for murdering police officers Escapees from Florida detention Executed people from Florida Executed African-American people People convicted of murder by Florida People executed by Florida by electric chair

Crimes

Trial

Execution

See also

Notes

References