Edward Ernest Hartman (August 25, 1964 – October 3, 2003) was convicted of the 1993 murder of Herman Smith, Sr. and was executed via lethal injection in 2003 by the State of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

Central Prison Central Prison is a prison operated by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety in Raleigh, North Carolina. The prison, west of Downtown Raleigh, is on of land and is bounded by a double wire fence with a razor ribbon on top. The Departm ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southe ...

. Hartman confessed to the crime but requested 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 ...

. According to ''

The News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...

'', five

mitigating factor In criminal law, a mitigating factor, also known as an extenuating circumstance, is any information or evidence presented to the court regarding the defendant or the circumstances of the crime that might result in reduced charges or a lesser sente ...

s were presented at Hartman's trial, including

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

(he claimed to be severely intoxicated at the time of the murder) and

childhood abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

. The jury felt that these factors were outweighed by Hartman's theft of Smith's car and money. In seeking

clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

, Hartman's lawyers (along with outside groups) argued that the prosecution had used Hartman's sexuality (he was bisexual) in a discriminatory manner, an argument rejected by the courts and by Governor Mike Easley of North Carolina.

General references

"State executes convicted killer; Governor denies clemency after U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear case of man who killed housemate,"
by Matthew Eisley. ''Raleigh News & Observer,'' October 3, 2003 1964 births 2003 deaths People executed for murder 21st-century executions of American people 21st-century executions by North Carolina People executed by North Carolina by lethal injection People convicted of murder by North Carolina American people convicted of murder {{US-crime-bio-stub

See also

General references