Harold Lamont "Walkin' Wili" Otey (August 1, 1951 – September 2, 1994) was an American criminal convicted of the 1977 rape and murder of Jane McManus, a 26-year-old photography student, in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. Despite recanting his confession and maintaining his innocence for more than 15 years, Otey became the first person to be executed in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated. He was executed in 1994 by

electrocution Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coine ...

, becoming the first person to die in Nebraska's electric chair since

Charles Starkweather Charles Raymond Starkweather (November 24, 1938 – June 25, 1959) was an American spree killer who murdered eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming between December 1957 and January 1958, when he was nineteen years old. He killed ten of his victi ...

was executed in 1959. Otey's final days were documented by the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

News program '' 48 Hours'' entitled "Death by Midnight".

Early life

Harold Lamont Otey was born on August 1, 1951, in Long Branch, New Jersey. He was born into a large family and had six brothers and six sisters. At the age of 4, Otey left home and went to live with his aunt and uncle in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh language, Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, Radnor Township and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaw ...

. He attended school and achieved good grades. In eighth grade, his aunt died and Otey returned to Long Branch to live with his mother. He had a hard time and had difficulty identifying with people who were a similar age to him. In ninth grade, Otey was suspended from school and took a job walking horses at a local racetrack. Otey continued the job for the next eleven years. He worked at major racetracks on the East Coast and in the Midwest.

Murder

In the early morning hours of June 11, 1977, Otey headed to his home in

after a night of partying. As he walked home, he noticed 26-year-old Jane McManus, an Omaha photography student and waitress, sleeping on a sofa on the first floor of the house she shared with her sister. Otey entered the house through the back door, stole a stereo set, and carried it outside, putting it down behind a nearby garage. He then re-entered the apartment and woke McManus. Otey then told her that he was going to rape and rob her. As he attacked McManus, she fought back, causing Otey to cut her across the forehead with a knife. He then raped her before forcing her upstairs to retrieve money, where he stabbed her again. According to Otey, who recounted the crime after his arrest, McManus begged him to kill her. Otey then hit her four or five times over the head with a hammer and strangled her to death with a belt. He then covered her face with a cloth before fleeing.

Capture, confession, and trial

In January 1978, Otey was arrested in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. On January 28, 1978, he was interviewed by two Omaha detectives, where he reportedly gave a voluntary statement which was a full confession to the rape and murder of McManus. He recounted the crime in graphic detail at the time of his arrest. However, Otey later recanted his confession and claimed it had been coerced. He confessed to other crimes including attempted rapes but claimed the interviewing detectives had fed him details of the McManus murder and forced him to answer questions while he was under duress. On April 13, 1978, Otey was convicted 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 ...

in Douglas County District Court. On June 20, 1978, a three-judge panel sentenced him to death. On December 18, 1979, the

Nebraska Supreme Court The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each jus ...

affirmed the conviction and sentence. Otey continued to maintain his innocence. In June 1991, during an interview with the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

, Otey said he gave the confession because he did not want to face Southern justice. He claimed an officer had told him that efforts were being made to connect him to an additional thirteen or fourteen murders in Florida.

Execution

On September 2, 1994, Otey was executed in 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, ...

at the

Nebraska State Penitentiary The Nebraska State Penitentiary (NSP) is a state correctional facility for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Located in Lincoln, it is the oldest state correctional facility in Nebraska, opening in 1869. Until after World War I, ...

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. He had requested a

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 ...

of spaghetti, the same meal eaten by the other inmates, however, when the time came, he refused it. He declined to make a final statement. He was the first person to be executed in Nebraska since the 1959 execution of

. Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Otey was the first person to be executed in Nebraska, and the 250th in the United States.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otey, Harold Lamont 1951 births 1994 deaths 20th-century African-American people 20th-century executions by Nebraska 20th-century executions of American people American people convicted of murder Criminals from Nebraska Executed African-American people People convicted of murder by Nebraska People executed by Nebraska by electric chair People executed for murder People from Long Branch, New Jersey

Early life

Murder

Capture, confession, and trial

Execution

See also

References