Manuel Pina "Manny" Babbitt (May 3, 1949 – May 4, 1999) was a

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

veteran of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

who was convicted of the murder of a 78-year-old woman, Leah Schendel, during a burglary in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

in 1980.Manuel Babbitt
''

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacram ...

''. Retrieved on June 4, 2022. He was executed by the state of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison, one day after his 50th birthday. The murder was committed during a string of robberies and burglaries and the day after the murder Babbitt committed at least one sexual assault. Schendel died from a heart attack after Babbitt beat her and attempted to rape her. Babbitt had been wounded at the bloody 1968

Battle of Khe Sanh The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSC ...

in Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam. As part of his defense, he claimed he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which he claimed caused him to commit his crimes and to later lose all memories of the crimes. One year before his execution, while on death row, Babbitt was awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

medal for the wounds he had received at the Battle of Khe Sanh. Babbitt refused his last meal and asked that the $50 allotted be given to homeless Vietnam veterans. His last words were: "I forgive all of you." He was buried in his native

Wareham, Massachusetts Wareham ( ) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 23,303. History Wareham was first settled in 1678 by Europeans as part of the towns of Plymouth and Rochester. It was ...

, on May 10, 1999, with full military honors.Da Costa-Fernandes, Manuela
Manny Babbitt laid to rest
'' The Standard-Times'' (May 11, 1999); retrieved November 16, 2007. The movie '' Last Day of Freedom,'' nominated for an Oscar in 2016, depicts his brother's narrative of the events that led to Babbitt's execution.

References

External links

Bill Babbitt, California - Brother of Manny Babbitt, executed in California in 1999
''Murder Victims' Families For Human Rights''. Retrieved on 2007-11-16. * Glantz, Aaron
Remembering Manny Babbitt
''

Truthdig Truthdig is an American news website that provides a mix of long-form articles, blog items, curated links, interviews, arts criticism and commentary on current events delivered from a politically progressive, left-leaning point of view. The site of ...

'' (2007-07-17). Retrieved on 2007-11-16. * King, Rachel
Pages 66-70
''Capital Consequences: Families Of The Condemned Tell Their Stories''. Rutgers University Press (2005). . Retrieved on 2007-11-16. * Washington, Glynn
Snap Judgement 726
''Brother's Keeper''. Retrieved on 2017-12-16. {{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Manny 1949 births 1999 deaths 1980 murders in the United States American people executed for murder 20th-century executions by California United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War People executed by California by lethal injection Executed people from Massachusetts People convicted of murder by California People from Wareham, Massachusetts 20th-century executions of American people United States Marines

See also

References

External links