Philip Bellino and Edward Gertson (both died May 9, 1947) were the last people executed by Massachusetts.

The murder

Bellino and Gertson were two gangsters convicted of

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 ...

ing nineteen-year-old Robert "Tex" Williams, a former U.S. Marine. On August 3, 1945, Williams led Bellino, Gertson and Charles Mantia to a New Hampshire summer camp. He had learned there would be an illegal dice game taking place in the camp. The four men would rob the players at gunpoint. Williams had lured his accomplices with a promise of easily stealing up to $10,000. Instead they escaped with "a few hundred dollars".Alan Rogers
"Success—At Long Last: The Abolition of the Death Penalty in Massachusetts, 1928–1984"
/ref> The trio was enraged at Williams. They also feared the younger man could squeal on them to the police. On August 7, 1945, the four of them shared a taxi ride in the vicinity of Boston. The taxi stopped at an isolated location, not far from the shore. Williams, Bellino and Gertson stepped out for a walk. Mantia waited in the taxi with the cab driver. Bellino and Gertson returned without Williams, claiming the young man would spend his night with a girlfriend. Williams' corpse was soon after discovered. He had been shot in the back of the head. Mantia was the one to lead the police to Bellino and Gertson. James Salah, the cab driver, also became a witness for the prosecution. On June 18, 1946, the duo were found guilty of first-degree murder in a trial by jury. There were originally 14 jurors. Two of them had been dismissed prior to the final verdict. A legal argument that this violated the rights of the defendants was eventually rejected by the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

. A "mercy bill" discussed at the time in the Massachusetts General Court could have proven beneficial to the duo, but was vetoed by

Robert F. Bradford Robert Fiske Bradford (December 15, 1902 – March 18, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as the List of Governors of Massachusetts, 57th Governor of Massachusetts, from 1947 to 1949. Early years Robert Fiske Bra ...

, Governor of Massachusetts.

Execution and abolition of death penalty in Massachusetts

Both Bellino and Gertson were executed in the electric chair at the

Massachusetts State Prison at Charlestown Charlestown State Prison was a correctional facility in Charlestown, Boston, Massachusetts operated by the Massachusetts Department of Correction. The facility was built at Lynde's Point, now at the intersection of Austin Street and New Ruth ...

shortly after midnight on the night of May 8–9, 1947. On April 3, 1951, Massachusetts enacted a "mercy bill" which removed the mandatory death sentence for murder in all cases except for murder committed in the course of rape or attempted rape. No further executions were carried out and in 1984 the

Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously functi ...

ruled that capital punishment violated the state constitution.

Notes

References

*Alan Rogers (2008). ''Murder and the Death Penalty in Massachusetts'' (Boston: University of Massachusetts Press).

External links

Executions in Massachusetts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellino, Philip and Edward Gertson 1945 murders in the United States 1947 deaths 20th-century executions by Massachusetts 20th-century executions of American people American people executed for murder People convicted of murder by Massachusetts People executed by Massachusetts by electric chair Year of birth missing

The murder

Execution and abolition of death penalty in Massachusetts

See also

Notes

References

External links