Desmond Keith Carter (October 15, 1967 – December 10, 2002) was convicted of the 1992 murder of Helen Purdy and executed in 2002 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 ...

at the

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 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 Southeas ...

. Desmond Carter was born in the state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

and lived with his maternal grandmother since his mother moved away when Carter was 3. Eventually, he moved with his paternal grandmother to North Carolina. Carter started using drugs as a teenager and on March 9, 1992, under the influence of alcohol, crack cocaine, and tranquilizers, killed his 71-year-old neighbor, Helen Purdy, by stabbing her 13 times with a butcher knife, and robbed her of $15 in order to buy cocaine. Not long before Carter committed this crime, his grandmother had tried to get substance abuse and

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

treatment for him, but the hospital refused because he did not have

medical insurance Health insurance or medical insurance (also known as medical aid in South Africa) is a type of insurance that covers the whole or a part of the risk of a person incurring medical expenses. As with other types of insurance, risk is shared among ma ...

coverage. In July 1993, Carter was

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

for first degree murder and to 40 years imprisonment for robbery with a dangerous weapon. On the eve of his execution, Carter declined a special meal. Instead, he bought two

cheeseburgers A cheeseburger is a hamburger topped with cheese. Traditionally, the slice of cheese is placed on top of the meat patty. The cheese is usually added to the cooking hamburger patty shortly before serving, which allows the cheese to melt. Cheese ...

, a steak sub, and two Cokes from the prison canteen, for which he paid $4.20 from his prison account. He was executed by means of lethal injection on December 10, 2002. Carter mouthed "I love you, pop" to his father before the drug from the injection put him to sleep. In a statement that was recorded by the warden of Central Prison, Carter said: "The only thing I would like to say is that I apologize to the victim's family of Ms. Purdy and I would like to apologize to my family for the disappointment and pain I have caused them throughout my life."

General references

Offender Profile data for offender 0068237
''North Carolina Department of Correction'' (2002-12-10). Retrieved on 2007-08-12.

''North Carolina Department of Correction'' (2002-12-10). Retrieved on 2007-08-12. * Patrick O'Neill
Two families plead for relatives' lives
''Independent Weekly'' (2002-12-04). Retrieved on 2007-08-12. * Estes Thompson. . ''The News & Observer'' (2002-12-10). Archived fro

on 2002-12-21. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.

''The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney''. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.

''Dead Man Eating''. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
USA (North Carolina): Death penalty/legal concern: Desmond Keith Carter
''Amnesty International'' (2002-11-05). Retrieved on 2007-08-12. {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Desmond Keith 1967 births 2002 deaths American people executed for murder American people convicted of robbery 21st-century executions by North Carolina People executed by North Carolina by lethal injection People convicted of murder by North Carolina 21st-century executions of American people Executed people from Rhode Island Executed African-American people

See also

General references