Gray execution announced for Dec. 10

Published: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:46 PM CST

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From Army news releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Army has scheduled the execution of Pvt. Ronald A. Gray for Dec. 10 at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Ind.

In 1988, a court-martial panel sitting at Fort Bragg, N.C., convicted Gray, by unanimous vote, of committing crimes in 1986 and 1987 in the Fayetteville, N.C., area, including two murders, an attempted murder, and three rapes. The court-martial panel sentenced him to death for these crimes.


The secretary of the Army directed that Gray be executed by lethal injection, and the Army be responsible for conducting the execution at the Terre Haute facility based on an agreement with the Bureau of Prisons.

Only the president, as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, can approve the execution of a death sentence under Article 71(a) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. On July 28, President George W. Bush approved the death sentence in the case of the United States vs. Ronald A. Gray.

The president took action following completion of a full appellate process, which upheld the conviction and sentence to death. Two petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court were denied during the appellate processing of Gray's case.



Gray is currently detained in the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.

The last military execution at the USDB was John A. Bennett, who was hanged April 13, 1961, for the rape and attempted murder of an 11-year old Austrian girl. No executions have been conducted at the present USDB, which was opened in 2002.

There are four other inmates on the USDB's death row:



Dwight J. Loving was convicted in April 1989 at Fort Hood, Texas, for two specifications of murder of two cab drivers while perpetrating a robbery, one specification of attempted murder of another cab driver, and five specifications of robbery of the same three cab drivers and two convenience stores.

Hasan K. Akbar was convicted in May 2005 at Fort Bragg, N.C., of two specifications of premeditated murder and three separate specifications of attempted premeditated murder of 16 Soldiers.

Kenneth Parker was convicted in July 1993 of two specifications of conspiracy to commit offenses under UCMJ, two specifications of disobeying orders, one specification of robbery, two specifications of kidnapping, and three specifications of murder. His co-conspirator was inmate Wade G. Walker.



Andrew Witt was convicted in October 2005 at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., of two specifications of premeditated murder and one specification of attempted premeditated murder.