Global InformationMiran Edgar Thompson information
Miran Edgar Thompson | |
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| Born | December 16, 1917 Union Church, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | December 3, 1948 (aged 30) San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by gas chamber |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Federal First degree murder of a federal employee (18 U.S.C. §§ 253 and 452) Kidnapping (18 U.S.C. § 408) Texas Murder with malice |
| Criminal penalty | Federal 99 years imprisonment (kidnapping conviction) Death (murder conviction) Texas Life imprisonment |
Miran Edgar Thompson (December 16, 1917 – December 3, 1948)[1] was an inmate of Alcatraz whose participation in an attempted escape on May 2, 1946, led to his execution in the gas chamber of San Quentin. At the time of the Battle of Alcatraz, Thompson was serving life plus 99 years for murder of Texan police officer Detective Lemuel Dodd Savage, 52. He also pulled armed robberies in New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma. He had notoriously bad luck when getting caught, but extremely good luck at escaping from jail. He had been arrested eight times and held in small jails, and had escaped every time. Thompson had a record of eight escapes from custody by the time he was transferred to Alcatraz in October 1945.[2][3]
Detective Savage was shot and killed while transporting Thompson and Elbert Day to jail. Savage had arrested the two when he found them burglarizing a store. He searched the two suspects before transporting, but missed a handgun hidden in Thompson's pants. During the transport, Thompson produced the gun and shot Savage. As Thompson fled, he kidnapped a woman, Betty Jim Shelton, before he was apprehended.[2][4]
Thompson was convicted of federal kidnapping charges. He was then tried on a state murder charge for killing Savage. The jury convicted Thompson of murder, but spared his life in a 7–5 vote, and he was sent to Alcatraz Prison.[5] While in Alcatraz, Thompson was part of the Battle of Alcatraz, an escape attempt that ultimately left Correctional Officer Harold Stites and Correctional Officer William Miller, of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, dead from gunshot wounds.
- ^ "Miran Edgar Thompson (1917-1948) - Find a Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ a b "Detective Lemuel Dodd Savage". The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP). Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ Ward, David (2010-06-15). Alcatraz: The Gangster Years. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26596-7.
- ^ "Miran Thompson". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1945-11-13. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ "Miran Thompson". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1945-11-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-04-18.