Federal Kidnapping a child resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 1201) Kansas Felony first degree murder Aggravated robbery (3 counts) Aggravated battery Aggravated escape from custody Kidnapping Robbery (2 counts) Burglary (2 counts) Unlawful possession of firearms (2 counts) Theft
Criminal penalty
Federal Death (January 23, 2004) Kansas Life imprisonment (April 28, 2000)
Details
Victims
Jennifer Long, 16 Mary Ruth Bales, 80
Date
January 22, 1998 October 27, 1998
Country
United States
State(s)
Kansas and Missouri (one of the victims was kidnapped from Missouri, but murdered in Kansas)
Date apprehended
October 30, 1998
Wesley Ira Purkey (January 6, 1952 – July 16, 2020) was an American convicted murderer who was executed by the United States federal government for the January 1998 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 16-year-old Jennifer Long. Purkey confessed to the crime while serving a life sentence for the murder of 80-year-old Mary Ruth Bales, whom he beat to death with a claw hammer in October 1998.[1]
In 2020, Purkey was one of several condemned men on federal death row selected to be executed by the federal government of the United States. He was executed via lethal injection on the morning of July 16, 2020, following a delay due to concerns that he had Alzheimer's disease and did not understand why he was being executed.[2]
^Ryckaert, Vic; Depompei, Elizabeth; Mack, Justin L. (July 16, 2020). "Wesley Ira Purkey executed in Terre Haute, 2nd man put to death this week". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
^Fuchs, Hailey (July 16, 2020). "Government Executes Second Federal Death Row Prisoner in a Week". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
WesleyIraPurkey (January 6, 1952 – July 16, 2020) was an American convicted murderer who was executed by the United States federal government for the...
(1929–2008), American baseball player Harry R. Purkey (1934–2018), American politician WesleyIraPurkey (1952–2020), American convicted murderer Burki...
Jones Jr. March 18, 2003 Daniel Lewis Lee July 14, 2020 Succeeded by WesleyIraPurkey July 16, 2020 Executions carried out in the United States Preceded by...
(which had contributed to the botched execution) in prison in 2021. WesleyIraPurkey (2020) – Lethal injection. His autopsy results show that he suffered...
Executions carried out by the United States federal government Preceded by WesleyIraPurkey July 16, 2020 Dustin Lee Honken July 17, 2020 Succeeded by Lezmond...
Court of the United States. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020. "WesleyIraPurkey executed in Terre Haute, 2nd man put to death this week". Indy Star...
One of the victims was kidnapped from Missouri, but murdered in Kansas. Purkey was also responsible for the murder of Mary Ruth Bales. The 5 victims were:...
murder of Yingying Zhang, after a jury spared him from execution. WesleyIraPurkey, executed in 2020 for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jennifer...
execution in the UK for the murder of a policeman Victor Prévost (1880) WesleyIraPurkey (2020) Christian Ranucci (1976) Kanesan Ratnam (2003) Charles Rhines...
pile of cleared brush. Jennifer Long WesleyIraPurkey Kansas City, Missouri January 22, 1998 November 5, 2003 Purkey admitted to abducting Long and driving...
State". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 February 2024. "Who helped Don Tidey's IRA kidnappers escape, after murdering a garda and an Irish soldier in Derrada...
Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2017. "Wesley Eugene Baker". Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. Archived from the original...
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