In 1992, 18 year old Joel Durham shot McDonald’s manager Leo Kern to at point blank range in front of his fiance and other patrons during a robbery on Severn Avenue in Metairie, LA. Durham was convicted of first-degree murder, and was later killed by officers at Louisiana State Penitentiary during a failed escape attempte on Dec. 28, 1999.
Added: July 14, 2011
Sources:
- NY Times
- The Justice Center court documents (Pages 108-109)
- Book: The Last Face You’ll Ever See: The Culture of Death Row By Ivan Solotaroff (Page 50)
- Corrections.com
- Nola.com
Joel Durham was spared the death penalty because of his age and “angelic” appearance. If he had been executed as he should have been, the guard he murdered in prison would still be alive and he would have gotten what he truely wanted, to be put out of his misery…