To Die or Not to Die · Episode 4 of 12 · 12 min
The Shadow of San Quentin
On May 2, 1960 California executed Caryl Chessman in San Quentin's gas chamber. Convicted as the Red Light Bandit, he had killed no one and was condemned under a kidnapping law. From his cell he wrote four books, escaped eight execution dates, and drew a worldwide campaign. The episode follows California from Chessman through the Rose Bird recall, the 2006 anesthesiologist walkout, the moratorium and an emptied death row.
Who's who
- Caryl ChessmanCondemned under a kidnapping law; author of four books; executed in 1960
- Pat BrownCalifornia governor opposed to capital punishment who granted a 60-day reprieve
- J. Miller LeavyLos Angeles deputy district attorney who prosecuted Chessman
- Rose BirdCalifornia chief justice removed by voters in 1986
- Gavin Newsom+11 more episodesGovernor who imposed the 2019 moratorium and renamed San Quentin
- Rosalie AsherChessman attorney who filed the final petition
- Eleanor Roosevelt+2 more episodesAmong public figures reported to urge clemency
Where it happens
- San Quentin, California+2 more episodesCalifornia's oldest prison and site of its only gas chamber
- Alcatraz, San Francisco BayFederal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963
- Los Angeles, California+13 more episodesWhere Chessman was prosecuted
- Marin County, CaliforniaHome of San Quentin
Timeline
- May 1948Chessman convicted and sentenced to death
- February 19, 1960Pat Brown grants a 60-day reprieve
- May 2, 1960Chessman executed at San Quentin
- November 4, 1986Voters remove Chief Justice Rose Bird and two colleagues
- February 21, 2006Execution called off after two anesthesiologists withdraw
- March 13, 2019Governor Newsom imposes a moratorium
Still debated
Chessman maintained his innocence while the courts upheld his convictions; the episode treats the convictions as standing and reports his denial as his claim. Accounts of the final telephone call differ, and a papal appeal on his behalf could not be confirmed. Supporters argue the moratorium overrode the 2016 vote.
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