Gary Lee Davis
Gary Lee Davis, 53, was executed by lethal injection at the Colorado State Penitentiary in Cañon City on October 13, 1997, the state's first execution in 30 years and its first by lethal injection. His daughter, Shawn Wright, moved to Colorado from Texas to try to reconnect with him, and said of him, "But then, I do miss him." Davis had sought clemency from Gov. Roy Romer, who said about a month before the execution that Davis's remorse did not outweigh his responsibility. In a 40-minute video he recorded, Davis spoke of his alcoholism and said death could be a blessing compared to a life of confinement. A 2019 account says reporters and other witnesses watched the procedure, which the author described as uneventful, and a 2007 article quotes the victim's family saying the lethal injection was humane.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: Colorado State Penitentiary (the agency that held him); news reports.