Gary Michael Heidnik
Gary Heidnik, a disabled Army veteran, had a daughter, Maxine Davidson White, who visited him on his last day. He was executed by lethal injection at the State Correctional Institution at Rockview in Centre County, Pennsylvania, on the night of July 6, 1999, after late appeals failed. His attorneys argued that he suffered from schizophrenic delusions and could not make decisions for himself, though he did not try to block the execution. A 2021 retrospective reported that he continued to insist he was innocent while on death row. He selected his own last meal and spoke with a spiritual advisor before his death, and his remains were cremated.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His attorneys argued he suffered from schizophrenic delusions and could not make decisions for himself, and a 2021 retrospective says he continued to insist he was innocent while on death row.
Reported by: State Correctional Institution at Rockview (the agency that held him); 2021 retrospective report (reporters); his attorneys.