John C. Taylor
John C. Taylor was a Black man from Martinsville, Virginia, and one of seven men from that city who were executed in the electric chair in Richmond in February 1951. Family members and advocates say the men were questioned without a lawyer present, that their confessions were coerced under threat of mob violence, and that their trials were unfair. In 2021 Governor Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons, citing due process failures and a racially biased death sentence, though the pardons did not address guilt.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. Family members and advocates say the men were interrogated without a lawyer, their confessions were coerced under threat of mob violence, and their trials were unfair; Governor Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons in 2021 citing due process failures and a racially biased death sentence.
Reported by: family members and advocates.