Robert Gleason Jr.
Robert Gleason Jr., 42, was executed in the electric chair at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia, on January 16, 2013, after choosing that method over lethal injection. His attorneys questioned whether he was competent to waive his appeals and argued that his history showed significant mental illness, including prolonged depression and multiple suicide attempts, according to their court filings. Federal and state courts and the Supreme Court declined to halt the execution, and the governor did not intervene. Family members of the victims attended, and a spiritual adviser was with him that day.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state. His attorneys questioned whether he was competent to waive his appeals and argued that his history showed significant mental illness.