Wallace Wilkerson

Wallace Wilkerson was sentenced in 1877 and executed by firing squad in Utah. He challenged the firing squad as the method of his execution, and the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined his appeal. Reports of the execution say it went wrong: he moved just before the shots were fired, was badly wounded, and took about 15 minutes to die. His challenge to the method is the first time the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case over a specific execution method.

Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state

Reported by: Utah Territory court (court).

Source

• The US is killing someone by firing squad for the 1st time in 15 years. Here's a look at the history | The Associated Press www.ap.org, March 7, 2025