James W. Hutchins
James William Hutchins (March 26, 1929 – March 16, 1984) was an American serial killer who killed four people in two different states. He was charged with murdering a man in New Mexico in 1954, but was convicted of voluntary manslaughter after claiming self-defense. Hutchins was later convicted of the murders of three law enforcement officers in North Carolina in 1979. He was sentenced to death and executed on March 16, 1984, by the state of North Carolina at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina by lethal injection. Hutchins became the first person to be executed in North Carolina since 1977 when capital punishment was reinstated. The murders inspired a motion picture and prompted statewide changes in law enforcement protocol for the interagency reporting of officer murders and radio cross-communication between local agencies and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
James W. Hutchins | |
|---|---|
NCDOC mugshot | |
| Born | James William Hutchins March 26, 1929 Rutherford County, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | March 16, 1984 (aged 54) Central Prison, Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Conviction(s) | New Mexico Voluntary manslaughter North Carolina First degree murder (2 counts) Second degree murder Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill Assault with a deadly weapon (2 counts) Driving under the influence Driving with a revoked license |
| Criminal penalty | New Mexico 5 to 10 years imprisonment North Carolina Death (September 24, 1979) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 |
| Date | April 1954 May 31, 1979 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | New Mexico and North Carolina |