__NOTOC__ The following is a list of people executed by the U.S. state of Michigan; which abolished the death penalty in 1847. No executions have been carried out under the authority of the state of Michigan. The one person executed after 1847 was executed by the United States strictly within federal jurisdiction. Thus, it was not performed within the legal boundaries of Michigan as a matter of law.
French and British colonial periods NameDate of executionCrimeMethodRaceFrench jurisdictionFolle-Avoine November 29, 1683 Murder Shot Native AmericanUnknownNext youngest brother of Folle-Avoine (Wild Oats). Achiganaga and his four sons, of the Ojibwe nation, were arrested for the murder of two French traders. The brothers swore their father was not involved and the French determined only 3 of the 4 brothers were guilty. Since two Frenchmen were killed, they decided to only execute two of the brothers. November 29, 1683 Murder Shot Native AmericanPierre Berge (or Boucher) dit La Tulipe November 26, 1705 Rape Hanging (in Montreal)See Burton p. 164; Tulipe was a drummer in the company of Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac who raped a 12-year-old girl. He was convicted and executed in Quebec.WhiteBartellemy Pichon dit La RozeNovember 7, 1707 Desertion HangingSee Burton pp. 164–165 WhiteBritish jurisdictionUnknown female slave (whose owner's name was Clapham) April 1763 Murder Hanging Native AmericanMichael Dué late 1760s Murder HangingSee Burton p. 142; Dué was arrested for murdering a man in Detroit and was tried, convicted and executed in Montreal.WhiteJoseph Hecker December 1775Murder HangingSee Caitlin p. 68. Burton p. 194 mentions the execution of a person named "Ellers" in December 1775.WhiteJean Baptiste Contincineau March 26, 1777 BurglaryHangingSee Burton pp. 193–195 for an account of Contincineau's trial. The presiding judge Philip Dejean was subsequently indicted for the murder of Contincineau. According to the account in Burton, Contincineau's accomplice, the slave woman Ann Wyley, was freed by Dejean on the condition that she act as executioner on Contincineau. Caitlin p. 68 notes that Dejean later went back on his offer and had Wiley hanged.WhiteAnn Wyley Black
Under U.S. jurisdiction (Michigan Territory) NameDate of executionCrimeMethodRaceBuhnah 1819 Murder HangingNative AmericanKetauka December 27, 1821 Murder HangingSee Caitlin p. 262 for a description of the execution of Ketauka and KewaubisNative AmericanKewaubis December 27, 1821 Murder HangingNative AmericanJames BrownFebruary 1, 1830 Murder Hanging WhiteStephen SimmonsDavid G. Chardavoyne>A Hanging in Detroit: Stephen Gifford Simmons and the Last Execution Under Michigan LawRobert M. Bohm Deathquest: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Capital Punishment 2011 1437734936 Page 9 "Two of the latter three executed were Native Americans, and both were executed in 1821. The other, Stephen Simmons, was executed in 1830, 7 years before Michigan gained statehood. Simmons in a drunken rage killed his wife in Detroit." September 24, 1830 Murder HangingFor a detailed account of Simmons' execution, see Caitlin "Michigan's Last Infliction of Capital Punishment" pp. 289–293WhiteWau-Bau-Ne-Me-Mee July 1836 Murder HangingNative American
Federal executions in Michigan
Only one person has been executed by the United States for a federal crime committed in Michigan. The execution was carried out at Federal Correctional Institution, Milan, in York Charter Township near the Village of Milan.
NameDate of executionCrimeMethodRaceAnthony Chebatoris July 8, 1938 Murder Hanging White As a matter of jurisdictional law, this execution did not take place in Michigan per se because it was carried out by the United States government at a US government-owned facility, located in but not subject to the State of Michigan's jurisdiction.
See also Capital punishment in Michigan Capital punishment in the United States
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