Harold Lamont "Walkin' Wili" Otey (August 1, 1951 – September 2, 1994) was an American criminal convicted of the 1977 rape and murder of Jane McManus, a 26-year-old photography student, in Omaha, Nebraska.[1][2] Despite recanting his confession and maintaining his innocence for more than 15 years,[3] Otey became the first person to be executed in Nebraska since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated. He was executed in 1994 by electrocution, becoming the first person to die in Nebraska's electric chair since Charles Starkweather was executed in 1959.[4] Otey's final days were documented by the CBS News program 48 Hours entitled "Death by Midnight".[5][6]
Harold Lamont Otey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 1, 1951 Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 1994 (aged 43) |
| Cause of death | Execution by electrocution |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (June 20, 1978) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Jane McManus, 26 |
| Date | June 11, 1977 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Nebraska |
Date apprehended | January 26, 1978 |
| Imprisoned at | Nebraska State Penitentiary |
Early life
editHarold Lamont Otey was born on August 1, 1951, in Long Branch, New Jersey.[7] He was born into a large family and had six brothers and six sisters. At the age of 4, Otey left home and went to live with his aunt and uncle in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He attended school and achieved good grades. In eighth grade, his aunt died and Otey returned to Long Branch to live with his mother. He had a hard time and had difficulty identifying with people who were a similar age to him. In ninth grade, Otey was suspended from school and took a job walking horses at a local racetrack. Otey continued the job for the next eleven years. He worked at major racetracks on the East Coast and in the Midwest.[8]
Murder
editIn the early morning hours of June 11, 1977, Otey headed to his home in Omaha, Nebraska after a night of partying. As he walked home, he noticed 26-year-old Jane McManus, an Omaha photography student and waitress, sleeping on a sofa on the first floor of the house she shared with her sister. Otey entered the house through the back door, stole a stereo set, and carried it outside, putting it down behind a nearby garage. He then re-entered the apartment and woke McManus. Otey then told her that he was going to rape and rob her. As he attacked McManus, she fought back, causing Otey to cut her across the forehead with a knife. He then raped her before forcing her upstairs to retrieve money, where he stabbed her again. According to Otey, who recounted the crime after his arrest, McManus begged him to kill her.[9] Otey then hit her four or five times over the head with a hammer and strangled her to death with a belt.[10] He then covered her face with a cloth before fleeing.[11][12]
Capture, confession, and trial
editOn January 26, 1978, Otey was arrested in Tampa, Florida.[13][14][15] On January 28, he was interviewed by two Omaha detectives, where he reportedly gave a voluntary statement which was a full confession to the rape and murder of McManus. He recounted the crime in graphic detail at the time of his arrest. However, Otey later recanted his confession and claimed it had been coerced.[16][17] He confessed to other crimes including attempted rapes but claimed the interviewing detectives had fed him details of the McManus murder and forced him to answer questions while he was under duress.[12]
On April 13, 1978, Otey was convicted of first degree murder in Douglas County District Court. On June 20, 1978, a three-judge panel sentenced him to death. On December 18, 1979, the Nebraska Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence.[18]
Otey continued to maintain his innocence. In June 1991, during an interview with the Associated Press, Otey said he gave the confession because he did not want to face Southern justice.[19] He claimed an officer had told him that efforts were being made to connect him to an additional thirteen or fourteen murders in Florida.[11]
Execution
editOn September 2, 1994, Otey was executed in the electric chair at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln, Nebraska.[20] He had requested a last meal of spaghetti, the same meal eaten by the other inmates; however, when the time came, he refused it. He declined to make a final statement.[21] He was the first person to be executed in Nebraska since the 1959 execution of Charles Starkweather.[22] Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, Otey was the first person to be executed in Nebraska,[23] and the 250th in the United States.[24]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "35-Year Hiatus Ends As Nebraska Puts A Killer to Death". The New York Times. September 3, 1994. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- ^ Hammel, Paul (August 5, 2018). "Past executions in Nebraska brought demonstrations, and sober reality". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "Harold Lamont "Wili" Otey". Lou Jones photography. Archived from the original on August 27, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- ^ Hilt, Michael L. (March 22, 1999). "Mass Media and the Death Penalty: Social Construction of Three Nebraska Executions". AllBusiness.com. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- ^ Wilson, Donna (September 6, 1996). "Execution Witnesses". University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Archived from the original on August 30, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- ^ Goodman, Walter (December 14, 1994). "Television Review; Battling Over the Life of a Convicted Killer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "Inmate Details: 31840—Harold Otey". Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
- ^ Marlette, Marj (June 7, 1981). "Otey, on Death Row, expresses his feelings with poetry". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 30. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Schmidt, J.L. (June 30, 1991). "Man Convicted in 1977 Rape, Murder Denied Clemency; To Die Monday". Associated Press. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "State v. Otey". Justia. December 18, 1979. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Journey to the chair began 17 years ago". Lincoln Journal Star. September 2, 1994. p. 7. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Young, JoAnne (November 11, 2007). "Life or death". Lincoln Journal Star. pp. 1, 6, 7. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Racetrack worker bound over in waitress' death". Lincoln Journal Star. February 1, 1978. p. 21. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Return Due For Suspect". Omaha World-Herald. January 28, 1978. p. 12. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Convicted murderer Harold L. 'Walkin' Willie' Otey will die..." United Press International. September 24, 1982. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Howard, Ed (August 6, 1992). "Supreme Court Refuses to Allow Nebraska's First Execution in 33 Years". Associated Press. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "Top court delays killer's execution". Asbury Park Press. August 6, 1992. p. 12. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Otey To Have Execution Date Again". Alliance Times-Herald. January 2, 1993. p. 8. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Otey spared execution". United Press International. August 6, 1992. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ Huddle, Catharine (September 2, 1994). "Intense fight to save life fades away in quiet night". Lincoln Journal Star. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Santiago, Frank (September 3, 1994). "Nebraska killer Otey 'died with dignity'". The Des Moines Register. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Killer Executed in Nebraska; First in 35 Years". Los Angeles Times. September 3, 1994. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
- ^ "Death penalty timeline". Lincoln Journal Star. November 11, 2007. p. 7. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "U.S. Executions Since 1976". The Clark County Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
| Preceded by Charles Starkweather |
Executions carried out in Nebraska | Succeeded by John Joubert |