Execution in Florida-
James “Chicken Head” Robertson entered prison at 17 years old. Today, 46 years later, he was executed for a murder he deliberately committed because he wanted the death penalty.
Robertson entered the Florida prison system in 1980 following convictions involving burglary and assault. His original sentences totaled approximately 10 years.
But he never made it out.
Over the following decades, he accumulated additional convictions for crimes committed behind bars, extending his stay. By 2008, he had spent approximately 28 years in prison, with a projected release date of 2038.
Robertson wanted to die, and he decided the death penalty was his way out.
On December 10, 2008, he strangled his cellmate, Frank Hart, to death at Charlotte Correctional Institution.
Hart was serving time for sexual battery and was reportedly just eight days away from release. Robertson said he believed Hart was a child molester, which influenced his decision to target him. He also considered Hart physically vulnerable.
Robertson admitted he committed the murder specifically to receive a death sentence. When initially facing a lesser murder charge, he insisted the killing was premeditated because he wanted prosecutors to pursue capital punishment.
He pleaded guilty, was sentenced to death, and fought against efforts to appeal his sentence.
In 2018, Robertson appeared in the first episode of Netflix’s documentary series ‘I Am a Killer’, where he discussed his life in prison, the murder, and his desire to be executed.
He was pronounced dead at 12:32pm Eastern Time. He declined to make a final statement.
Robertson was 63 years old. He had spent virtually his entire adult life incarcerated.
Photo: Florida Department of Corrections
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