James Homer Elledge

James Homer Elledge (December 9, 1942 – August 28, 2001) was an American murderer who was executed by lethal injection in Washington State Penitentiary for the murder of 47-year-old Eloise Jane Fitzner while on parole for another murder. The case raised questions before and after the execution about how capital punishment was applied in Washington state, especially in cases where a defendant refused to present a defense in the penalty phase and refused to allow the filing of any appeals.

Crimes Elledge had four prior convictions as a juvenile for breaking and entering theft.

In 1964, Elledge robbed a Western Union office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During this robbery, he also kidnapped a female attendant. He was sentenced to prison in Santa Fe, New Mexico and, after his parole, he moved to Seattle, Washington, where he killed motel manager Bertha Lush in 1974 by beating her to death with a ball-peen hammer in an argument over his bill. When he testified himself he said: "that there is a very wicked part of me. And this wicked part of me needs to die." On July 28, 1998, Elledge was sentenced to death. Waiving all his rights to appeal, was executed by lethal injection on August 28, 2001, at Washington State Penitentiary, becoming only the fourth person to be executed since the restoration of capital punishment in Washington state in 1981. Elledge requested a last meal of eggs, bacon, waffles, sweet roll, cereal and orange juice, but declined to eat it. His actual last meal was a breakfast of apple juice, oatmeal, toast, hash browns, coffee and eggs. He gave no last words.