Joseph Mitchell Parsons

Joseph Mitchell "Yogi" Parsons (July 22, 1964 – October 15, 1999) was an American who was executed for the August 1987 murder of Richard Lynn Ernest. Parsons hitched a ride with Ernest in California and stabbed him to death at a remote rest area in Utah. After assuming Ernest's identity, Parsons continued to insist that he was Ernest when he was later arrested.

Parsons, who called himself the "Rainbow Warrior", pleaded guilty to the murder. During his sentencing hearing, Parsons said that he killed Ernest to fend off a homosexual advance, but was unable to present any evidence to support this claim in his defense. The jury sentenced him to death. In 1999, Parsons stated that "it's time to move on" and dropped his appeals, allowing his execution to proceed. Discussion was later raised whether "Rainbow Warrior" was a reference to homosexuality or Parsons' favorite NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon.

Parsons chose to die by lethal injection, and he shunned attention, describing himself as "Utah's forgotten inmate". His 1999 execution at Utah State Prison was the first to be carried out in a new chamber designed for both lethal injections and firing squads.

Background Joseph Mitchell Parsons was born on July 22, 1964, to Joseph Michael and Marie Parsons in New York City. For the first five years of Mitchell's life, his father was incarcerated. His parents worked odd jobs from sewing fuzzy dice to construction. Joseph Mitchell's half-sister Dinah said that his father beat him frequently until he wet himself. He graduated from high school with a C average and sold shoes in a shopping mall. During trial, Parsons characterized himself as an orphan who stayed out of trouble and testified against Wood. The court did not have access to Parsons' juvenile record, and was unaware of his parents on the East Coast. Parsons later stated that he provided false testimony against Wood in a plea bargain for a lighter sentence. Wood was convicted and spent 13 years in prison. He walked out of the facility before his release date and fled on a stolen motorcycle.

Murder of Richard Ernest

Trial and sentencing Iron County prosecutor Scott Burns stated that he had witnesses from three different states and crime scenes in three different counties. Ernest's family and friends stated in court that Ernest was not gay or bisexual. a jury of six men and six women sentenced Parsons to death. On March 5, 1990, District Judge J. Philip Eves rejected Parsons' complaint that he was denied his right to legal counsel while in prison and set his execution date for April 30, 1990. took up Parsons' appeal that he had ineffective counsel during his trial. On January 12, 1994, the Utah Supreme Court rejected Parsons' petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

On July 6, 1999, Parsons abandoned a federal appeal of his sentence to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, stating that he preferred execution than waiting for years on death row. He complained that he was bored in prison, which he called "torture, plain and simple."

Execution

On the evening before his execution, Parsons watched The Mummy and was visited in his death watch cell by his brother and his cousin. They shared his last meal of Burger King hamburgers, French fries, milkshakes, root beer, and chocolate chip ice cream. Parsons's attorney said he believed his client chose this meal because the Burger King slogan "Have it your way" was a reflection of him taking control of his life.

Parsons would become the first inmate to be executed in a new chamber that was built in 1998 at Utah State Prison for use in either firing squads or lethal injections. A mild sedative was delivered intravenously to calm Parsons before the deadly drugs were administered.

At 12:10 a.m. on October 15, 1999, Parsons was executed by lethal injection. Seven minutes later, a physician checked Parsons' stopped heartbeat with a stethoscope and pronounced him dead at 12:18 a.m. Parsons' last words were: "Love to my family and friends. And Woody, the rainbow warrior rules. Thank you." the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah planned to organize a candlelight vigil in opposition to the execution. A group of around 50 people gathered outside the prison, mostly criminal justice students from Weber State University.

Unlike the previous execution of John Albert Taylor in 1996 (or Ronnie Lee Gardner that would follow in 2010), Parsons' execution attracted little media attention, with representatives from only 12 news organizations. Spokesperson Jack Ford called the level of interest virtually "nonexistent". Deputy attorney general Reed Richards presumed that the media apathy was a result of Parsons' choice of lethal injection, which was more broadly adopted in the United States than execution by firing squad, which was unique to Utah. Parsons' court-appointed attorney Greg Sanders said that his client called himself "Utah's forgotten inmate".