Caryl Chessman

Diagnoses

Passions

Vocation

Notable

Traits

Family

American homicide; called the "Red Light Bandit" as he would flash a red light on his car to stop people, pretending to be a cop, rape the woman and rob the man. In a binge of rape, robbery and kidnapping, he shot a man to death, and was convicted 5/21/1948. Born to an alcoholic dad and a mom paralyzed from an auto accident when he was nine (Serl and Hallie Chessman), he was a sickly, asthmatic kid. He joined a gang, and married a 16-year-old girl 8/1940. While in San Quentin prison, CA, he studied law, wrote appeals and a book. After 12 years on death row, he finally was executed in the gas chamber on 5/02/1960 at 10:03 AM, declared dead 10:12 AM, PDT. A last-minute stay and ninth reprieve had been ordered by state Supreme Court Judge Goodman at 10 AM but it was too late. A wrong number was dialed to the prison and then quickly redialed, but when Judge Goodman listened on the other end he reported back, "It's too late. The pellets have already been dropped." A biography was written by Frank J. Parker, "Caryl Chessman, the Red Light Bandit." Link to Wikipedia biography