parsons july october american executed august murder parsons ride california stabbed death remote rest area utah assuming identity parsons continued insist later arrested parsons called rainbow warrior pleaded guilty murder sentencing hearing parsons said killed fend homosexual advance unable present evidence support claim defense jury sentenced death parsons stated time dropped appeals allowing execution proceed discussion later raised rainbow warrior reference homosexuality parsons favorite auto racing team parsons chose die lethal injection attention describing utah forgotten execution carried new chamber designed lethal firing squads background born july new_york_city spent years life father incarcerated jail parents worked odd jobs construction half sister said father beat frequently wet left family marie took florida marie met married met drug dealer nicknamed parsons admired parsons later adopted nickname right arm year florida parsons caught stealing cash apartment management office ended convictions years state minor graduated high school average sold shoes shopping mall parsons stepfather refused buy motorcycle parsons took test drive dealer return went new_jersey biological father rebuffed parsons sister law said rejected knows went mind parsons rode motorcycle west las_vegas nevada imprisonment nevada night october parsons met las_vegas took cab strip search marijuana near destination parsons pointed caliber revolver driver neck rob stealing driver taxi caught alley placed citizen arrest brother law armed guns trial parsons characterized orphan stayed trouble testified wood court access parsons juvenile record unaware parents east_coast parsons later stated provided false testimony wood plea bargain lighter sentence wood convicted spent years prison visitors came parsons years august parsons halfway house walked facility release date fled stolen motorcycle death august parsons interstate near california picked year old concrete california way construction job denver colorado know parsons fugitive august tired drive stopped park rest area near utah sleep parsons stabbed death drove blue dodge parsons stopped service station miles north wearing clothes assumed identity parsons told station attendant needed red construction paint car interior offered construction tools attendant said observed parsons throwing away clothing books posters tools parsons asked attendant distance denver spoke year old son purchased cigarettes food credit card leaving parsons credit card check quality inn utah card purchase seat covers floor cover blood car clerk called parsons attempted purchase worth items credit card found limit attendant station called discovering bloody items deputy found bank statement parsons bloody clothes calling wife officers concluded person visited service station august utah highway patrol officer found parsons sleeping car rest area interstate west utah parsons brought police station bloody clothes gathered continued insist officers asked street address parsons asked lawyer sheriff recalled parsons asked book read september body discovered underneath sleeping bag dumped east interstate mile north rest area killed stabbed times including heart throat trial sentencing prosecutor stated witnesses different states crime scenes different counties awaiting trial county jail parsons afflicted severe case crab lieutenant told investigators parsons likely contracted type homosexual interaction court hearing murder parsons said knows pleaded guilty motor vehicle theft aggravated robbery degree murder september parsons sentence decided jury parsons said defending inch knife grabbed leg thought multiple wounds superficial parsons unable present evidence claim sexual advance family friends stated court gay bisexual prosecution witnesses testified parsons homosexual activity jail according forensic psychiatrist descriptions parsons sexual history indicated initiating contact angry turned medical testified appeared stabbed sleeping unable defend february jury men women sentenced parsons death sent appeals parsons filed appeal degree murder conviction attorney argued parsons convicted charge crime making murder conviction violation double jeopardy october court unanimously upheld conviction rejected appeal grounds parsons raised objection waived right trial guilty plea march district judge rejected parsons complaint denied right legal counsel prison set execution date april new team attorneys included took parsons appeal ineffective counsel trial january rejected parsons petition writ corpus july parsons abandoned federal appeal sentence 10th stating preferred execution waiting years death row complained bored prison called torture plain simple visit parsons received hours mother august district judge signed death warrant scheduled parsons execution october execution parsons submitted request walk stars play basketball watch science fiction films prison warden parsons asked remains cremated turned family prison spokesperson said requests granted parsons allowed shoot recreation area instead game basketball prison gymnasium authorities concerned injury delay execution parsons permitted walk outdoors night place execution evening execution parsons watched visited death watch cell brother cousin shared meal french root beer chocolate chip ice cream parsons attorney said believed client chose meal slogan way reflection taking control life playing game asked score american league championship series game parsons permitted mother florida sister parsons executed new chamber built use firing squads lethal people identities withheld selected administer individual lethal know certainty executed prisoner prison selected nurses prohibits licensed physicians participating executions mild delivered calm parsons deadly drugs administered october parsons executed lethal injection seven minutes later physician checked parsons stopped pronounced dead parsons words love family friends woody rainbow warrior rules thank parsons mentioned attorney hatred execution prison spokesperson said rainbow homosexual reference victim fellow woody stated rainbow warrior instead referring colorful racing car nascar champion public reaction parsons requested protest death planned organize opposition execution group people gathered outside prison criminal justice students unlike previous execution follow parsons execution attracted little media attention representatives news organizations called level interest virtually deputy attorney general presumed media result parsons choice lethal injection broadly adopted united_states execution firing squad unique utah parsons court appointed attorney said client called utah forgotten widow attended execution said grateful lack media scrutiny brother law stated world having lost richard hope parsons sake world having lost feel
Joseph Mitchell Parsons