Leonard Shockley

Who was Leonard Shockley?

Leonard Melvin Shockley was a juvenile executed in the United States on April 10, 1959, for a murder committed when he was under the age of 18. Shockley, a black man, was executed in Maryland in a gas chamber for the murder of shopkeeper Sarah Hearne on January 16, 1958. Shockley was involved in the robbery of a small shop in Dorchester County, Maryland. He was accompanied by his older brother, 23-year-old Harold Edward Shockley. Hearne was found stabbed several times in the back and breast, and her throat had been cut. The young culprits were identified by an eye witness. Leonard was 17 years of age at the time of his execution making him the last instance of a juvenile being executed in America. His brother received life in prison.