Manny Babbitt

Who was Manny Babbitt?

Manuel Pina "Manny" Babbitt was a U.S. Marine veteran of the Vietnam War who was convicted of the murder of a 78-year-old woman, Leah Schendel, during a burglary in Sacramento, California in 1980. He was executed by the state of California by lethal injection at San Quentin State Prison, one day after his 50th birthday. The murder was committed during a string of robberies and burglaries and the day after the murder Babbitt committed at least one sexual assault.

Babbitt had been wounded at the bloody 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. As part of his defense, he claimed that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, which he said caused him to commit his crimes and, later, to lose all memory of it.

One year before his execution, while on death row, Babbitt was awarded a Purple Heart medal for the wounds he had received at the Battle of Khe Sanh.

Babbitt refused his last meal and asked that the $50 allotted be given to homeless Vietnam veterans. His last words were: "I forgive all of you." He was buried in Wareham, Massachusetts, on May 10, 1999, with full military honors.