M. Watt Espy

Who was M. Watt Espy?

Major Watt Espy, Jr. was a researcher and expert on capital punishment in the United States.

Espy, a resident of Headland, Alabama, was an author, with John Ortiz Smykla, of The Espy Files, a database of executions carried out in the United States and preceding territories from 1608, which is the most complete source of the issue.

He began his research in the 1970s when he was a salesman, working with everything from cemetery plots to security systems. While making calls he'd stop at a prison or courthouse for information. He became full-time researched in 1977.

Espy became a death penalty opponent due to concerns about racial bias, innocence and lack of deterrence.

Espy died aged 76 on August 13, 2009.