CARYL CHESSMAN

(Caryl Whittier Chessman)


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  • Born: May 27, 1921
  • Died: May 2, 1960
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Celebrity

Caryl Whittier Chessman was a convicted robber, kidnapper and rapist who was sentenced to death for a series of crimes committed in January 1948 in the Los Angeles area. Chessman was charged with 17 counts and convicted under a loosely interpreted "Little Lindbergh law" – later repealed, but not retroactively – that defined kidnapping as a capital offense under certain circumstances. His case attracted worldwide attention, and helped propel the movement to end the use of capital punishment in the state of California.