1. Jaturun Siripongs was a Thai national who was executed by the state of California for the December 1981 murders of two people during a robbery in Garden Grove, California.
15 Facts About Jaturun Siripongs
1. 2.
Jaturun Siripongs was born into poverty and was raised in a brothel after his parents separated.
3.
Jaturun Siripongs was physically abused and grew up in a rat-infested compound without running water or electricity.
4.
Jaturun Siripongs was convicted for participating in the robbery and served time in a Thai prison.
5.
Jaturun Siripongs later aided US drug authorities in a sting operation and acquired the money that allowed him to buy passage to the United States.
6.
Jaturun Siripongs was convicted of burglary, robbery, and two counts of first-degree murder.
7.
Jaturun Siripongs admitted that he took part in the robbery but always claimed the murders were committed by an accomplice he refused to name.
8.
Jaturun Siripongs's defense attorneys said his accomplice was the 17-year-old sister of his girlfriend, who was a key witness at his trial.
9.
In December 1995, a federal judge conducted an eight-day hearing and found no evidence that supported the idea of Jaturun Siripongs having an accomplice.
10.
Jaturun Siripongs was initially scheduled for execution in November 1998, but the execution was blocked by a federal judge.
11.
On December 14,1998, an Orange County Superior Court Judge signed a new execution order for Jaturun Siripongs, setting an execution date for February 9,1999.
12.
Multiple groups of people tried to appeal the execution, including Pope John Paul II, the husband of Wattanaporn, who was a Buddhist, two of the jurors at his trial, and the former warden of San Quentin State Prison, who, despite attempting to spare Jaturun Siripongs life, was a supporter of capital punishment.
13.
The government of Thailand asked that Jaturun Siripongs's life be spared and that he be returned to his native country to serve a life sentence.
14.
On February 9,1999, Jaturun Siripongs was executed at San Quentin State Prison by lethal injection.
15.
Jaturun Siripongs wished to be cremated and have his ashes scattered at sea.