Billy Bailey, the last American hanged
DSP Crime Story: Billy Bailey, the last American hanged January 25th, 1996 Case handled by DSP Troop 3, Camden On this date in 1996, Billy Bailey was hanged for murdering an elderly couple in Delaware. Billy Bailey (January 1947 - January 25, 1996, Age 49) was a convicted murderer who was hanged in Delaware in 1996. He became only the third person to be hanged in the United States since 1965 (the previous two were Charles Rodman Campbell and Westley Allan Dodd , both in Washington ) and the first person hanged in Delaware in 50 years. As of 2019, he remains the last person to be executed by hanging in the United States. Bailey was condemned in 1980, which was before Texas debuted the lethal injection trend that would sweep the nation; therefore, he was sentenced to hang. When Delaware switched to injection in 1986, Bailey had the choice between his original hempen-necktie sentence or the newfangled...