Joseph Carl Shaw (March 31, 1955 – January 11, 1985) was an American convicted murderer and the first person executed by the state of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

after the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

reauthorized the use of

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

in 1976. Shaw was executed for the 1977 murders of three people in

Richland County, South Carolina Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 416,147, making it the second-most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville County. The county seat and larg ...

. One of his accomplices, James Terry Roach, was also sentenced to death and was executed in 1986.

Early life

Joseph Carl Shaw was born to Mary and Melvin Shaw in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, and grew up in the suburb of

Jeffersontown Jeffersontown is a home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,474 at the 2020 census. It is a major suburb of Louisville. When the Louisville Metro government was established in 2003, Jeffersonto ...

. He attended St. Edwards Catholic Middle School and played on the football team. Shaw also regularly attended church and became an altar boy. After leaving St. Edwards he moved on to Jeffersontown High School but dropped out before graduating. After leaving high school, Shaw enlisted in the army and sought admission to the Military Police School. He graduated in 1975 and was stationed at Fort Jackson in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

. There, he met James Terry Roach, Ronald Eugene Mahaffey, and Robert Neil Williams. The four men would often spend their days getting high and drinking alcohol. Shaw also got into a relationship with a woman around this time, but the relationship ended abruptly on October 16, 1977.

Murders

Betty Swank

After the sudden end of his relationship, Shaw, Roach, Mahaffey, and Williams consumed large quantities of drugs and alcohol. Wanting revenge, Shaw and his accomplices decided to go out and find a woman to rape. In the early hours of October 17, the four men came across Betty Swank. The men offered her a ride in their car. Once Swank got inside, she saw that they were in possession of a gun. She was kidnapped, raped, and then murdered by Shaw, who shot her with a .22 caliber pistol. Her dead body was found in a mobile home park.

Thomas Taylor and Carlotta Hartness

On October 29, 1977, Shaw, Roach, and Mahaffey spent the morning taking drugs and drinking alcohol. In the afternoon they decided to see if they could find a girl to rape. The three men drove to a baseball park northeast of Columbia where they saw a parked car occupied by Thomas Taylor and Carlotta Hartness. Shaw pulled up beside the parked car and Roach pointed a .22 caliber rifle through the car window at Taylor demanding money. Taylor gave the men his wallet while Shaw forced Hartness into the back seat of his car. Shaw then gave orders for Roach to kill Taylor. Roach then shot and killed Taylor, who was still sitting in his parked car. Hartness was taken to a dirt road a short distance away where she was raped repeatedly by each of the men. Hartness was shot in the head by Roach and then shot again by Shaw, who fired into Hartness's head, killing her. The men left the scene, disposed of the rifle, and returned to the baseball park to confirm that Taylor was dead. Later that night, Shaw returned to the scene of Hartness's murder and mutilated her body. Both the bodies of Taylor and Hartness were discovered the following day.

Trial

Shaw, Roach, and Mahaffey were captured and arrested on November 3, 1977. Each of the three men were indicted for two counts of murder, two counts of conspiracy, rape, kidnapping, and armed robbery. The state elected to seek the death penalty for Shaw and Roach. As a result of plea negotiations, the state did not seek the death penalty against Mahaffey in exchange for his testimony against Shaw and Roach. On December 12, 1977, Shaw pleaded guilty to all charges. Roach pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, rape, kidnapping and armed robbery. On December 16, 1977, both men were sentenced to death. Shaw was sentenced to death for the murders of Taylor and Hartness and received a life sentence for the murder of Swank. Mahaffey was sentenced to life in prison. Williams was not involved in the murders of Taylor and Hartness, but he received a life sentence in a separate trial for his role in the murder of Swank.

Execution

Shaw was executed by

electrocution Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...

on January 11, 1985, at the

Central Correctional Institution The South Carolina Penitentiary (SCP) (renamed the Central Correctional Institution (CCI) in 1965) was the state of South Carolina's first prison. Completed in 1867, the South Carolina Penitentiary served as the primary state prison for nearly 1 ...

, at the age of 29. His

last meal A condemned prisoner's last meal is a customary ritual preceding execution. In many countries, the prisoner may, within reason, select what the last meal will be. Contemporary restrictions in the United States Contrary to the common belief t ...

was pizza and tossed salad. In his final statement he thanked his family, religious counselors, and lawyers, and apologized to his victims' families. Roach was executed the following year, also by electrocution. Mahaffey, who was 16 years old when the crime occurred in 1977, died at the age of 41 on February 13, 2003.

References

! colspan="3" , Executions carried out in South Carolina , - ! colspan="3" , Executions carried out in the United States {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Joseph Carl 1955 births 1985 deaths American military police officers American people convicted of kidnapping American police officers convicted of rape American police officers executed for murder Criminals from Louisville, Kentucky Executed people from Kentucky 20th-century executions by South Carolina People convicted of murder by South Carolina People executed by South Carolina by electric chair 20th-century executions of American people United States Army soldiers Sexual assault in the United States military