Manuel Pina "Manny" Babbitt (May 3, 1949 – May 4, 1999) was a

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

veteran of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

who was convicted of the murder of a 78-year-old woman, Leah Schendel, during a burglary in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

in 1980.Manuel Babbitt
''

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is the penal law enforcement agency of the government of California responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. Its headquarters are in Sacra ...

''. Retrieved on June 4, 2022. He was executed by the state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...

, one day after his 50th birthday. The murder was committed during a string of robberies and burglaries and the day after the murder Babbitt committed at least one sexual assault. Schendel died from a heart attack after Babbitt beat and tried to rape her. Babbitt had been wounded at the bloody 1968

Battle of Khe Sanh The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base ( ...

in Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam. As part of his defense, he claimed he suffered from

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

which he said caused him to commit his crimes and to later lose all memories of the crimes. One year before his execution, while on

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

, Babbitt was awarded a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

medal for the wounds he had received at the Battle of Khe Sanh. Babbitt refused his last meal and asked that the $50 allotted be given to homeless Vietnam veterans. His last words were: "I forgive all of you." He was buried in his native

Wareham, Massachusetts Wareham ( ) is a New England town, town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 23,303. Wareham is in the southern outskirts of Greater Boston, and is a part of the South Coast (Massa ...

, on May 10, 1999, with

full military honors A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...

.Da Costa-Fernandes, Manuela
Manny Babbitt laid to rest
'' The Standard-Times'' (May 11, 1999); retrieved November 16, 2007. The movie ''

Last Day of Freedom ''Last Day of Freedom'' is a 2015 American black and white and color animated short documentary film about racism, the US Criminal Justice System, and mental health issues. The documentary was well received by critics and earned numerous awa ...

,'' nominated for an Oscar in 2016, depicts his brother's narrative of the events that led to Babbitt's execution.

References

External links

Bill Babbitt, California - Brother of Manny Babbitt, executed in California in 1999
''Murder Victims' Families For Human Rights''. Retrieved on 2007-11-16. * Glantz, Aaron
Remembering Manny Babbitt
''

Truthdig Truthdig is an American alternative news website that provides a mix of long-form articles, blog items, curated links, interviews, arts criticism, and commentary on current events that is delivered from a politically progressive, left-leaning ...

'' (2007-07-17). Retrieved on 2007-11-16. * King, Rachel
Pages 66-70
''Capital Consequences: Families Of The Condemned Tell Their Stories''. Rutgers University Press (2005). . Retrieved on 2007-11-16. * Washington, Glynn
Snap Judgement 726
''Brother's Keeper''. Retrieved on 2017-12-16. {{DEFAULTSORT:Babbitt, Manny 1949 births 1999 deaths 1980 murders in the United States American people convicted of attempted rape American people executed for murder 20th-century executions by California United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War People executed by California by lethal injection Executed African-American people Executed people from Massachusetts People convicted of murder by California People from Wareham, Massachusetts 20th-century executions of American people United States Marines

See also

References

External links