The Fates of "Cop Killers" in Post-Gregg North Carolina

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

A common belief is that offenders who kill law enforcement officers are subject to elevated sanctions through the criminal justice system and/or experience a strong likelihood of being killed during the apprehension process. In June 1977, the state of North Carolina resumed utilizing capital punishment following U.S. Supreme Court decisions led by Gregg v. Georgia (1976). Conceivably reflecting prevailing public opinion, the statue authorizing this sanction included an aggravating factor that allowed the state to pursue the death penalty for the killing of a law enforcement officer. The results reported here provide details of what happened to 92 offenders known to have participated in the murder of law enforcement officers in North Carolina during the period June 1, 1977 through 2016. The results are used to determine how “cop killers” fared in the judicial system, how many were killed in the process of apprehension, and the number who committed suicide either during or following their crime. Methodological issues in determining which cases to include are discussed, as well as an assessment of whether the results support common beliefs about the fates of “cop killers.”

Authors

• M. Dwayne Smith, University of South Florida

• Beth Bjerregaard, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Sondra Fogel, University of South Florida