John Arthur Spenkelink was a convicted robber and prison escapee who murdered Joseph Szymankiewicz in a Tallahassee, Florida, motel room in February 1973. Spenkelink shot Szymankiewicz twice while he was in bed and then attempted to delay discovery of the body by giving the motel proprietor a false account before leaving the area. He claimed the killing was self-defence, alleging that Szymankiewicz had robbed and sexually assaulted him, but prosecutors established that the murder was premeditated. Convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, Spenkelink became a major figure in the American death-penalty debate after capital punishment was reinstated. Following years of appeals and stays, he was executed by electrocution at Florida State Prison on May 25, 1979, becoming the first person involuntarily executed in the United States after the modern resumption of capital punishment.
Early Life
John Arthur Spenkelink was born on March 29, 1949, in Le Mars, Iowa. His childhood was troubled, and at the age of 12 he discovered his father's body after his father died by suicide. Spenkelink subsequently became involved in juvenile crime and spent periods in reform institutions.
As a young adult, Spenkelink travelled extensively and developed a criminal record involving robbery. In California, he was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to five years to life imprisonment. He escaped from a California correctional camp in 1972 and remained at large while travelling through the United States.
By early 1973, Spenkelink had reached Florida. His movements brought him into contact with other transient offenders, including Joseph Szymankiewicz, whom he encountered while travelling and later shared a motel room with in Tallahassee.
Killing Spree
On February 4, 1973, Spenkelink and Joseph Szymankiewicz were staying together at a motel in Tallahassee. Both men had criminal backgrounds and had been drinking before the confrontation that resulted in Szymankiewicz's death.
Spenkelink left the motel room and subsequently returned with a firearm. Szymankiewicz was in bed when Spenkelink shot him twice, once in the head and once in the back. The second shot caused catastrophic injuries and resulted in his death.
After the shooting, Spenkelink told the motel proprietor a false story intended to delay discovery of the body. He then left the motel with another traveller. The murder was discovered after Spenkelink had departed, prompting an investigation that quickly focused on him.
Modus Operandi
Spenkelink used a firearm to kill Szymankiewicz while he was in bed. The prosecution maintained that the circumstances demonstrated planning and premeditation rather than an accidental or spontaneous killing.
Following the shooting, Spenkelink attempted to conceal the crime by giving the motel proprietor a false account and leaving the area. His actions after the murder became part of the prosecution's case concerning consciousness of guilt.
Spenkelink maintained that he had acted in self-defence. He claimed that Szymankiewicz had taken his money, forced him to participate in Russian roulette and sexually assaulted him. The prosecution disputed this account, and the jury rejected the self-defence claim.
Capture
Spenkelink was arrested in Buena Park, California, approximately five days after the murder. Investigators recovered the murder weapon from an apartment associated with one of his acquaintances.
His arrest also revealed that he was an escaped prisoner from California. Authorities therefore had both the Florida murder and his outstanding California criminal status to address.
Spenkelink was returned to Florida to face prosecution for Szymankiewicz's murder. A co-defendant, Frank Brumm, was also charged in connection with the killing but was ultimately acquitted.
Trial & Sentence
Spenkelink was tried in Florida in 1973 and convicted of first-degree murder. The prosecution argued that he had deliberately shot Szymankiewicz and then attempted to conceal the killing. The jury rejected his claim that the shooting had been justified as self-defence.
On December 20, 1973, Spenkelink was sentenced to death. His conviction and sentence were upheld by the Florida Supreme Court, and subsequent appeals reached the federal courts and the United States Supreme Court.
His case became particularly significant following the Supreme Court's 1976 decision allowing revised capital-punishment statutes to proceed. Spenkelink became a central figure in the renewed national debate over the death penalty, particularly because he opposed his execution and continued pursuing legal challenges.
Florida Governor Bob Graham signed a new death warrant in May 1979 after years of appeals and stays. On May 25, 1979, Spenkelink was executed by electrocution at Florida State Prison in Raiford, Florida. He was 30 years old and became the first person involuntarily executed in the United States after the modern resumption of capital punishment.
Notes
Spenkelink's case became closely associated with the debate over whether capital punishment was applied disproportionately against poor defendants. He became known for signing prison correspondence with the phrase "capital punishment means those without capital get the punishment," which became associated with his opposition to the death penalty.
His execution was historically significant because it followed Gary Gilmore's 1977 execution in Utah, but unlike Gilmore, Spenkelink did not volunteer for execution. His death therefore became the first involuntary execution in the United States after the Supreme Court's temporary suspension of capital punishment.
Following the execution, allegations emerged that prison staff had mistreated Spenkelink shortly before he was taken to the electric chair. Florida authorities investigated the claims and concluded that he had been taunted but had not been physically abused. His mother later arranged for his body to be exhumed amid continuing rumours about the circumstances of his death, with a subsequent examination confirming that electrocution had caused his death.
Sources:
- Florida Supreme Court
- United States Supreme Court
- Florida Department of Corrections
- State Archives of Florida
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- The Washington Post
- The New York Times
- Associated Press
- Florida Memory
Media
📺 Documentaries / TV Series
The Execution of John Spenkelink
Documentary and historical programming examining Spenkelink's murder conviction, death-penalty appeals and 1979 execution.
Death Penalty in America
Programs examining the modern history of capital punishment have featured Spenkelink's case because of his status as the first person involuntarily executed after executions resumed in the United States.
🎥 Major Video Interviews
Florida State Archives
Archival material documents Spenkelink's incarceration, death sentence and place in Florida's history of capital punishment.
Florida Supreme Court Coverage
Historical court coverage examines the extensive appeals and constitutional challenges surrounding Spenkelink's death sentence.
🎙️ Podcasts
Death Penalty Podcasts
Spenkelink's case has been examined in discussions of the resumption of executions in the United States and the constitutional history of capital punishment.
American True Crime Podcasts
True-crime programs have covered the 1973 Tallahassee murder, Spenkelink's claim of self-defence and his eventual execution.
📰 Written Media Coverage
The John Arthur Spenkelink case received extensive media coverage from:
The Washington Post, The New York Times, Associated Press, Florida Memory, State Archives of Florida
Major themes included:
John Arthur Spenkelink, Joseph Szymankiewicz, Tallahassee murder, Florida death row, prison escape, armed robbery, self-defence claim, first-degree murder, death penalty, Old Sparky, electrocution, capital punishment, constitutional appeals, and first involuntary execution after the resumption of capital punishment.
