Spree Killers York and Latham Executed in Kansas

June 22, 1965 - George Ronald York, 22, and James Douglas Latham, 23 (pictured following their capture in 1961), two high school dropouts, died on the gallows early today at Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing for one of the seven murders they had bragged of committing. Latham (right) was executed first, followed by York (left).

Between May 26 and June 10, 1961, the two men, who had met at Fort Hood, Texas before going AWOL, beat Edward Guidroz in Mix, La., and stole his truck and then murdered Althea Ottavio and Patricia Hewett in Jacksonville, Fla., John Whittaker in Tullahoma, Tenn., Albert Reed near Troy, Ill., Martin Drenovac outside Edwardsville, Ill., Otto Ziegler in Wallace, Kan., and Rachel Moyer in Craig., Col. They attacked two others, who survived.

They were tried and convicted in Kansas for the murder of Ziegler — after robbing him of $51 — and sentenced to death by Judge Benedict Cruise on Nov. 8, 1961.

This morning, the two men exhibited none of the carefree bravado that had characterized their arrests, when they boasted: “We killed together, so we expected to die together.”

The hangings took place in a corner of a musty old warehouse on the prison grounds.

Latham, when asked by Warden Sherman Crouse what his last words were, replied, “I’m not mad at anybody.” He then walked steadily up the 13 steps of the gallows, with the Rev. James E. Post, former prison chaplain, at his side.

York, the taller of the two, arrived chewing gum. He stood, head to one side, as the warden read the execution order.

When asked for his last words, York said:“I’ve nothing to say except I’m glad to be going home to heaven, and I hope to meet you people up there. I know it won’t do much good to say I’m sorry, but I know God has forgiven me, and I hope you people can see fit to do the same.”

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