NCJ Number
176882
Date Published
1995
Length
143 pages
Annotation
This narrative traces the life of Joe Arridy, who was labeled feeble-minded and was convicted after confessing to a rape and ax murder of a teenager in Pueblo, Colo., in 1936, and who was executed in January 1939 despite the efforts of the prison warden's efforts to save him.
Abstract
Arridy was considered to be shy and likable. Born in 1915, he had been placed in a state home for mental defectives. He walked way from the institution during the Great Depression and became a boxcar rider. Nine days after the murder he confessed to a sheriff in Cheyenne, Wyo., but the sheriff did not take notes and Arridy did not sign a confession. Most of Arridy's statements in the early confession were proved false within the next few days. In addition, the Pueblo police chief already had in custody Frank Aguilar, the person he believed to be the murderer. A later confession by Arridy allegedly said that a man with the first name of Frank had been with him. The hatchet allegedly used in the murder was found at Aguilar's home. Aguilar and Arridy were both convicted, although the court did not use standards that would be used today to determine Arridy's competency to stand trial. The warden of the prison where Arridy was incarcerated was convinced that Aguilar's confessions as well as the evidence in the case made it clear that Arridy had not participated in the murder. The warden chose an attorney who obtained nine stays of execution based on the legal question of whether or not Arridy was insane. However, a final filing for a sanity hearing was denied. Index and 72 references