Edward Lee Harper Jr.
Edward Lee Harper Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 17, 1949 |
| Died | May 25, 1999 (aged 50) Kentucky State Penitentiary, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Motive | To collect insurance money from his adoptive parents' deaths |
| Conviction | Capital murder (x2) |
| Criminal penalty | Death (x2) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Edward Lee Harper Sr., 60 Alice Harper, 64 |
| Date | February 19, 1982 |
| Location | Kentucky |
| Imprisoned at | Kentucky State Penitentiary |
Edward Lee Harper Jr. (February 17, 1949 – May 25, 1999) was an American convicted murderer found guilty of killing his adoptive parents in Louisville, Kentucky. On February 19, 1982, Harper shot and killed Alice and Edward Lee Harper Sr. with a .38-caliber handgun to inherit an $86,541 life insurance policy on his father. He was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection on May 25, 1999, after waiving his remaining appeals and volunteering for execution. Harper became the first inmate in Kentucky to be executed by lethal injection following the state's resumption of capital punishment.