Harold Lamont Otey
Harold Lamont Otey | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1, 1951 Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | September 2, 1994 (aged 43) |
| Cause of death | Execution by electrocution |
| Conviction | First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (June 20, 1978) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Jane McManus, 26 |
| Date | June 11, 1977 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nebraska |
Date apprehended | January 26, 1978 |
| Imprisoned at | Nebraska State Penitentiary |
Harold Lamont "Walkin' Wili" Otey (August 1, 1951 – September 2, 1994) was an American criminal convicted of the 1977 rape and murder of Jane McManus, a 26-year-old photography student, in Omaha, Nebraska. Despite recanting his confession and maintaining his innocence for more than 15 years, Otey became the first person to be executed in Nebraska since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated. He was executed in 1994 by electrocution, becoming the first person to die in Nebraska's electric chair since Charles Starkweather was executed in 1959. Otey's final days were documented by the CBS News program 48 Hours entitled "Death by Midnight".