David Thomas Dawson (October 20, 1957 – August 11, 2006)[1] was an American convicted murderer who was executed at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana. Dawson was executed for the April 1986 murders of the Rodstein family in Billings, Montana. He remains the most recent person executed in Montana.[2]
David Thomas Dawson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 20, 1957 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Died | August 11, 2006 (aged 48) |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Conviction(s) | Deliberate homicide (3 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Death (April 15, 1987) |
| Details | |
| Victims | David Rodstein, 39 Monica Rodstein, 39 Andrew Rodstein, 11 |
| Date | April 19, 1986 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Montana |
Early life edit
Dawson was born on October 20, 1957, in San Diego, California. He was the second of three children and had two sisters. His father reportedly owned several businesses that failed, and the family moved around states when he was younger; moving to California, Colorado, Florida, and Montana. As a child, Dawson was described as sickly and clumsy, and had a hard time making friends. He got married when he was a young adult and reportedly may have fathered a daughter. The couple divorced, however. In the early 1980s, Dawson moved to Montana to work in construction, and found work in Colstrip. He rented an apartment in Billings where he stayed at on weekends. Dawson was reportedly deeply involved in drugs, including marijuana and methamphetamine. Prior to the Rodstein family murders he worked as a construction worker, and was described as a drug addict.[3]
Murders edit
On April 18, 1986, Dawson broke into a motel room that was occupied by the Rodstein family in Billings, Montana.[4] He forced the Rodstein family to go to his room at the same motel, which was located directly next door to their own room. He bound the family of four with tape, gagged them, and took their money. Over the next two days, Dawson strangled three of the four family members: 39-year-old David Rodstein, his wife 39-year-old Monica, and their 11-year-old son Andrew.[5] Their 15-year-old daughter Amy was found alive in Dawson's motel room two days after the murders.[6]
Sentencing and execution edit
The trial for Dawson came to a close in February 1987. The jury deliberated for about 14 hours and returned with guilty verdicts for three counts of deliberate homicide, four guilty verdicts for kidnapping each member of the Rodstein family, and a guilty verdict for robbery. On April 15, 1987, Dawson was sentenced to death by District Judge Diane Barz.[7][8] Dawson waived the ability to appeal his conviction and sentence.[9]
Dawson's last meal consisted of two double cheeseburgers, two large servings of french fries, half a gallon of vanilla fudge ripple ice cream, and two bottles of Dr Pepper.[1] When asked if he had any last words, Dawson said "No." He was executed by lethal injection on August 11, 2006, under the authority of the state of Montana.[10] It was the first execution in Montana in more than eight years.[11][12] Dawson remains the third of only three people to be executed in Montana since the resumption of the death penalty. The others were Duncan Peder McKenzie Jr. in 1995 and Terry Allen Langford in 1998.[13]
As of 2023[update], Dawson remains the most recent person to be executed by the state of Montana, which has gone over seventeen years without an execution.[14][15]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "David Thomas Dawson #1039". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ^ "Gazette opinion: Abolish Montana's death penalty". Billings Gazette. February 21, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ Tuttle, Greg (August 5, 2006). "Survivor calmly told of ordeal". Billings Gazette. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ Florio, Gwen (August 11, 2006). "Man convicted of three murders executed in Montana". USA Today. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ^ Tuttle, Greg (January 2, 2003). "'87 killings studied in light of Bromgard case". Billings Gazette. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ "Classmates In Shock Following Montana Triple Slaying". Associated Press. April 22, 1986. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ "USA (Montana): Death penalty: David Thomas Dawson (m)". Amnesty International. July 19, 2006. Archived from the original on August 10, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ^ "A timeline of events in the David Dawson murder case and execution". Billings Gazette. August 10, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ Bohrer, Becky (August 7, 2006). "Dawson's last days". Independent Record. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ^ MacDonald, John (August 11, 2006). "Dawson put to death six minutes past midnight". Independent Record. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ^ "Man convicted of killing 3 executed in Montana". NBC News. August 11, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ MacDonald, John (August 11, 2006). "Dawson put to death". The Montana Standard. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ "Searchable Execution Database". Death Penalty Information Center. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ Hanson, Amy Beth (February 23, 2021). "Montana House committee tables bill to abolish death penalty". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
- ^ Ambarian, Jonathon (February 3, 2021). "Montana lawmakers hear bill that would allow executions to move forward". KTVH-DT. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
| Preceded by Terry Allen Langford |
Executions carried out in Montana | Succeeded by None |