Harrowing Court Footage Shows Murderer Demand To Be Sentenced To Death

Footage filmed in a courtroom shows convicted murderer Robert Gleason Jr. demanding he be given the death penalty for his crimes.

Gleason was sentenced to life without parole in prison after being found guilty of murdering Michael Kent Jamerson in Amherst, Virginia, in 2008, but while in prison he strangled and killed two other inmates: Harvey Watson, Gleason's cellmate; and Aaron Cooper.

The prisoner threatened to continue killing until he was sentenced to death, telling the court in 2010 that if he was sentenced to life someone would end up getting hurt and he didn't care who.

Hear Gleason address the court below:

Gleason suggested it was the legal system's fault people had been killed while he was behind bars, saying Wallens Ridge State Prison 'could have prevented a death'.

"The only way to prevent me from f*cking taking someone else out is to get the death penalty," he continued.

In spite of his determination to receive a death sentence, Gleason's former lawyer fought to keep him alive.

Speaking to ABC News in 2013, attorney Jon Sheldon explained: "This is going to look to most people like a case that is appropriate for the death penalty.

"But what's odd about the case is it flips the death penalty precisely on its head in that the motive for the prison killing was only so he could get the death penalty."

The lawyers claimed Gleason was not mentally sound to make the decision, though Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said at the time he would not intervene in the execution as Gleason 'expressed no remorse' for the murders.

Alamy

"He has not sought to appeal his convictions and has not filed a petition for clemency," McDonnell said.

"He has consistently rejected any offers of legal assistance. Gleason has said that he wants the Jan. 16 execution to 'go as is'. He has been found competent by the appropriate courts to make all of these decisions."

The prisoner was ultimately sentenced to death, and in 2013 he chose to be killed by the electric chair instead of with a lethal injection at the Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Virginia.

Prior to his electrocution, Gleason told the Associated Press he deserved to die for what he did, saying: "The death part don't bother me. This has been a long time coming. It's called karma."

The inmate also said he requested death to keep a promise to a loved one that he wouldn't kill again.

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Topics: Crime, US News, Reddit, Viral

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.