CANADA DEATH PENALTY INDEX
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ALBERTA
All executions were carried out by hanging. The majority of the executions took place in Lethbridge and at a prison in Fort Saskatchewan. Notable executions include a group of German POWs who murdered fellow prisoners at a detention camp during WWII.


NORTHWEST TERRITORIES (1870-1905)
Parts of this land was originally territory of the Hudson's Bay Co. and the North-West Co. until their merger in 1820. The Hudson's Bay Co. ceded the area in 1869, Canada formally took possession in 1870 and it became part of the Northwest Territories.
Name Date Method Location Crime Sex Race Age Occupation Executioner Notes
Runner, Swift 1879 December 20 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M Native ? ? Rogers Murdered his family and ate them. Also known as Ka-Ki-Si-Kutchin.
Williams, Jess 1884 March 29 hanged Calgary murder M black ? ? ? Murdered someone named Adams on 8 Feb 1884.
Charcoal 1897 March 16 hanged Ft Macleod murder M Native ? hay farmer Radclive, John Shot his wife's lover and a NWMP officer.
Bullo, Charles Bertrand 1902 March 16 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 31 ? Binkley, D.F. Shot Leon Stainton on 26 Apr 1901 at Battle River. Hanged in the RCMP barracks carpenter shop. No last statement made.
Cashel, Ernest 1904 February 02 hanged Calgary murder M ? 21 ? ? Shot Isaac Rufus Belt on 30 Oct 1902 at Red Deer River.
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ALBERTA (1905-PRESENT)
In 1905 Alberta was created by dividing off part of the Northwest Territories.
Name Date Method Location Crime Sex Race Age Occupation Executioner Notes
King, Charles 1905 September 30 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? ? prospector ? Murdered his prospecting companion,Edward Hayward, at Slave Lake.
Song, Mah 1909 January 05 hanged Ft Macleod murder M oriental ? laundry business owner Radclive, John Shot his brother for gambling away money from their laundry business. Occurred 31 Jul 1908 in Blairmore.
Barrett, Gary R 1909 July 14 hanged Edmonton murder M white 57 railway labourer, farmer ? Killed Warden Stedman in the federal penitentiary in Edmonton.
Zbyhley, Herycko 1909 December 21 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 62 ? ? Quarrelled with his wife, Anna Zbyhley, over money and chopped her head off with an ax. He then injured himself. Crime occurred at Mundare on 12 Sep 1908
King, William Oscar 1910 August 02 hanged Edmonton murder M white 38 farmer ? This German immigrant killed Joseph Hindahl on 10 Mar 1907 and stole his belongings.
Chobotar, Wasil 1911 January 14 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? ? ? ? Shot Alec Lazoruk on 6 May 1910.
Fisk, John 1911 June 27 hanged Calgary murder M ? 37 farmer English, Arthur Shot Tucker Peach on 21 May 1910 near Bow River.
Carlson, Frederick L. 1912 June 19 hanged Red Deer murder M white ? farmer English, Arthur Struck Norman Merritt with an ax on 21 Aug 1911 at Hamilton Lake.
Wilinsky, Sam 1912 July 26 hanged Ft Macleod murder M ? ? ? English, Arthur Murdered George Lakatocz.
Collins, William Jasper 1914 February 17 hanged Calgary murder M white 22 ? Holmes, Jack Murdered John P. Benson. Due to illness Collins was to weak to stand so Holmes hanged him while strapped to a chair. After Collins was dropped the attending doctor couldn't detect the pulse so he had Holmes cut the rope but then realized Collins was still breathing. Collins died after a short while still in the chair under the gallows.
Konuch, Serhey 1914 September 25 hanged Ft Macleod murder M white ? ? English, Arthur Murdered John Wilson during a robbery. Wilson was paymaster of the Canada Cement Co. Crime committed with A. Sokoloff.
Sokoloff, Afancy 1914 September 25 hanged Ft Macleod murder M white ? ? English, Arthur Murdered John Wilson during a robbery. Wilson was paymaster of the Canada Cement Co. Crime committed with S. Konuch.
Leek, George E. 1916 March 10 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M black ? ? ? Shot Noah Hoover during a robbery on 6 Oct 1915 in Junkins.
Kehl, Mattus 1917 May 08 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 47 farmer ? Shot H. Allay on 15 Dec 1916 in Dornlee.
Neigel, Adam 1918 March 22 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 31 ? ? Murdered his wife Clara Neigel.
Campbell, Joseph Arthur 1919 April 23 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? ? ? ? Shot Sam Zappler and Constable Frank Beevers on 17 Oct 1918 in Edmonton.
Basoff, Tom 1920 December 22 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? ? ? ? Killed RCMP Cpl Ernest Usher during a shootout in a Bellevue restaurant 07 Aug 1920.
Dortch, Otis 1923 April 11 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 19 ? Wakefield Shot Charles Howard Kelly on 6 Oct 1922 near Vulcan.
Picariello, Emilio 1923 May 02 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 44 bootlegger Wakefield Murdered Constable Lawson.
Lassandro, Filumena 1923 May 02 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder F white 22 ? Wakefield Accomplice in the murder of Constable Lawson.
Covlin, Fred 1923 June 23 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? ? ? ? Shot John Kosenkos on 18 Oct 1922 in Consort. Jealousy related.
Hicklin, Frank 1927 February 27 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 33 farmer ? Murdered his common-law wife Martha Luella Fraser. He cut her throat and then attempted suicide on 12 Jul 1926 at Chinook.
Booher, Vernon Elwood 1929 April 24 hanged Edmonton murder M ? 22 farm labourer ? Shot his mother, brother, and two employees (Eunice and Fred Booher, Gabriel Grombey, Wasyl Rozak) Occurred 9 Jul 1928 in Mannville.
Dvernichuk, George 1931 March 03 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 44 fireman ? Shot John, Helen & Mary Wolanski, Helen Huciliak, and Wasyl Darichuk on 22 Dec 1933 in Smoky Lake.
Baldwin, Fred 1931 June 10 hanged Lethbridge murder M white 26 boiler maker's assistant ? Shot Maude Law on Christmas 1930 in Calgary.
Jones, Bertram Allen 1931 June 10 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 28 ? ? Shot Ernest Midwinter during a robbery on 16 Aug 1930 near Calgary. Crime committed with M. Radko.
Radko, Mike 1931 June 10 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 23 ? ? Shot Ernest Midwinter during a robbery on 16 Aug 1930 near Calgary. Crime committed with A. Jones.
Meyer, Louis 1931 August 05 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 32 ? ? Murdered the husband of his lover.
McLean, Kenneth 1933 November 24 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 60 farmer English, Arthur Shot Walter Parsille while robbing his farm on 28 Sep 1932 near Mannville. Hanged 20 minutes after his son.
McLean, William 1933 November 24 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 20 farmer English, Arthur Shot Walter Parsille while robbing his farm on 28 Sep 1932 near Mannville. Hanged 20 minutes before his father.
Ferguson, John 1934 October 04 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M Metis 24 trapper ? Shot Louis Jobin on 15 Mar 1934 near High Prairie.
Kassai, Julius 1934 December 31 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 30 farmer ? Hit Julius Molnar with an ax during a robbery on 9 Jun 1934 in Alsike.
Whannell, James 1934 February 20 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 21 ? ? Murdered Mathias Schmidt.
Skrut, John 1934 May 15 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 32 ? ? Murdered Alex Smoliak.
Hawryluk, William 1935 August 21 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 42 farmer ? Beat his wife, Helen Hawryluk, on 17 Jan 1935 near Youngstown.
Ernst, Emanuel 1937 March 03 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 35 farm labourer ? Shot George Pogmore on 18 Oct 1936 near Byemore. Victim's wife was also tried for the murder. Her death sentence was commuted to life in prison.
Johnston, Chester 1942 May 06 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 24 warehouse worker ? Stabbed Dorothy Hammond, age 14, on 15 Nov 1941 in Edmonton.
Cougan, Pierre 1942 September 03 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M Native 42 ? ? Axed and stabbed his wife, Mary Cougan, on 4 Sep 1941 on Janvier Indian Reserve.
Abramowicz, Peter 1944 May 25 hanged Lethbridge murder M white 49 miner ? Struck his wife, Weronica Zoharejko, with an ax on 25 Jan 1944.
Desjarlais, George 1944 June 14 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M Metis 23 trapper ? Shot Karl Hemmingsen during a robbery on 12 Nov 1942 at Monday River. See also S. Desjarlais.
Desjarlais, Sam Baptiste 1944 June 14 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M Metis 18 trapper ? Shot Karl Hemmingsen during a robbery on 12 Nov 1942 at Monday River. See also G. Desjarlais.
Abraham, Paul 1944 December 20 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M Metis 24 labourer, trapper ? Shot his wife, Ocha Ka Kay Ne Moo, in Cherhill.
Schwalb, Werner 1946 June 26 hanged Lethbridge murder M white 30 baker, soldier Blanchard, Camille A German who murdered fellow POW August Plaszek on 22 Jul 1943.
Bruch, Heinrich 1946 December 19 hanged Lethbridge murder M white 29 clothing store clerk, Luftwaffe aircrew Blanchard, Camille 1 of 4 Germans who murdered fellow POW Karl Lehmann on 10 Sept 1944.
Mueller, Willi 1946 December 19 hanged Lethbridge murder M white 32 mechanic, Luftwaffe aircrew Blanchard, Camille 1 of 4 Germans who murdered fellow POW Karl Lehmann on 10 Sept 1944.
Perzenowsky, Bruno 1946 December 19 hanged Lethbridge murder M white 34 police officer, Luftwaffe aircrew Blanchard, Camille 1 of 4 Germans who murdered fellow POW Karl Lehmann on 10 Sept 1944.
Staley, Donald Sherman 1946 December 19 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 29 ? Blanchard, Camille Murdered a child.
Wolf, Walter 1946 December 19 hanged Lethbridge murder M white 28 tax inspector, soldier ? 1 of 4 Germans who murdered fellow POW Karl Lehmann on 10 Sept 1944.
Smith, Lloyd William 1948 April 09 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 28 ? ? Murdered his wife Pauline Smith.
McLaren, Stanley Donald 1949 March 30 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 23 plasterer ? Struck Wing Lum Yum with a revolver during a robbery.
Hayes, Michael Joseph 1950 February 22 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 41 ? ? Hit William Mackay with a pipe and ax during a robbery on 30 Jun 1949 in Edmonton.
Nowell, Wilfred Leslie 1950 February 22 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 46 ? ? Murdered his employer, Thomas Law.
Gorczack, Kazimeriez 1952 August 26 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 34 miner ? Stabbed his wife, Staffy, on 1 Jan 1952 in Edmonton.
Gerard, Marius 1953 February 10 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M Metis 49 carpenter ? Stabbed his common-law wife Dorothy Kay on 19 Sep 1952 in Grand Centre.
Alfred, Henry Alexander 1954 January 26 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M ? 22 farmer ? Shot and burned George and Sherris Craig on 26 Mar 1953 near Peace River.
Sim, Robert James 1954 June 29 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 23 ? ? Raped and murdered Gharda Middlestad.
Morrison, Peter 1956 July 17 hanged Lethbridge murder M ? 23 ? ? Murdered Norman Yesny during a robbery.
Cook, Robert Raymond 1960 November 14 hanged Ft Saskatchewan murder M white 21 ? Blanchard, Camille Murdered his family near Stettler in 1959. Last person executed in Alberta.
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