Robert Gleason Jr., Virginia inmate who asked for death penalty, due to be executed

By: Crimesider Staff
Topics: Daily Blotter

In this Tuesday Jan. 25. 2012 photo, Robert Gleason Jr. is escorted into a Wise County courtroom in Wise, Va.

/ AP Photo/Bristol Herald Courier, File, David Crigger

(CBS/AP) RICHMOND, Va. - A convicted murderer who fought to get the death penalty so he wouldn't kill again is scheduled to be executed Wednesday night.

Robert Gleason Jr. is scheduled to die at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt. Condemned Virginia inmates can choose between lethal injection and electrocution, and Gleason is the first inmate to choose electrocution since 2010.

He was already serving life in prison when he killed his cellmate, then vowed to continue killing unless he was put to death. When the system wasn't moving fast enough, he strangled another inmate and warned that the body count would rise if they didn't heed his warnings. Gleason waived his appeals, and he remains in a legal battle with his former attorneys as they file last-minute appeals to try to save his life against his wishes.

"Why prolong it? The end result's gonna be the same," Gleason said from death row in his thick Boston accent in one of numerous interviews he's given to The Associated Press over three years. "The death part don't bother me. This has been a long time coming. It's called karma."

The unusual choice of death by electrocution follows a series of other shocking moves.

Deputies had to use a stun gun on him during a violent outburst in court in 2008 before he pleaded guilty to a shooting death that sent him to prison for life. Despite there being little evidence against him, Gleason admitted to shooting Mike Jamerson, whose son was cooperating in a federal investigation into a methamphetamine ring that Gleason was involved in.

A year later he got so frustrated when prison officials wouldn't move his new, mentally disturbed cellmate, 63-year-old Harvey Watson Jr., that Gleason hogtied, beat and strangled the older man. Gleason remained in the cell with Watson's lifeless body for more than 15 hours before officers discovered the crime.

"Someone needs to stop it. The only way to stop me is put me on death row," he told AP at the time, repeating his threats in court on numerous occasions.

Gleason claims he's killed others - perhaps dozens more - but he has refused to provide details. He claims he's different from the other men on Virginia's death row for one important reason: he only kills criminals.

Watson was serving life for killing one man and injuring two others. Cooper was a carjacker with gang ties.

"I ain't saying I'm a better person for killing criminals, but I've never killed innocent people," Gleason said. "I killed people that's in the same lifestyle as me, and they know, hey, these things can happen."

Gleason says he only requested death in order to keep a promise to a loved one that he wouldn't kill again. He said doing so will allow him to teach his children, including two young sons, what can happen if they follow in his footsteps.

"I wasn't there as a father and I'm hoping that I can do one last good thing," he said. "Hopefully, this is a good thing."

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by askagain January 16, 2013 8:38 PM EST: Maryland, one state away from Virginia, is close to eliminating the death sentence. Perhaps, Maryland state legislators should read this article. No state should give-up the option to use the death sentence in cases such as this. Having the option doesn't mean that the death sentence has to be used in all murder cases. In fact, there are few people on death row when compared to how many murderers are serving life sentences. Once the death penalty is abolished, the state no longer has the option to use it in extreme cases.; Reply to this comment


by askagain January 16, 2013 8:37 PM EST: Maryland, one state away from Virginia, is close to eliminating the death sentence. Perhaps, Maryland state legislators should read this article. No state should give-up the option to use the death sentence in cases such as this. Having the option doesn't mean that the death sentence has to be used in all murder cases. In fact, there are few people on death row when compared to how many murderers are serving life sentences. Once the death penalty is abolished, the state no longer has the option to use it in extreme cases.; Reply to this comment

by caljack430 January 16, 2013 8:37 PM EST

I mean... I have respect for the man for knowing himself. Sounds like a real-life Boondock Saint thing here... He certainly deserves what he's getting, but I'm glad he is not only accepting, but trying to speed up his fate and save the dang tax dollars is costs to keep someone like him incarcerated. Granted I don't know the financial difference between the cost of putting someone to death and keeping them alive in a prison for the rest of their life, but I would guess its cheaper to just kill them assuming there aren't years of legal battles to prevent it.

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by Henri_Rochard January 16, 2013 11:22 PM EST: I disagree. Here's my opinion: Gleason want to die. He just doesn't want to sit in a prison cell and look at four grey walls for the rest of his life.
I say, let him live. Let him just live, day after day, incarcerated with no hope of ever getting out.
OTOH, for people that want to fight their executions, keep after the process of getting them executed.
Whatever the murderers wants, give him/her the exact opposite.