Nicholas Ingram

British American murderer (1963–1995)

Nicholas Lee Ingram (20 November 1963 – 7 April 1995) was a dual British and American national, executed for murder in 1995 at the age of 31 by the US state of Georgia, using the electric chair. He was born in Britain, but had an American father. The British Prime Minister, John Major, declined to intervene and attempt to get him reprieved. He had been imprisoned since 1983 for the murder of J. C. Sawyer, a 55 year old retired military veteran, and injuring his wife Mary Eunice Sawyer, during a robbery. The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, was one of many who campaigned unsuccessfully for clemency. The case received widespread media coverage in the United Kingdom.

Ingram was born in England to a British mother, Ann, and an American father, Johnny Ingram. One year after Ingram's birth, his family relocated to Georgia. At approximately 6:30 pm, Ingram entered the Cobb County home of J. C. and Mary Sawyer, demanding that they let him use their phone and later demanding money and the keys to the couple's car, threatening to shoot them with a gun he had if they did not cooperate with him. Mary Sawyer gave Ingram $60, while J. C. Sawyer surrendered the keys to his pickup truck. Afterwards, Ingram led the couple outside and into the woods surrounding their home. He tied their hands behind them and bound them to a tree using rope and wire. The Sawyers begged Ingram not to kill them, while Ingram taunted and threatened the couple; he ultimately gagged them with his shirt after tearing it in two and stuffing each half into each victim's mouth. He then shot them both in the head at point blank range. The shots were fatal to J. C. Sawyer, but Mrs. Sawyer survived the shooting; she played dead until she heard Ingram drive off with J. C. Sawyer's truck. After confirming that her husband was dead, Mary Sawyer untied herself and went to a neighbor's house to call the police. In an "open letter to the British people" published in London newspapers, Ingram thanked those who had appealed on his behalf, adding: "If I die, I hope it is not for nothing. I hope people will see that a ritualistic killing in the electric chair solves nothing." Ingram declined a final meal, but later ate some crackers and chips bought by relatives from a prison vending machine. According to Steve Boggan, Ann and Johnny Ingram last saw their son eight hours before his execution. Ingram's head was already shaved and he had worn a baseball cap to spare his parents the traumatic sight of his shaved head. Shortly after Ingram's execution, his father stated, "Well, he's dead now and they can't hurt him no more" [sic], while his mother said, "There's nothing to be said. It has happened and nothing's going to bring him back. Now we must pick up the pieces of our lives." Ingram's execution took place at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson, Georgia. There were two chaplains and officials from Georgia's prison service that were with him in the execution chamber when he died as well as six media representatives who went into the prison to view the execution. Ingram's lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, also witnessed his execution. Witnesses said Ingram glared at them while guards strapped him into the electric chair. When the warden, Albert "Gerry" Thomas, asked Ingram if he had any last words, Ingram spat at him. When he was asked whether he wished to have a final prayer, some sources suggested Ingram replied, "Let's get on with it". Other sources stated Ingram simply closed his eyes and did not mention Ingram speaking. Ingram was pronounced dead at 9:15 p. m. according to Vicki Gavalas, the prison department spokeswoman for the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center where the execution took place. He died in Georgia's electric chair, Old Sparky.