Burton Wilbur Abbott was born 8 Feb 1928 Portland, OR to Elsie Belle Moore (1903-2004) and Harold Mark Abbott (1893-1952).
For 2 days Burton voluntarily under went lie detector tests given by Inspector A. E. Riedel.
On 28 Apr 1955 14 year old Stephanie Bryan disappeared in Berkeley, CA. She was walking home from school where she went through the parking lot of the Claremont Hotel. A large-scale search failed to find her. In mid-July, Georgia Abbott, Burton Abbott's wife, reported finding personal effects which had belonged to the girl, including a purse and an ID card, in the basement of the Abbotts' home in Alameda. The basement was in the home she shared with her husband, their son Christopher, and Burton's mother, Elsie Abbott.
The Claremont Hotel
Stephanie's belongings found in the basement of Burton house by his wife.
Burton was married to Georgia Evelyn Ruby Schorch (1921-1995) They had a son names Christopher Wesley Abbott (1951-2015) His last name was later changed to Northam.
14 year old Stephanie Bryan
Here body was found here near Burton's cabin
Stephanie's body being removed.
In interviewing the Abbotts, the police learned that Elsie Abbott had found the purse earlier, but said she did not connect it with the case. She would profess her son's innocence until she died.
Police subsequently recovered Stephanie's glasses, a brassiere, and other evidence in the basement. No one in the family could account for how the victim's personal effects came to be in the basement.
Abbott stated he had been at the family's cabin 285 miles away near Weaverville, California, in Trinity County, when Stephanie disappeared.
On July 20, 1955, the victim's body was found by The San Francisco Examiner reporter Ed Montgomery, in a shallow grave, a few hundred feet from the cabin and Abbott was charged with her rape and murder.
Here are some newspaper articles:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39677795/burton_abbott/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39677861/burton_abbott/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39678059/burton_abbott/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39678170/burton_abbott/
There are hundreds more articles on the case you can read.
Elsie Belle Moore, Burton's mother who believed he was innocent until the day she died living to be 100, not once did she ever think he did it.
Stay of execution:
His lawyers tried to commute his sentence for over a year. On March 15, 1957, the day of the execution which was scheduled for 11:00 am, his attorney appealed to the United States Court of Appeals, and was denied. He then tried to contact the governor of California, Goodwin J. Knight, but the governor was on a naval ship, out at sea, and out of reach of the telephone. The attorney arranged with a TV station to broadcast a plea to the governor. At 9:02 Governor Knight granted one hour's stay by telephone. Within six minutes a writ of habeas corpus was presented to the Supreme Court of California but at 10:42 am the petition was denied. The attorney tried again with an appeal to the Federal District Court but the court refused a further postponement at 10:50 am. At 11:12 am Governor Knight was reached again and agreed to another stay. At 11:15 am Abbott was led to the gas chamber and strapped into the chair while the governor was contacting the warden by telephone. The executioner pulled the lever three minutes later and 16 pellets of sodium cyanide dropped into the sulfuric acid as Governor Knight reached the prison warden to stay the execution. The warden told him it was too late, and Abbott died, as the governor hung up the telephone.
Burton Wilbur Abbott was executed at San Quentin on 15 March 1957.
Burton entering the gas chamber.
On 28 Apr 1955 14 year old Stephanie Bryan disappeared in Berkeley, CA. She was walking home from school where she went through the parking lot of the Claremont Hotel. A large-scale search failed to find her. In mid-July, Georgia Abbott, Burton Abbott's wife, reported finding personal effects which had belonged to the girl, including a purse and an ID card, in the basement of the Abbotts' home in Alameda. The basement was in the home she shared with her husband, their son Christopher, and Burton's mother, Elsie Abbott.
The Claremont Hotel
Stephanie's belongings found in the basement of Burton house by his wife.
Burton was married to Georgia Evelyn Ruby Schorch (1921-1995) They had a son names Christopher Wesley Abbott (1951-2015) His last name was later changed to Northam.
Here body was found here near Burton's cabin
Stephanie's body being removed.
In interviewing the Abbotts, the police learned that Elsie Abbott had found the purse earlier, but said she did not connect it with the case. She would profess her son's innocence until she died.
Police subsequently recovered Stephanie's glasses, a brassiere, and other evidence in the basement. No one in the family could account for how the victim's personal effects came to be in the basement.
Abbott stated he had been at the family's cabin 285 miles away near Weaverville, California, in Trinity County, when Stephanie disappeared.
On July 20, 1955, the victim's body was found by The San Francisco Examiner reporter Ed Montgomery, in a shallow grave, a few hundred feet from the cabin and Abbott was charged with her rape and murder.
Here are some newspaper articles:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39677795/burton_abbott/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39677861/burton_abbott/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39678059/burton_abbott/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39678170/burton_abbott/
There are hundreds more articles on the case you can read.
Elsie Belle Moore, Burton's mother who believed he was innocent until the day she died living to be 100, not once did she ever think he did it.
Stay of execution:
His lawyers tried to commute his sentence for over a year. On March 15, 1957, the day of the execution which was scheduled for 11:00 am, his attorney appealed to the United States Court of Appeals, and was denied. He then tried to contact the governor of California, Goodwin J. Knight, but the governor was on a naval ship, out at sea, and out of reach of the telephone. The attorney arranged with a TV station to broadcast a plea to the governor. At 9:02 Governor Knight granted one hour's stay by telephone. Within six minutes a writ of habeas corpus was presented to the Supreme Court of California but at 10:42 am the petition was denied. The attorney tried again with an appeal to the Federal District Court but the court refused a further postponement at 10:50 am. At 11:12 am Governor Knight was reached again and agreed to another stay. At 11:15 am Abbott was led to the gas chamber and strapped into the chair while the governor was contacting the warden by telephone. The executioner pulled the lever three minutes later and 16 pellets of sodium cyanide dropped into the sulfuric acid as Governor Knight reached the prison warden to stay the execution. The warden told him it was too late, and Abbott died, as the governor hung up the telephone.
Burton Wilbur Abbott was executed at San Quentin on 15 March 1957.
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