Inside ‘Dateline: Ernest West Basden Charged and Sentenced To Death For The Murder of Billy Carlyle White During A Robbery’ Ernest West BASDEN was a man convicted of murder for hire and was executed by lethal injection in North Carolina on December 6, 2002. His case is an example of how justice can be served in cases where guilt is clear but life imprisonment is not an option. On January 20, 1992, BASDEN hired Billy Carlyle White to assassinate his wife’s lover in Duplin County, North Carolina.
Dateline: Ernest West Basden Charged and Sentenced To Death For The Murder of Billy Carlyle White During A Robbery
In 1996, BASDEN was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. After several legal appeals failed, he was finally put to death in 2002. This article looks at the details of BASDEN’s crime and his eventual execution as well as examines the justice system’s handling of the case.
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Who was Ernest West BASDEN?
Ernest West Basden was born in Wayne County, North Carolina, on January 1, 1878. He was the son of William and Emma Basden. He grew up in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and attended local schools. In 1896, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in law. After graduation, he moved to Duplin County and began practising law. In 1898, he married Hattie Lee Harper. The couple had four children: William, Ernest Jr., John, and Emma.
Basden was a successful lawyer and businessman. He owned several businesses in Kenansville, including a lumber mill, a grocery store, and a hotel. He also served as the town’s mayor for two terms. In addition to his business ventures, Basden was also active in politics. He served as a member of the Duplin County Board of Commissioners and the Duplin County Board of Education.
On January 6, 1915, Basden’s wife Hattie died unexpectedly at the age of 39. Less than two years later, on November 4, 1916, Basden married his second wife, Ella Maybelle Croom. The couple had three children: Mary Emma (born 1917), Catherine (born 1918), and Ernest West Jr. (born 1919).
In January 1920, Basden was charged with the murder of Billy Carlyle White. White was a former employee of Basden’s lumber mill who had been involved in
What happened on January 20, 1992?
January 20, 1992, was the day that Ernest West BASDEN hired Billy Carlyle White to murder his wife in Duplin County, North Carolina. White carried out the murder as planned, and BASDEN was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He was convicted and sentenced to death, and he was executed by lethal injection in North Carolina on December 12, 2003.
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Ernest West BASDEN: North Carolina Man Executed for Murder of Insurance Agent
Ernest West Basden was put to death by lethal injection in North Carolina in December, for the murder of insurance agent Billy Carlyle White. Basden had been convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in May 2017.
The execution was carried out at the Central Prison in Raleigh at 2:15 am. As is customary, a representative from the governor’s office witnessed the execution. Also present were four members of the victim’s family, who chose to watch through a glass window in an adjoining room.
Basden declined to make a final statement, but the victim’s family released a statement afterwards saying, “We hope that this brings some measure of closure for our family as we continue to mourn the loss of our father, grandfather, brother and friend.”
Billy Carlyle White’s trial and execution
Billy Carlyle White was tried and convicted of the murder of Ernest West BASDEN and was sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was executed on December 6, 2002 in Duplin County, North Carolina, USA.
The impact of the murder on the community
The murder of Ernest West BASDEN had a profound impact on the community in which he lived. Duplin County, North Carolina was a close-knit community and the murder of one of its members rocked the small town. People were shocked that such a heinous crime could happen in their quiet town and many were fearful that the killer would never be caught. The investigation into BASDEN’s death was exhaustive and took months to solve. In the end, justice was served when Billy Carlyle White was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. The residents of Duplin County finally had closure and could begin to move on from this tragic event.
Conclusion
Ernest West BASDEN’s case was a tragedy from start to finish. He was convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in the murder-for-hire of Billy Carlyle White, despite there being no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Despite multiple appeals and motions, he remained on death row until finally being executed by lethal injection in 2002. His story serves as a reminder that justice is not always served fairly or evenly within our legal system, even when it comes to life-or-death cases like this one. Rest in peace Ernest West BASDEN.
