Duncan McKenzie (murderer)

Duncan Peder McKenzie, Jr., (October 5, 1951 – May 10, 1995) was convicted of the murder of a Conrad, Montana schoolteacher named Lana Harding on January 21, 1974. After his conviction in March 1975, he was on death row for 20 years, receiving eight stays of execution. His ninth stay of execution was denied by the United States courts of appeals.[1]

For other people with the same name, see Duncan McKenzie (disambiguation).

McKenzie was executed on May 10, 1995. He was the first person executed in Montana since 1943, and also the first ever U.S. death row inmate to spend 20 years or more on death row and still eventually be executed.[2] He is 1 of only 3 people to have been executed in Montana since the reinstatement of the death penalty.

Background

McKenzie was originally from Illinois. He was also widowed.

Crime overview

He was convicted on the murder, rape, and death by asphyxia of Lana Harding. He was sentenced to mandatory death for aggravated kidnapping. The crime was committed on January 21, 1974 in the early morning. Harding was a schoolteacher in a small one-classroom schoolhouse and members of the community raised concerns of her well being when she did not arrive at the school and her shoes were left in the driveway. [3]

Suspicions

He was also suspected to have murdered Debra Prety, a teenager from Coeur d'Alene. However, at the date of his execution McKenzie had never confessed to the murder of Prety or Harding. At the time of Prety's death he lived relatively close to the family home and was on parole from attacking another woman. Three months after the McKenzie committed the murder of Harding. [4]

Death Row

He waited on death row for 20 years from 1975 to 1995. He was one of the first three inmates to be executed with the reinstated death penalty in Montana. The other two sentenced were Bernard Fitzpatrick and Dewey Coleman, however their appeals to the execution were successful and avoided death.[5]

See also

Notes
  1. Henry Weinstein, "Denial of Stay Puts Montana Killer One Step Closer to Death", Los Angeles Times, May 9, 1995.
  2. "Montana Executes Killer of a Teacher", The New York Times, May 11, 1995.
  3. Mark Downey, "Parents, students recall the day Harding didn't come to school", "Great Falls Tribune", May 10, 1995.
  4. Winda Benedetti, "Killer Took His Secrets To The Grave Family Of Murdered Coeur D’Alene Girl Doesn’t Get Hoped-For Confession", "The Spokesman-Review", May 11, 1995.
  5. Chase Doak, "Inside Montana's death row, 1985", "Billings Gazette", February 15, 2016.


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