Coding is my forte plus writing and sharing my experiences online is one of my favorite hobbies.
Isabel Mathew, Software engineer, BS(Bachelor of Science), Austin,Texas
Answered Jan 05, 2021
Brandon Bernard’s name became popular recently even though he was convicted of a case that occurred back in the year 1999. He was still a teenager at that time, just 18 years old. He became the youngest convict to become executed by the federal government.
It was only a few days ago when he was finally executed after the Supreme Court denied an extension. What made this really weird for a lot of people is the fact that Bernard was convicted of murder even when he was just tasked to get rid of the evidence. Eleven of the jurors at that time were white, and he was sentenced to death.
Brandon Bernard was one of the five teenagers who were accused to have murdered Stacie Bagley and Todd in an incident that took place in June 1999. Brandon Bernard and others were accused of robbing Todd and Stacie Bagley and forcefully putting them into their car boot. After forcing them into the boot, they were shot, and Brandon Bernard set the car ablaze. The prosecution team argued that although Todd died instantly after he was shot, Stacie Bagley died from smoke inhalation because medical reports found traces of soot in Bagley’s airway. However, defense lawyers argued that Stacie Bagley also died instantly after he was shot. Although Brandon was convicted in 1997, he was executed in December 2020 after the plea to halt his execution was rejected by the supreme court. However, others were given prison sentences since they were not up to 18 when the incident happened.