This week in 1956

“May our tragic lives and ending serve as a warning to all-young and old. [We blame our crimes on] coming from broken homes, growing up in neglect and not having a fair chance in life.”

— Melvin Sullivan and Verne Braasch, convicted of robbery and murder, firing squad, Utah.
Executed May 11, 1956

Sullivan was shot side by side with his partner in crime, Braasch. The men were convicted together of the murder of a service station attendant during a twenty-dollar robbery in Beaver, Utah. Their executions had been moved back four times.