In 1953, Barbara Graham, her boyfriend, Perkins and two other accomplices heard an woman named Mable Monohan kept a large stash of money at her house
In 1953, Barbara Graham, her boyfriend, Perkins and two other accomplices heard an woman named Mable Monohan kept a large stash of money at her house.
All being gang members and drug addicts, desperate for money, they came up with a scheme to rob Mable for all she had.
In March 1953, Barbara joined Perkins and Santo, as well as John True and Baxter Shorter (two of their associates), in robbing Monohan's home in Burbank.
Barbara reportedly gained entry by asking to use her phone. Once Monohan opened the door for Graham, the three men burst in.
The gang demanded money and the jewels from Monohan, but she refused to give them anything. At this point, Barbara reportedly pistol-whipped Monohan, cracking her skull. They then suffocated her with a pillow.
The robbery attempt was a futile effort; the gang found nothing of value in the house and left empty-handed. They later learned that they had missed about $15,000 in jewels and valuables stashed in a purse in the closet near where they had murdered Monohan.
They were all eventually caught, tried and sentenced to death. On June 3, 1955, she was scheduled to be executed at 10:00 a.m., but that was stayed by California governor Goodwin J. Knight until 10:45 a.m. At 10:43 a.m., the execution was stayed by Knight again until 11:30 a.m., and a weary Graham protested, "Why do they torture me? I was ready to go at ten o'clock."
At 11:28 a.m., Graham was led from her cell to be strapped in the gas chamber. There, she requested a blindfold so she wouldn't have to look at the observers. Her last words were "Good people are always so sure they're right." Barbara Graham is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, San Rafael, California. Continue reading

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