Inside The Case of Texas’ Youngest Death Row Inmate

(KNUE-FM) Being sentenced to death row is a very scary thing, especially in Texas where law enforcement is quick to serve justice. But if you’re convicted of a crime and sentenced to death row, it was probably a violent act that led to those consequences.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you commit a violent crime in Texas you will have to deal with the consequences. But who is the youngest person ever to be sentenced to death row in Texas?

The Youngest Sentenced to Death Row in Texas Was Under 18

True crime has always been fascinating to me, so I was intrigued to find out that the youngest person sentenced to death row in Texas was only 17 years old. He was born with the name Gary Lee Graham and later decided to go by the name Shaka Sankofa.

He was convicted of capital murder in May of 1981 for a crime that took place in Houston, Texas.

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Details Regarding the Case

When Graham was 17, he was involved in a robbery-murder where 53-year-old Bobby Grant Lambert was shot and killed.

While there was lots of public and legal debate on whether a juvenile should be sentenced to death, including multiple stays of execution in 1987, 1993, and 1999.

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Information Regarding His Execution

Graham was executed on June 22, 2000, at the age of 36.

In 2005 a Supreme Court ruling came down prohibiting a death sentence for crimes committed under the age of 18.

One other seventeen-year-old was sentenced to death row in Texas (Napoleon Beazley), although he was older than Graham when sentenced.