Virginia Inmate Literally Gets What He Asked For: The Death Penalty

A Virginia man wanted the death penalty badly enough that he strangled two inmates and promised to continue killing until he got it. He is officially set to go to the electric chair.

Robert Gleason Jr. is scheduled to die tonight at 9pm by electrocution at the Greensville Correctional Center. A Virginia inmate gets to choose between electrocution and lethal injection, and he chose electrocution, marking the first time electrocution has been chosen since 2010.

When Gleason walks into Virginia’s death chamber Wednesday night and is strapped into the electric chair, which is rarely used, it will mark the end of his mission for a sure death.

Former attorneys for Gleason have asked the US Supreme Court to stop the execution. They argue Gleason was not mentally competent enough to waive his appeals. They claim that more than a year in solitary confinement on death row further deteriorated his mental state, according to Hampton Roads.

Gleason continues to state he deserves to die for what he’s done, and that he will kill again if he isn’t executed. Gleason said in his thick Boston accent in one of his numerous interviews from death row:

“Why prolong it? The end result’s gonna be the same. The death part don’t bother me. This has been a long time coming. It’s called karma.”

The odd choice follows a series of other shocking decisions, reports FOX News.

Deputies had to use a stun gun to quell his violent outburst in court in 2008, where he pleaded guilty for a shooting death that earned him a life sentence. Despite there being little evidence against him, Gleason admitted to shooting Mike Jamerson, whose son had cooperated in the federal investigation into a methamphetamine ring that Gleason happened to be part of.

A year later he claimed extreme frustration when prison officials wouldn’t move his new, mentally disturbed cellmate, 63-year-old Harvey Watson Jr. Gleason hogtied and strangled the older man, where he remained in the cell with Watson’s lifeless body for more than 15 hours before officers found the body.

Gleason claims he’s possibly killed dozens more but he has refused to provide details. He claims he’s different from the other men on Virginia’s death row because he only kills criminals:

“I ain’t saying I’m a better person for killing criminals, but I’ve never killed innocent people. I killed people that’s in the same lifestyle as me, and they know, hey, these things can happen.”

He had made a promise to a loved one that he would never kill again, but he’s hoping his children will learn from his example what happens if they choose to follow his path in life.