VIRGINIA LAST MEAL
MARK BAILEY
July 22, 2004

...Bailey and his wife were first cousins once removed....

Last Meal: Mr. Bailey requested his final meal not be made public.

The Skinny: Bailey, 34, was put to death for the slayings of his wife, who had dreams of being a paramedic and 2-year-old son.

Bailey awoke early the morning of Sept. 10, 1998 and shot his wife three times in the head with a borrowed .22 pistol as she slept in their Hampton home. He then twice shot their son as the toddler was climbing out of bed.

Before leaving for work, he washed the blood off his face, cut the screen of a bathroom window and slashed the telephone cord in an effort to convince police that an intruder committed the killings.

After failing a polygraph examination, Bailey confessed, later saying that he committed the crime because of his "wife's infidelity." He then wrote on a legal pad: "I Mark Bailey do hereby without coercsion [sic] admit to the murder of my wife and son."

The defense: Bailey, a Gulf War veteran and submariner in the Navy, claimed he suffered from manic depression and was severely depressed at the time of the slayings because his marriage was on the rocks. A clinical psychologist testified that Bailey also suffered from borderline personality disorder and that impulsive acts are a symptom of the illness.

Verdicts: The jury sentenced him to death for his son's murder and to life in prison for the shooting of his wife. The son's killing fell under a statute that mandates a capital murder charge when the victim is under 14 and the killer is 21 or older.

Last words and such: Asked by warden George Hinkle if he had any final words, Bailey said in a clear, strong voice, "No, thank you."

Outside: As he died, a group of people outside the prison played taps at Bailey's request. They also recited a prayer for men and women in the service.

Factoids: Bailey and his wife were first cousins once removed.

Bailey was the...

36th murderer executed in U.S. in 2004
921st murderer executed in U.S. since 1976
3rd murderer executed in Virginia in 2004
92nd murderer executed in Virginia since 1976

Only Texas has executed more with 323.