Convicted Killer Gary Lee Sampson Dies Inside Prison Hospital

Weymouth MA

23 December, 2021

1:50 PM

Description

WEYMOUTH, MA — The man who was convicted of killing three men in 2001 has died inside a medical center that houses federal inmates, officials said. Gary Lee Sampson, 62, of Weymouth, passed away Tuesday at a Springfield, Missouri facility, said a spokesperson from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Sampson was convicted in the 2001 murders of Jonathan Rizzo, 19, of Kingston, and Phillip McCloskey, 69, of Taunton, and Robert "Eli" Whitney, 58, of Concord, New Hampshire during a killing spree. More coverage: Jonathan Rizzo Foundation Hosts Final Tournament Sampson was originally sentenced to death in 2003, but a judge later granted Sampson a new sentencing trial after one of the jurors lied about her background. Although Massachusetts law does not allow for the death penalty, Sampson was tried under federal law. If executed, he would be the first person killed for a crime in Massachusetts since 1947. Sampson was later convicted again and sentenced to death in 2017. More on Patch Gary Lee Sampson Headed Back To Death Row For 2001 Killing SpreeGary Lee Sampson Formally Sentenced to Death