Double axe murder of father (John Elkins) and stepmother, 1889, near Littleport, Clayton County, Iowa. Tried as an adult and sentenced to life at Anamosa Penitentiary. Served approximately 12–13 years as a model prisoner. Paroled 1902; later received a full pardon from the Iowa governor.
Background
John Wesley Elkins (1879–1961) was convicted at approximately age 10–11 in the 1889 axe murders of his father and stepmother in rural Clayton County, Iowa — one of the youngest persons in U.S. history to receive a life sentence in an adult prison at the time. He was a model prisoner, paroled in 1902, and later received a full pardon. He lived a fully reformed life: attended college (Cornell College and University of Minnesota), worked as a railway clerk, married, and farmed in California with no further criminal record.
Sources & Verification
Convicted 1889 in Iowa (age ~10-11) of double murder. Paroled 1902, later pardoned. Reformed life with no further crimes. Died March 7, 1961 in San Bernardino County, California. Buried Montecito Memorial Park, Colton. Find a Grave memorial 25676161: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25676161/john_wesley-elkins (detailed biography covering crime, sentence, pardon, and redemption). Book: "The Plea" by Patricia Bryan.
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