Caryl Chessman (1921–1960), American criminal and author, recipient of the death penalty.
When creating Josef Kobold, the episode's antagonist, Spotnitz researched various crimes and criminals, until he learned about Caryl Chessman, a man who had been sentenced to death on a technical charge of kidnapping.
She vocally opposed death row inmate Caryl Chessman's death sentence and visited Chessman in prison until his execution in 1960.
In Stevens' novel By Reason of Insanity the serial killer character, Thomas Bishop, believes he is the son of Caryl Chessman, who was executed in 1960 for various crimes including rape and kidnapping.
Caryl M. Stern | Caryl Chessman | Chessman (wrestler) | Chessman | Caryl Rivers |
In contrast, Governor Brown allowed 36 executions, including the highly controversial cases of Caryl Chessman in 1960 and Elizabeth Duncan; she was the last woman put to death before a national moratorium was instituted.