Abraham Thomas (mass murderer)

Abraham Thomas (1928 – July 23, 1958) was a United States Army soldier and a murderer who shot and killed two fellow soldiers and their girlfriends in the town of Gersthofen in Germany on February 23, 1954. He was tried by a military court-martial, sentenced to death, and hanged in 1958. Thomas was a member of the 109th Infantry Regiment.

Thomas was apparently involved with Walburga Wenderoth, a German woman. However, she was not his girlfriend, and was instead with Corporal Edward Peters. Eventually, Thomas and Wenderoth stopped being friends, and on February 5, 1954, the two got into a fight at her house, which resulted in the police being called. Thomas was searched and found with a knife in his possession. He was taken into military police custody. After Thomas was advised of his rights, he told one of the officers that he was jealous of Wenderoth "running around with other men." The incident ended with only a simple delinquency report against Thomas.

On February 8, 1954, Thomas went on field maneuvers with his company. He was issued the M1 carbine regularly assigned to him. However, when Thomas's company returned to their barracks on February 20, he did not turn in his rifle as required. He went to Regensburg, and returned two days later, and went directly to Wenderoth's. She and another woman, Anna Wiegel, were there. Thomas conversed with Wenderoth and according to pre-trial statements, "everything seemed to be okay." About 20 minutes later, however, the situation took a turn for the worse.

Thomas then used an axe to bludgeon, hack, and mutilate the bodies. Afterwards, he returned to his barracks and turned in his carbine. The bodies were found several hours later. Thomas was arrested the same day. Under an agreement with West Germany, the U.S. military had jurisdiction over the case since Thomas was a U.S. soldier. On February 28, he was charged with four counts of premeditated murder. His court martial started in April 1954. Thomas was tried by a military court in Augsburg, West Germany.

On April 15, 1954, Thomas was sentenced to death. In June 1954, he was transferred to the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth to await his execution. After Thomas's appeals failed and he was denied clemency by President Dwight Eisenhower, an execution date was set for July 23, 1958. Before his execution, he found comfort in religion, which helped him accept his fate. On the day of his execution, Commandant Colonel James W. Davis arrived at Thomas's cell, and he was led out to the gallows. He wore an Army uniform stripped of its insignia. After Thomas mounted the scaffold, Davis read the court order that his death sentence be carried out, ending by saying "May the Lord have mercy on your soul." In his final statement, Thomas thanked Davis for the treatment he received on death row. He was promptly hanged at 12:04 AM. There were no complications, and Thomas was pronounced dead by an Army physician 17 minutes later. His remains were then placed in a coffin and shipped back to his hometown in Georgia for burial.