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'''George Spencer''' (c.1600 – April 8, 1642) was the first non-[[Native Americans in the United States |native]] person to be [[List of people executed in Connecticut|executed in Connecticut]].  Amongst his charges was [[sodomy]] after an alleged [[zoophilia|sexual act with an animal]].

==Biography==
George Spencer is described as an ugly, balding servant with a [[Ocular prosthesis |glass eye]].<ref name="Murrin">Murrin, John M. [http://dpubs.libraries.psu.edu/DPubS?service=Repository&version=1.0&verb=Disseminate&view=body&content-type=pdf_1&handle=psu.ph/1143738929# "Things Fearful to Name": Bestiality in Colonial America]. ''[[Princeton University]]''. Accessed November 1, 2011.</ref><ref name="Graham">Graham, Judith S. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NtBqFf4GEUMC&printsec=frontcover Puritan Family Life: The Diary of Samuel Sewall]. ''UPNE''. 2003. p.76. Accessed November 1, 2011.</ref>  He is believed to have lived for a time in [[Boston]] and while there was found guilty of receiving stolen goods.<ref name="Murrin" />  His punishment was a [[flogging]]. He then moved to the [[New Haven Colony]],<ref name="Murrin" /> and continued to be a "habitual troublemaker".<ref name="Graham" />  He was open about his lack of faith, never praying in the years of being in [[New England]] and only reading the Bible when forced to by his master.<ref name="Murrin" /><ref name="Cressy">Cressy, David. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Zc2iPZ4jN2AC&printsec=frontcover Coming over: migration and communication between England and New England in the seventeenth century]. ''Cambridge University Press''. 1987. p.101. Accessed November 1, 2011.</ref>  He had regularly been accused of illegal and even depraved acts by neighbours, but evidence of his wrongdoings were never more compelling than the discovery in early 1642.<ref name="Dikes">Dikes, Jason. [http://www.austincc.edu/jdikes/Sex%20Ways%20ALL.pdf Massachusetts Sex Ways: Puritan Ideas of Flesh and the Spirit]. ''Austin Community College''. p.4. Accessed November 1, 2011.</ref>

== Trial and execution ==

When a sow gave birth to a malformed, one-eyed piglet it was considered a manifestation of God's proof of Spencer's sins.   Spencer was arrested, and the [[Puritan]] authorities deemed the birth a work of God.  They believed that this was irrefutable evidence that an act of bestiality had taken place.<ref name="Chapin">Chapin, Bradley. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XbJG5aKhXS4C&printsec=frontcover Criminal Justice in Colonial America, 1606-1660]. ''University of Georgia Press''. 2010. pp.38–39. Accessed November 1, 2011.</ref>  He was charged with "prophane, atheistical carriage, in unfaithfulness and stubbornness to his master, a course of notorious lying, filthiness, scoffing at the ordinances, ways and people of God".<ref name="Cressy" />

Spencer was told that "he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercie",<ref name="Murrin" /> but it was never made clear to him whether this mercy related to the proceedings of the court or those of God.<ref name="Chapin" />  Having witnessed a repentant child molester being whipped for his crime Spencer believed that his best option was to confess.<ref name="Murrin" />  On the realisation that this might lead to a death sentence he retracted his statement.  He repeated this confession and retraction again, trying to find the best solution to his situation.<ref name="Murrin" /><ref name="Graham" /><ref name="Dikes" />

When the trial began the magistrates knew the necessity of having two witnesses to the crime.  They used Spencer's retracted confessions as one witness and the stillborn piglet as the other, ruling that this was sufficient to determine his guilt.<ref name="Murrin" /><ref name="Graham" /><ref name="Cressy" /><ref name="Dikes" /><ref name="Chapin" />  On April 8, 1642, the sow was put to death by the sword and Spencer was hanged.<ref name="Murrin" />

Spencer's death was early in the history of New England and is reported to be only the second execution to take place in Connecticut and the first of a non-Native American.<ref>[http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/ESPYyear.pdf Executions is the U.S. 1608-2002: The ESPY File]. ''Death Penalty Information Center''. p.1. Accessed November 1, 2011.</ref>

== Similar case ==

In 1645, [[Trial of Thomas Hogg|Thomas Hogg]], another servant in New Haven, was imprisoned for several months for very similar crimes.  A sow gave birth to two deformed piglets that resembled Hogg.  However, Hogg never confessed to the crime, and the requirement of finding two witnesses could not be met.<ref name="Murrin" />

== See also ==

* [[Capital punishment in Connecticut]]
* [[Crime in Connecticut]]
* [[List of individuals executed in Connecticut]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME              = Spencer, George
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American criminal
| DATE OF BIRTH     =
| PLACE OF BIRTH    =
| DATE OF DEATH     = 1642
| PLACE OF DEATH    =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, George}}
[[Category:1642 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from New Haven, Connecticut]]
[[Category:People executed by Connecticut Colony]]
[[Category:People executed by hanging]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:People executed for sodomy]]
[[Category:Zoosexuality]]