Michael F. Easley
Governor

Theodis Beck
Secretary

North Carolina Department of Correction

RALEIGH - Correction Secretary Theodis Beck has set December 6, 2002 as the execution date for death row inmate Ernest West Basden. The execution is scheduled for 2 a.m. at Central Prison in Raleigh.

Basden, 49, was sentenced to death on April 9, 1993 in Duplin County Superior Court for the murder of Billy Carlyle White.  White was shot and killed on January 20, 1992 in Jones County.  Basden also received a consecutive 10-year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder.

A media tour is scheduled at Central Prison on Monday, Dec. 2 for journalists who plan to cover the Basden execution. Media representatives should arrive at Central Prison’s visitor center promptly at 10 a.m. on the tour date. Warden R.C. Lee will explain the execution procedures. The session will last approximately one hour. This will be the only opportunity to photograph the execution chamber and death watch area. 

Journalists who plan to attend the tour should contact the Department of Correction Public Information Office at 919-716-3700.

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ATTENTION EDITORS: For more information about the death penalty, including selection of execution witnesses, visit the Department of Correction web site at www.doc.state.nc.us and click the link "The Death Penalty." Digital photos of death row inmates are available by clicking on the inmate’s DOC number on the list of offenders on death row.