Edward Earnest Hartman

Edward Earnest Hartman
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Hartman is scheduled to die Friday at 2 a.m. at Raleigh's Central Prison for the 1993 murder of a Northampton County man.

Wednesday, the N.C. Supreme Court rejected a petition from Hartman and his attorney Heather Wells to stop the execution.
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Hartman's attorneys argue prosecutors in his trial engaged in a deliberate campaign to prejudice the jury against Hartman because he is gay.

At issue is the defense contention that Hartman was unfairly treated because a prosecutor repeatedly referred to Hartman's homosexuality, which had nothing to do with the killing.
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Hartman was sentenced to death for killing the 77-year-old Smith in the Pinetops community of Northampton County.
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Hartman told authorities he consumed 16 cans of beer before he fired a pistol at close range into Smith's head while the man sat in a recliner and watched television.

Court records show Hartman told a friend Smith was wealthy and carried thousands of dollars in his pocket.
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After the killing, Hartman took the victim's car and left the body in the chair.He returned five days later after taking several trips where he wrote checks on Smith's bank account.Bothered by the smell, he dragged the body to a horse stable and buried it.

Horses in the stable trampled the ground so thoroughly that it would have been impossible to tell where the body was buried.After he was identified as the suspect, Hartman led officers to the spot.

"Eddie confessed and cooperated with the authorities," Wells said.
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Eddie wasn't able to say why it happened then and he's not able to say why it happened now."