The Oldest Couple on Death Row

A married couple moonlighting as a con artist duo.

Ray Copeland was born in Oklahoma in December of 1914. As a child, his family moved around a lot, never providing him a stable foundation as they migrated from place to place searching for a job. It only got worse when Ray was about 15 years old, now living in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, when the Great Depression hit the United States. He ended up having to drop out of school and join his family in their search for jobs and more importantly, sustenance.

Desperate for immediate profit, Ray felt like a regular job wouldn’t suffice. Wages too low and hours too long- what sounded like a better use of his time was scamming. The first time, he was caught stealing 2 hogs and selling them in the next town over and his dad was able to keep the police from pressing charges. The next run in with the law was in 1930 when Ray was 16 and caught forging checks in Harrison, Arkansas. Now, he faced a year of jail time.

Once released, for years more, Ray would take anything he could get his hands on- money, food, belongings, you name it, until he was caught and apprehended again in 1939. What got him this time was cattle theft and more check forgery, and at 25 Ray was sentenced to another year of jail time.