The tale of the youngest individual executed in the United States is a heart-wrenching one.
On December 20, 1786, a gathering took place behind New London’s old meeting house to witness the execution of a young girl accused of committing murder.
Hannah Ocuish, a Pequot Native American girl with an intellectual disability, stood trial and was found guilty of the intentional killing of 6-year-old Eunice Bolles, the daughter of a well-known family in New London.
Ocuish was accused of plotting the death of the child as revenge for Eunice allegedly accusing her of strawberry theft.
On July 21, 1786, Eunice set off for school but vanished along her route.
Later that morning, around 10:00 am, her body was located face down near a stonewall on the road stretching from New London to Norwich.
She was found with a fractured skull, bruising on her arms and face, and signs of strangulation.
Authorities suggested her killer attempted to create the appearance of an accident by covering her head and torso with stones as if the wall had fallen on her.
Attention quickly shifted to Hannah, who had been known for a robbery that nearly resulted in a young girl’s death six years prior to Eunice’s murder.
Initially, Ocuish reportedly accused a group of four nearby boys.
However, when police failed to locate the boys, they brought her in for questioning alongside the deceased body.
Allegedly, Ocuish confessed, but a 2023 piece by OddFeed noted that her admission did not match what she told local minister Henry Channing, who had visited her multiple times in prison.
Ocuish, at the time, was an orphan. Her mother was reportedly an alcoholic who abandoned her, leading her to be placed with various foster families.
Critics also doubt the claim that Ocuish led Eunice to the woods with a calico fabric gift, as children were generally cautious around her due to her behavior.
The article discussed that the widow who had Ocuish as a servant for six years had no complaints about her during that time.
The piece also questioned the motive, stating: “While Eunice may have threatened to tell on Hannah for stealing fruit, this never happened, as the girl faced no consequences for those actions … The idea that she could have lured Eunice to a private corner with a piece of calico fabric also seems strange. Based on their previous interaction, Eunice would likely have been suspicious of Hannah and avoided being alone with her.”
Due to her disability, many doubted her ability to stand trial, yet a judge sentenced her to execution by hanging.
Witnesses described her as appearing indifferent to her impending death sentence until a few hours before her execution, when she began to cry.
Hannah Ocuish’s execution marked the last recorded instance of a female being executed in Connecticut.