Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Tyrone Delano Gilliam, Jr.


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was   no consensus. Spartaz Humbug! 03:30, 17 October 2009 (UTC)

Tyrone Delano Gilliam, Jr.

 * – (View AfD) (View log)

Wikipedia is not a true-crimes archive; this is a sordid but in no way unusual murder case. PROD removed by author saying "This was a relatively high profile case at the time", but that is not the same as notability, and this does not meet the standard of Notability (criminal acts). JohnCD (talk) 21:27, 3 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Note: This debate has been included in the list of Crime-related deletion discussions.  —Nolamgm (talk) 00:38, 10 October 2009 (UTC)


 * The case was notable because of the controversial nature of the death penalty in Maryland. Every capital case that makes it through the appeals process is front page news in this state.--Ppatin (talk) 22:24, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, but "front page news" is not the same as "historical and encyclopedic notability" - see WP:NOT. JohnCD (talk) 10:07, 4 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Delete, even if he did get sufficient coverage, he would fall under the grounds of WP:BLP1E — he's only known for one specific part of his life. Nyttend (talk) 01:16, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

 Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, JForget  23:12, 9 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion so consensus may be reached.


 * Keep First, the policy WP:BLP1E does not apply to this individual for the simple fact that he is dead. Second, the guideline of WP:ONEEVENT does not apply as the article is about multiple events: crime, trial, appeals, execution. This is multiple events. Third, we have a guideline specifically for crimes: WP:N/CA. Finally, there is currently an RfC ongoing about notability and executed individuals. As I have forwarded in numerous AfD and the mentioned RfC,"ordinary" murderers are not executed. It is only the extraordinary ones that are executed.  There has been a total of 1,173 executions since 1976. It is only 2.5% of convicted murderers that are sentenced to death and only a fraction of those sentenced to death actually get executed. Every executed convict since Furman has received significant coverage in the news media. This includes the crime, the trial, and ultimately the execution. This individual fits this category. He has had "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject." He is therefore notable under our guideline and should be included. Nolamgm (talk) 00:50, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I failed to mention above that WP:ONEEVENT is a naming guideline. It should never be used as a reason for deletion. Notability (criminal acts), part of WP:ONEEVENT applicable to criminals is also a naming guideline. As I mentioned above, this article is not about one event. It is about multiple. In support of this I did some research on Gilliam. I have forwarded for sometime that all executions in the United States are notable because they received "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject." The below list demonstrates this position. It also shows that the execution itself has become notable due to allegations that it was botched. Gilliam has been cited in numerous appeals and articles of the three drug cocktail method employed in the United States. (Please note that the list is not hyperlinked because I used  a subscription/fee database and not  Google. Also Gilliam is listed as Tyrone Delano Gilliam, Jr. and Tyrone X. Gilliam for some resaon.)Nolamgm (talk) 13:38, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Denniston, Lyle (2/20/91) “Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Of Death Penalty For Gilliam” Baltimore Sun
 * Lyons, Sheridan (3/16/94) “Gilliam's Execution Set For Next Month” Baltimore Sun
 * Denniston, Lyle (10/4/94) “Justices Reject Inmate's Appeal Of State's Lethal Injection Method” Baltimore Sun
 * Rivera, James (11/21/96) “Death Sentence Overturned In Slaying; Defense Prepared Witnesses Inadequately, Judge Says” Baltimore Sun
 * James, Michael (4/11/97) “U.S. Judge Overturns His Order; Death Sentence Restored; Murder Suspect's Lawyer Made Sufficient Effort, Garbis Now Says” Baltimore Sun
 * Wagner, Arlo (9/25/98) “Inmates on Death Row Get Reprimanded” The Washington Times
 * Francke, Caitlin (11/10/98) “Killer Loses Bid To Appeal To State Court; Gilliam's Case Referred Back To Baltimore County” Baltimore Sun
 * “Across The USA: News From Every State” (11/2/98) USA Today
 * Francke, Caitlin (11/15/98) “Dead Woman's Parents Differ Over Killer's Fate Sources Say Mother Favors Clemency For Death-Row Inmate” Baltimore Sun
 * Kane, Gregory (11/15/98) “Questions Of Justice Cloud Issue Of Gilliam Execution” Baltimore Sun
 * Wagner, Arlo (11/17/98) “Maryland Executes Killer; Shotgun Robbery Netted $3” The Washington Times
 * “Gilliam Executed in MD” (11/17/98) Associated Press Wire
 * Francke, Caitlin (11/17/98) “Gilliam Executed For `88 Slaying Death By Injection Comes 10 Years After A $3 Robbery-Murder Final Appeals Are Rejected Killer Goes To Death Still Proclaiming That He Didn't Pull Trigger “Baltimore Sun
 * Stuckey, Tom (6/1604) “Death row inmate gets stay; injection method questioned” Houston Chronicle
 * Miller, S.A (6/16/04) “Court Stays Oken Execution Judge Cites State's Failure To Deliver Details Of Injection” The Washington Times
 * Glendening, Parris 12/20/05 “Editorial: The Value of Black Life in Maryland” Washington Post
 * Dechter, Gadi and, Laura (11/13/08) “Repeal Of Death Penalty Urged Md. Panel Votes To End Executions” Baltimore Sun
 * Woolner, Ann (1/15/08) “Editorial: Putting Inmates Down Like Dogs” Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA)
 * Comment - Notability (criminal acts) is not "part of WP:ONEEVENT" or "a naming guideline" - it is part of WP:N/CA which is a notability guideline to help decide which criminal acts should be included. JohnCD (talk) 22:02, 12 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Notability (criminal acts) is based on WP:ONEEVENT. It says so clearly: "Any notability of the crime is not automatically inherited by the victims or perpetrators of such crimes, and articles should not automatically be created on these individuals, in accordance with WP:BIO1E and WP:BLP1E." (Emphasis added.) WP:ONEEVENT is mostly a naming guideline. The first sentence of WP:ONEEVENT provides in full "When an individual is significant for their role in a single event, it may be unclear whether an article should be written about the individual, the event or both." WP:ONEEVENT does not say that you cannot be notable based on one event. It in fact demonstrates individuals who have. WP:ONEEVENT simple says that you don't get a biography just because you played a role in a notable event or are mentioned in a main article.  That's why I, and many other editors,  say it is a naming guideline. Nolamgm (talk) 01:39, 13 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I think we're mainly arguing about words here. The point those guidelines are trying to make is that there shouldn't be extensive biographies of criminals or victims not notable apart from the crime. That's not a problem here - the article focuses, properly, on the crime and the aftermath. The naming issue of whether the article is called "Tyrone Gilliam" or "Murder of Christine Doerffler" or "Crime and execution of Tyrone Gilliam" doesn't seem to me all that important - the present name is probably the best one from a search point of view. The actual issue where we disagree, given that the article is about the crime and execution, is: are they notable? That's where I think WP:N/CA is relevant. But I think we've both said our piece here - let's carry on at the RFC, where I am thinking out what I want to say and will comment in a day or two. JohnCD (talk) 21:42, 13 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Comment. There is a very interesting factoid in the Washington Post related to this person that should be noted in Parris Glendening and/or Capital punishment in Maryland (i.e. Glendening issued a moratorium on executions after all four of the capital punishment cases he had to address involved black on white crime) - but I'm not certain that there is anything reflecting coverage that would take this out of WP:NOT. I'm going to abstain for a bit to give other interested parties time to dig up something more than regional coverage of this. Location (talk) 02:27, 10 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Weak delete per WP:NOT. There does not appear to be significant or persistent coverage of the murder or execution outside of the region where this occurred. As I've mentioned elsewhere, it would be nice if the relevant guidelines regarding "significant coverage" were tweaked to help define the difference between items that are encyclopedic or just news. Location (talk) 03:42, 14 October 2009 (UTC)
 * I definitely agree that more guidance could be useful or at least a reworking of the WP:N policies, guidelines, and essays. I think that this would be a misapplication of WP:NOT in the instant case. The main tenet of this policy is that "[r]outine news coverage of such things as announcements, sports, and tabloid journalism are not sufficient basis for an article." Some of the newspaper articles I cite above would fit this description. They are simple blurbs that Gilliam was executed. However, most of the newspaper articles offer detailed coverage of either the trial, appeal, and/or execution. The rest of the language in WP:NOT is pretty much a reiteration of the WP:BLP1E policy and the WP:ONEEVENT guideline. It even links directly to WP:BLP1E. I know of no current policy or guideline that offers any guidance on this "regional notability" issue. There is a proposed guideline of WP:LOCALINT but it has not yet received consensus for adoption. Nolamgm (talk) 11:39, 14 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Delete. Sounds like a brutal murder that got local coverage... and then a bit extra coverage 'cause the state killed the perpetrator as his punishment. Nephron  T|C 03:21, 11 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Keep, basically per Nolamgm. While I appreciate and agree that WP:NOTNEWS would suggest that this article ought not be here, this case is different. The point about the executions in the United States is well-taken - I believe that the majority of cases that proceed to execution will have sufficient available information from reliable sources to justify an article. Particularly here, where there is so much coverage from the Washinton D.C. press corps, it seems overly rigid to delete. Like Nolamgm I have access to a pay database, and I can confirm that the bulk of these articles are substantial treatments of various aspects of the case. The execution did get some very brief international mention in Germany (AP feed)  and The Netherlands (50 word summary). Xymmax  So let it be written   So let it be done  22:13, 16 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Delete WP:NOTNEWS. The idea that the murder, trails, appeals and executions are separate events are contrary to the spirit of the policy. \ Backslash Forwardslash / (talk) 01:42, 17 October 2009 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.