Anthony Chebatoris (May 10, 1898 – July 8, 1938) was a Russian-born bank robber and convicted murderer who is the only person to be executed in the U.S. state of Michigan since it gained statehood in 1837.

[12] In 1928, Chebatoris and fellow inmate John "Jack" Gracey conspired to escape from Jackson and were consequently transferred to Marquette Branch Prison in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

[13][14] Chebatoris was released from prison in December 1935 and moved back to his hometown of Treveskyn, Pennsylvania, where he was quickly sought by police in Washington County on suspicion of burglary and assault.

[19][20][21] He had moved back to Detroit and become reacquainted with fellow ex-convict Jack Gracey, who lived in nearby Hamtramck and was formulating plans for a bank robbery.

Paul D. Bywater, the bank's cashier, approached the counter after hearing the commotion, and Chebatoris shot him in the back above the hip, wounding him critically.

Dr. Frank L. Hardy, whose second-floor dental practice was adjacent to the bank building, heard the gunshots and used a hunting rifle to fire at the getaway car from his office window as it sped south toward the Benson Street bridge out of town.

Truck driver Henry J. Porter of Bay City, a bystander whose cap and uniform were mistaken for those of a police officer, was shot and mortally wounded by Chebatoris.

[24] Chebatoris fled along nearby railroad tracks and attempted to hijack an automobile, but was apprehended by road repairman Richard Van Orden and Midland County Sheriff Ira M.

[29] The trial opened in United States District Court in Bay City on October 26, 1937, with Judge Arthur J. Tuttle presiding.

[30] United States Attorney John C. Lehr, arguing for the prosecution, made it clear that a death sentence was a possibility: "You have been told that there is no capital punishment in Michigan .

On October 28, 1937, Chebatoris was found guilty of murder under section 588c of the Federal Bank Robbery Act, and the jury, which had the option to bestow a death sentence, did so.

"[38] Immediately after the trial, Illinois prison officials offered their services to the federal government, and U.S. Attorney General Homer S. Cummings said he would recommend that state or Indiana to Judge Tuttle if consulted in choosing a site.

[36][40][41][42][f] Consequently, Michigan governor Frank Murphy sought to prevent Chebatoris's execution, despite a lack of jurisdiction and considerable public opposition.

Sympathetic to the situation, Roosevelt consulted Assistant Attorney General Joseph B. Keenan, who saw no justification for commutation, but said the Justice Department would not object if Judge Tuttle found legal means to move the execution to another state.