Q:Facts: - death place: san quentin , california , u.s. - imprisoned: san quentin state prison - penalty: death - conviction status: executed - birth name: caryl whittier chessman - death cause: execution -lrb- gas chamber -rrb- - death date: 02 may 1960 - criminal charge: robbery -rrb- , kidnapping , and rape -lrb- 17 counts - apprehended: january 23 , 1948 - birth date: 27 may 1921 - name: caryl chessman - nationality: american - birth place: st. joseph , michigan , u.s. Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of caryl chessman .
A:
caryl whittier chessman -lrb- may 27 , 1921 -- may 2 , 1960 -rrb- was a convicted robber , kidnapper and rapist who was sentenced to death for a series of crimes committed in january 1948 in the greater los angeles area .the last non-military prisoner to be executed in the united states for a crime other than murder , chessman was convicted under a loosely-interpreted '' little lindbergh law '' -- later repealed , but not retroactively -- that defined kidnapping as a capital offense under certain circumstances .his case attracted worldwide attention , and helped propel the movement to abolish capital punishment in california .while in prison , chessman authored four books including his memoirs '' cell 2455 , death row '' .the book was adapted for the screen in 1955 and stars william campbell as chessman .