Daniel Wilkinson was born in 1846 near London, England. At the age of 15, he emigrated to the United States, though the exact circumstances of his relocation are unclear. Little is known about his family background, though it was once rumored he was the son of an English clergyman, a claim Wilkinson personally denied, stating that his parents were still alive but that he had not heard from them in four years.

In 1866, Wilkinson was convicted of burglary and sentenced to Maine State Prison, where he served six years before being released in 1872.

In the early morning hours of September 4, 1883, Daniel Wilkinson and an accomplice, John Ewitt, were caught attempting to break into the D.C. Gould Ship Chandlery and Provision Store in Bath, Maine. The two men fled the scene but were spotted by local law enforcement.

While running from one police officer, the two suspects collided with Constable William Lawrence, who attempted to intercept them. Wilkinson pulled a .32 caliber revolver and shot Lawrence in the head, killing him instantly. Wilkinson then fled the scene.

Less than a week later, Wilkinson was captured in Bangor, Maine, and charged with first-degree murder on September 11. Meanwhile, Ewitt managed to escape the country and travel to England. No effort was made by Maine to extradite him.

Wilkinson’s trial began on January 4, 1884, in Bath Superior Court, and just three days later, on January 7, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging. The conviction drew media attention not just because of the killing, but because Wilkinson had also been an escaped convict at the time of the murder.

His execution was carried out on November 21, 1885, at Maine State Prison in Thomaston. The hanging did not result in an immediate death, Wilkinson died slowly by strangulation