Larry Tacklyn was a Bermudian national who, during the politically volatile 1970s, became entangled in acts of violence that would lead to one of the most controversial executions in Bermuda’s modern history. Little is publicly documented about Tacklyn’s early life, education, or background, but it is known that he had links to the Black Beret Cadre, a militant Black Power movement advocating for anti-colonial revolution and the dismantling of British authority in Bermuda.

Though not considered a high-ranking ideological leader like his co-defendant Erskine "Buck" Burrows, Tacklyn was identified by authorities as an active participant in violent criminal activity, including armed robbery and murder.

On April 6, 1973, Victor Rego, the co-owner of the Shopping Centre supermarket in Bermuda, and Mark Doe, a bookkeeper, were shot and killed during an armed robbery at the store. The attackers fled, but the case would eventually be linked to Larry Tacklyn and Erskine Burrows, both believed to be affiliated with the Black Beret Cadre.

The murders came shortly after the high-profile assassination of Bermuda's Governor, Sir Richard Sharples, on March 10, 1973, and the earlier killing of Police Commissioner George Duckett in September 1972. While Tacklyn was acquitted of involvement in the Sharples and Duckett killings, he was convicted of the murders of Rego and Doe, with ballistic and witness evidence tying him to the crime.

During trial proceedings, Tacklyn was reportedly more hopeful than Burrows, believing he would receive a last-minute pardon or reprieve, especially since Burrows had taken responsibility for the political assassinations. But both men were ultimately sentenced to death by hanging.

At the time, a moratorium on executions was in effect in Bermuda. No one had been hanged since World War II, and capital punishment was becoming increasingly rare under British rule. Nevertheless, in 1977, both Burrows and Tacklyn were executed at Casemates Prison, marking the last executions carried out under British colonial authority anywhere in the world.

A hangman had to be flown in from Canada, since Bermuda had no experienced executioner. In prison, Tacklyn passed time playing table tennis, while Burrows adopted near silence, communicating only through written notes. Reports indicated Tacklyn remained hopeful even in his final hours.

Their executions on December 2, 1977, were immediately followed by three days of rioting on the island. Public buildings were attacked, fires were set, and widespread unrest broke out. British reinforcements from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers had to be flown in to support the Bermuda Regiment, which was deemed too small to contain the violence. The riots caused an estimated $2 million in damages.