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during the Henri Young murder trial. Robert Stroud donated $200 to the inmates’ defense, and several other inmates came to testify on their behalf. Quillen also testified, and argued that Shockley was not fit to stand trial due to his mental state, adding that he felt Sam was more of a victim than a conspirator. Quillen further contested the chronology of the events as they have been described here. He stated that Shockley never incited any disturbance prior to the break, and that he most likely had limited knowledge, if any, of the planned escape plot.

Inmates Miran Thompson, Sam Shockley, and Clarence Carnes being transferred to court under heavy guard. All three were arraigned on murder charges for the death of Officer Bill Miller.

An affidavit from Alcatraz Physician Louis Roucek, stating that Shockley was mentally competent for trial.

Sam Shockley during his trial for his role in the death of Officer Miller.

Prior to the trial, Dr. Roucek had conducted extensive evaluations of Shockley. In one interview performed on November 5, 1946 in the prison hospital, Shockley complained of hearing voices. This transcript was taken directly from Roucek’s handwritten notes:

Roucek: Do you hear voices?

Shockley: Yes, I hear voices.

Roucek: What do they say?

Shockley: I’ve heard so many that it’d be a long story. On May 4th when the officers came into “D” Block with guns, three officers had guns pointed at me. One had his thumb on the trigger and the voice said, “Let it go off.”

Roucek Note: When asked more questions the patient stated, “I’m not in a thinking mood this morning because the radio irritated me before coming up this morning.”

Roucek: What type of words does the radio use?

Shockley: Evil words; murder and hung.

Roucek: Has there ever been any change since the break?

Shockley: Not so many evil words used and the minerals in the food has been cut down.

Roucek: Are any of the inmates insane?

Shockley: We are all insane at times.

Roucek: Are the voices men or women?

Shockley: Always men voices.

Roucek: What is your trouble?

Shockley: It’s the minerals in the food here that gives me pains all over my body, and the rays of light shot at me.

Roucek: Who puts them in the food?

Shockley: Put there by the prison hospital for treatment when we come into the institution.

Roucek: What rays shoot at you?

Shockley: The rays from the lights in the cellblock have shot at me ever since I’ve been here. It is arranged automatically. In bed at night the lights flash... flash... flash.

Roucek: Where do you feel these rays?

Shockley: On my head. When I came up here today I felt them on my head. Sometimes I can feel them on my shoulders.

Roucek: Do you have any sickness?

Shockley: Yes... I have cancer in the lower part of my stomach.

Roucek: Do you eat all your meals?

Shockley: No, can’t eat breakfast. Milk is too cold and acid and doped up to make you crazy.

Roucek: Do you plan to eat dinner?

Shockley: Yes... I’ll eat dinner. The food around here is better since the break. The more you eat the more you want.

Roucek: What do the minerals do to you?

Shockley: They give me marks on my body all over.

Roucek Note: Showed doctor a reddish area in his groin area which he claims to scratch.

The trial continued for over a month, and people across the nation followed its progress in the newspapers. Despite the efforts of several inmates who provided favorable testimony, Shockley, Carnes, and Thompson were convicted of the first-degree murder of William A. Miller on December 21, 1946. On the same day, Shockley and Thompson were given the death penalty for their role in the crime, and sentenced to die in the gas chamber at San Quentin on September 24, 1948. Carnes was spared the death penalty, and was instead given an additional life sentence due to mitigating factors, as he had shown leniency toward the officers held hostage, which ultimately saved their lives. Shockley and Thompson were transferred from Alcatraz to San Quentin State Penitentiary across the Bay.

A court order for Shockley’s death sentence.