Step 1 : Introduction to the question "How many people were executed for Abraham Lincoln's assassination?"
John Wilkes Booth was the mastermind behind a plot to simultaneously assassinate Abraham Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward. Conspirators Lewis Powell and David Herold were assigned to kill William H. Seward, and George Atzerodt was tasked with killing Andrew Johnson. Beyond Lincoln's death the plot failed: Seward was only wounded and Johnson's would-be attacker lost his nerve. After a dramatic initial escape, Booth was killed at the climax of a 12-day manhunt. Powell, Herold, Atzerodt and Mary Surratt were later hanged for their roles in the conspiracy. Of the eight other people eventually charged with the conspiracy, four were hanged and four were jailed.