Articles of Interest: Salt Lake Tribune Calls for Clemency for Taberon Honie, Urges Abolition of Death Penalty

With Utah prepar­ing for its first exe­cu­tion in 14 years, one of the state’s lead­ing news­pa­pers has issued a call not only to spare Taberon Honie, the pris­on­er set for exe­cu­tion on August 8, 2024, but to end the prac­tice of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment alto­geth­er. In a July 25 edi­to­r­i­al, the Salt Lake Tribune high­lights Mr. Honie’s abu­sive upbring­ing and his sin­cere remorse for the crime, say­ing his case for clemen­cy ​“is strong.” The day after the edi­to­r­i­al was pub­lished, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole denied Mr. Honie’s petition.

The edi­to­r­i­al goes on to ques­tion the con­tin­ued use of the death penal­ty. ​“Globally, the death penal­ty is a sign of back­ward­ness,” the edi­to­r­i­al board writes. It notes the psy­cho­log­i­cal toll on prison work­ers and the lack of deter­rent effect. It con­cludes, ​“leg­isla­tive action to end the death penal­ty in Utah, end­ing such cas­es with life sen­tences, would mean no more legal dance macabre in our state.”