Entries by Death Penalty Information Center
News
Jun 03, 2009
Supreme Court Rules Second Mental Retardation Determination Does Not Constitute Double Jeopardy
On June 1, in the case of Bobby v. Bies, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Michael Bies had to bring his claim of mental retardation before a separate state hearing, thereby reversing the lower federal courts that held such a hearing would constitute double jeopardy. The Court held that Ohio could contest Bies’ assertion that he is mentally retarded and that this does not subject Bies to double jeopardy, despite the fact that the Ohio…
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Jun 02, 2009
NEW VOICES: Executing Troy Davis Would Be “Unconscionable and Unconstitutional”
Former Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia has called for a full court hearing on the new evidence offered by death row inmate Troy Davis regarding his possible innocence. Davis’s attorneys have submitted a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court requesting such a hearing. Barr noted that part of the basis the lower courts have used in refusing to hold a hearing is the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, a law that he helped write. Barr, who also served as a U.S. Attorney in Georgia, wrote…
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Jun 01, 2009
BOOKS – The Ride: A Shocking Murder and a Bereaved Father’s Journey from Rage to Redemption
The Ride: A Shocking Murder and a Bereaved Father’s Journey from Rage to Redemption is a new book by Brian MacQuarrie that explores a parent’s grief and subsequent transformation through the story of Robert Curley in Massachusetts. Curley’s 10-year-old son, Jeffrey, was a victim of abduction and murder in 1997. The murder shocked and outraged the community of East Cambridge outside of Boston. MacQuarrie explores the father’s evolution “from grief to anger to activism against…
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May 29, 2009
Nebraska Governor Signs Bill Changing Method of Execution to Lethal Injection
On May 28, Nebraska’s Governor Dave Heineman signed a bill changing the state’s method of execution from electrocution to lethal injection. Nebraska had been without a legal method of execution since February 2008 when the state’s Supreme Court found the electric chair unconstitutional. Before executions in the state can resume, Nebraska still needs to develop procedures for lethal injections and the new law will be tested in court. Nebraska was the last state to have the…
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May 28, 2009
Florida’s Execution Selection Process Appears Secretive and Arbitrary
Florida Governor Charlie Crist recently chose two death row inmates for execution from among many eligible prisoners on the state’s death row, but no reasons were given for his choice. He joins a long line of Florida governors who made the decision of who lives and who dies without explanation of their selection method. “I don’t know how they decide,” said John Marek’s lawyer, Marty McClain, a veteran death-row attorney who has defended hundreds of inmates.
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May 27, 2009
California Could Save $1 Billion in 5 Years By Eliminating Death Penalty
California is facing an unprecedented budget deficit and voters recently rejected a series of tax reforms. To meet the crisis, Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed selling state owned property, including San Quentin State Prison, to remedy the $21.3 billion deficit. Natasha Minsker of the Northern California ACLU, writing in the Daily Kos, has proposed that California eliminate or suspend the death penalty as a way of saving a large amount of money. According to her article, the state would save…
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May 26, 2009
NEW VOICES: 3 Connecticut Senators Change Opinion on Death Penalty
The recent 19 – 17 vote in the Connecticut Senate to abolish the death penalty was made possible by three senators who moved from supporting the death penalty to opposing it. Sen. Gary LeBeau had long favored the death penalty, partly because of “political calculations.” His stance shifted in the last couple of years witnessing a series of high-profile exonerations of innocent people. At 61, LeBeau, a retired schoolteacher, came to view life as a gift, one “we…
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May 24, 2009
COSTS: Complications of Death Penalty Cases Cost California Millions
The death penalty in California is enormously expensive compared to the sentence of life without parole. One death penalty case has already taken 28 years and may cost $5 million dollars. Chief Assistant Attorney General Dane Gillette, head of the criminal division, said Michael Ray Burgener’s case has been delayed because of legally required reviews. “When you have a new judge, you have to have that judge take a look at the record and base their decision on the review of the record.”…
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May 22, 2009
Connecticut Legislature Votes to Abolish the Death Penalty
Connecticut’s Senate gave final legislative approval to a bill that would abolish the death penalty in an early morning vote on May 22. After a nearly 11-hour debate, the Senate voted 19 – 17 to end capital punishment, eight days after the House of Representatives approved the bill 90 – 56. The bill will now go to Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s desk. When asked the day before its passage if she would veto the bill, Rell said, “I haven’t seen it, but you know how I feel about the death…
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May 21, 2009
27 Former Judges and Prosecutors File Amicus Brief with U.S. Supreme Court on Behalf of Troy Davis
On May 20, twenty-seven former judges and prosecutors from across the political spectrum filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis. Signers of the amicus brief include Larry Thompson (Deputy Attorney General of the United States, 2001 – 2003), former Congressman Bob Barr (R‑GA; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, 1986 – 1990); William S.
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