A bill to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts was rejected by the House of Representatives, ending Governor Mitt Romney’s effort to establish a “gold standard” for capital punishment. House members defeated the measure by a vote of 100 – 53 after four hours of floor debate. Romney had described the bill as “foolproof,” stating that it contained strict safeguards that could protect against wrongful convictions and that the narrow scope of the bill meant that the death penalty would be rarely sought. Critics of the bill said that there was no way to write a “foolproof” bill and that innocent people could still be executed. “No system that relies on scientific evidence can truly be developed that flawlessly and with no doubt separates the guilty from the innocent,” said State Representative Eugene O’Flaherty. Massachusetts is one of twelve states without the death penalty. The last execution in the state was in 1947. (New York Times, November 16, 2005; DPIC update of final vote). See Innocence and Recent Legislative Developments.
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). Massachusetts Death Penalty Bill Rejected. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/massachusetts-death-penalty-bill-rejected
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Massachusetts Death Penalty Bill Rejected.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/massachusetts-death-penalty-bill-rejected.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Massachusetts Death Penalty Bill Rejected.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/massachusetts-death-penalty-bill-rejected. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
