NEW VOICES: Former San Francisco Prosecutor Denounces Death Penalty

After years of sup­port­ing cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, for­mer San Francisco pros­e­cu­tor Bill Fazio recent­ly changed his posi­tion on the death penal­ty. Fazio, who now serves as a defense attor­ney, stat­ed, ​“Life with­out parole is a viable alter­na­tive.” He not­ed that he began to recon­sid­er his stance on cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment after the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed his sole death penal­ty con­vic­tion. Fazio not­ed, ​“It was an error by the tri­al judge, and it made me real­ize that after 21 years there was still no clo­sure in the case. If Coleman had got­ten life with­out parole, it would have been over in 1981.” (San Francisco Daily Journal, July 10, 2003). See New Voices.