Two Puerto Rican defen­dants were giv­en life sen­tences by the same jury that had con­vict­ed them of mur­der in the course of an armored truck rob­bery that occurred in 2002. Puerto Rico has not used the death penal­ty for almost 80 years and for­bids the prac­tice in its con­sti­tu­tion. However, the U.S. fed­er­al death penal­ty applies to the Commonwealth.

Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila said that the jury act­ed in accor­dance with Puerto Rican tra­di­tion, which ​“loathes and is against the death penal­ty.” Federal pros­e­cu­tors said the fed­er­al death penal­ty should apply because the defen­dants, Hernando Medina Villegas and Lorenzo Catalan Roman, interef­ered with inter­state com­merce. Puerto Rico has not had an exe­cu­tion since 1927. 

(Miami Herald, May 3, 2005). See Federal Death Penalty.

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