Publications & Testimony

A recent article by Alec Baldwin (pictured) in the Huffington Post offered the actor’s reflections on the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia. Baldwin said that his position on the death penalty “has little to do with opposition to any ‘eye for an eye’ sentiments,” but instead, “It has to do specifically with the misapplication of the death penalty in terms of race, in terms of the potency of court-appointed counsel and in terms of the admission of DNA evidence in cases where tragically slipshod…

On September 26, Ohio Governor John Kasich (pictured) granted clemency to Joseph Murphy, commuting his death sentence to life without parole, citing the defendant’s horrific childhood. Murphy was scheduled for execution on October 18. The Ohio Parole Board had unanimously recommended sparing Murphy’s life, citing evidence from Murphy’s childhood that indicated he was beaten, starved and sexually abused. The Parole Board also cited a 1992 Ohio Supreme Court decision in which late Justice Moyer…

The lead editorial in the New York Times on September 26 called for an end to the death penalty because, the editors said, it cannot be made to comply with the U.S. Constitution. The editoral reviewed the 35-year history since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 and concluded, “The death penalty is grotesque and immoral and should be repealed.” The paper pointed to the recent case of Troy Davis, who was executed on September 21 in Georgia, and to the continuing arbitrariness in the way the…

On September 22, Kenneth Kagonyera and Robert Wilcoxson (pictured l. to r.) were exonerated of murder and freed from prison in North Carolina after a special commission ruled they were innocent. The two men spent a decade in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. They have consistently maintained their innocence, claiming that they only pled guilty because they were threatened with the death penalty and feared execution. The exonerations came after a 3‑judge panel of the North…

Family members of James Anderson (pictured), who was killed on June 26 in Jackson, Mississippi, are asking the District Attorney not to seek the death penalty for Anderson’s killer. Deryl Dedmon, a white teenager, was charged with Anderson’s murder after he and other white teens took turns beating him. Dedmon then drove over Anderson with a truck. Barbara Anderson Young, the victim’s sister, wrote a letter to the D.A. on behalf of their mother and two brothers, saying that their opposition to…

Desert Storm veteran Cleve Foster (pictured), who faced execution in Texas for the third time this year for a murder nearly a decade ago, was granted another stay by the U.S. Supreme Court on September 20. The Supreme Court stopped Foster’s execution twice before in 2011. In January, six hours before his scheduled execution, the Justices granted a reprieve to allow them more time to consider his appeal. In April, the Court again halted his execution when his lawyers sought a rehearing, claiming…

After a hearing on September 19, the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency to Troy Davis who is facing execution on September 21, despite presentation of testimony casting doubt on his guilt. Brian Kammer, one of Davis’s attorneys, said, “I am utterly shocked and disappointed at the failure of our justice system at all levels to correct a miscarriage of justice.” Davis’s claims of innocence have received international attention, and calls for clemency have been made by Pope…