[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
August 6 PHILIPPINES: Pacquiao interprets Bible differently in pushing death penalty: CBCP An official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (CBCP-CPPC) said Senator Manny Pacquiao has a different understanding of the Bible. CBCP-CPPC executive secretary Rodolfo Diamante made the remarks in response to Pacquiao's justification of death penalty as 'biblical'. "It is just unfortunate that (Senator) Pacquiao has a wrong interpretation of the Bible. He is actually misleading the public on his own understanding of the scriptural passage. This is what is dangerous," Diamante said in an interview on Monday. "The Senator should ask his staff to do some solid research before sharing his thoughts on any issue," he added. At the same time, the CBCP-ECPPC official reminded Pacquiao that it is his duty as a public official to be a protector of life. "Furthermore, he was elected by the people to protect the quality of Life of people and not to extinguish it," he added. In a radio interview on Saturday, the boxing champion-turned-senator said he will push for the speedy passage of a law reinstating death penalty in the country. Pacquiao's statements came after Pope Francis declared that death penalty is unacceptable and can never be justified, even for heinous crimes. President Rodrigo Duterte has earlier reiterated his stand in favor of restoring death penalty as a deterrent against crime and illegal drugs. In June 2006, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9346 which abolished death penalty in the country. (source: pna.gov.ph) *** Remembering the Chiong sisters 21 years ago, on July 16, 1997, 2 sisters, Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong, were abducted by 7 men as they were standing at a waiting shed at around 10:30 p.m. along Archbishop Reyes Avenue in Cebu City. 2 days later, the body of Marijoy was found at the bottom of a deep ravine in Tan-awan, Carcar City. The body of Jacqueline was never recovered. 7 men were convicted by the Regional Trial Court, Branch 7, Cebu City, of the crime: Francisco Juan Larranaga, alias Paco; Josman Aznar; Rowen Adlawan alias Wesley; Alberto Cano alias Allan Pahak; Ariel Balansag; and brothers James Andrew Uy alias "MM" and James Anthony Uy alias "Wang-Wang." The decision dated May 5, 1999, found them "guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crimes of kidnapping and serious illegal detention and sentencing each of them to suffer the penalties of '2 reclusiones perpetua,' plus damages." The conviction was appealed to the Supreme Court. On Feb. 3, 2004, the Supreme Court rendered its decision. It said, "These cases involve the kidnapping, and illegal detention of a college beauty and her comely and courageous sister. An intriguing tale of ribaldry and gang rape was followed by the murder of the beauty queen. She was thrown off a cliff into a deep forested ravine where she was left to die. Her sister was subjected to heartless indignities, before she was also gang-raped. In the aftermath of the kidnapping and rape, the sister was made to disappear. Where she is, and what further crimes were inflicted upon her, remain unknown and unsolved up to the present." (People vs Larranaga, 421 SCRA 530 at 541) The dispositive portion of the decision reads: "WHEREFORE, the Decision of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 7, Cebu City, in Criminal Cases nos. CBU-45303 and 45304 is AFFIRMED with the following modifications: (1) In Criminal Case no. CBU-45303, the accused 'are found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the special complex crime of kidnapping and serious illegal detention with homicide and rape, and are sentenced to suffer the penalty of DEATH by lethal injection." (This is the case involving Marijoy.) Note that the Supreme Court not only affirmed the decision of the lower court, but also imposed a higher penalty - death penalty by lethal injection. The Court explained why it imposed the death penalty: "The prosecution was able to prove that Marijoy was pushed to a ravine and died. Both girls were raped by the gang. In committing the crimes, appellants subjected them to dehumanizing acts. Dehumanization means 'deprivation of human qualities, such as compassion.' From our review of the evidence presented, we found the following dehumanizing acts committed by appellants: (1) Marijoy and Jacqueline were handcuffed and their mouths mercilessly taped; (2) They were beaten to severe weakness during their detention; (3) Jacqueline was made to dance amidst the rough manners and lewd suggestions of the appellants; (4) She was taunted to run and forcibly dragged to the van; and (5) Until now, Jacqueline remains missing, which aggravates the Chiong family's pain. All told, considering that the victims were raped, that Marijoy was killed, and that both victims were subjected to dehumanizing acts, the imposition of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----PENN., OHIO, TENN., NEB., USA
Aug. 6 PENNSYLVANIA: District Attorney seeks death penalty against DJ in 1992 killing of school teacher The Lancaster County District Attorney plans to seek the death penalty against the Pennsylvania man charged in connection with the 1992 sexual assault and strangulation of an elementary school teacher, according to reports from LancasterOnline. Raymond Rowe, 49, is facing charges of criminal homicide, 4 counts of rape, 2 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and burglary for the death of 25-year-old Christy Mirack. The charges come decades after she was killed, but police were unable to identify Rowe as a suspect until they uncovered genealogical data. Now, prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty against Rowe, who is a professional DJ known as "DJ Freez." (source: York Daily Record) OHIO: Kirkland sentencing will wrap up today After 2 weeks of testimony, convicted serial killer Anthony Kirkland's sentencing is expected to wrap up Monday with closing arguments. Jurors will be sequestered while they consider whether to recommend the death penalty for Kirkland, 49, for the deaths of Casonya Crawford, 14, in 2006 and Esme Kenney, 13, in 2009. He strangled and burned the victims. The Ohio Supreme Court overturned a death sentence last year that had been imposed for the murders. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters is seeking it again. On Friday, on Kirkland stood at his sentencing hearing and in a calm and steady voice, asked jurors to spare his life. Though, he said, he'd understand if they recommended the death penalty for strangling, burning and dumping the bodies of the 2 teenage girls. "It has been stated that I am evil; it has been stated I am a monster," he said. "I cannot offer any justifiable response. I am not looking for absolution. Eventually, I will answer to a higher authority. I do not blame you if you kill me. I do not deserve to live. Please spare my life." Kirkland killed 2 women and 2 teenage girls - Casonya; Mary Jo Newton, 45; Kimya Rolison, 25 and Esme - between 2006 and 2009. Those 4 deaths came after Kirkland served a 16-year prison sentence for killing Leona Douglas, 28, in 1989. In each case, Kirkland strangled or stabbed his victims, burned the bodies and fled. He was caught after Esme's death and confessed. Kirkland is serving a life prison term for the deaths of Newton and Rolison. Kirkland's defense team presented a case that showed Kirkland suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by a childhood of mental, physical and sexual abuse. At times, a clinical psychologist testified, Kirkland didn't know what he was doing. The victims, she said, triggered anger and he couldn't help himself. (source: cincinnati.com) TENNESSEE: "Our Most Cruel Experiment Yet"Chilling Testimony in a Tennessee Trial Exposes Lethal Injection as Court-Sanctioned Torture Julie Hall smiled on the witness stand as she recalled a memory of her old client Joseph Wood. He had spent most of the last 2 decades living in solitary confinement, with his recreation confined to a cage, when the Arizona Department of Corrections began to loosen some restrictions over people on death row. A basketball court was built outside his unit on the sprawling desert prison complex in Florence, about an hour south of Phoenix. At 55, Wood was relatively healthy - "he loved going out and playing," Hall said. A prison sergeant even played a round of basketball with Wood, which meant a lot. "He felt like he was being treated like he was human for the 1st time in a long time." Hall's smile disappeared when she described the day Wood died. It was July 23, 2014. His execution was scheduled for 10 a.m. Hall arrived at the prison that morning at 6:45, then waited almost an hour to see him. When the Arizona Supreme Court granted a temporary stay of execution, Hall told him the good news. Wood was prepared to die, she told the court; ever since he committed the murders that sent him to death row, he had felt he did not deserve to live. Still, "he wanted someone to listen to us when we said that this was an experimental method of execution." Wood was the 1st to face a new form of lethal injection in Arizona that used a combination of the opioid hydromorphone and the sedative midazolam. The latter had raised controversy over its use in executions. Florida first tried it in 2013 to kill a man named William Happ "in what seemed like a labored process," according to one media witness. Happ "remained conscious longer and made more body movements after losing consciousness" than people executed under the old formula, according to another report. The Florida Department of Correction, which refused to say how it chose the drug, dismissed the concerns - and soon other states were trying out midazolam. In January 2014, Ohio used it to execute Dennis McGuire. Witnesses described how he struggled and gasped,
