[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
August 21 CHINA: Death penalty possible in fatal arson case A man is facing the death penalty after admitting to starting a fire that killed 18 people in a karaoke bar in Guangdong province in April. Liu Chunlu, 32, was prosecuted on charges of intentional homicide and arson during a public hearing on Thursday in a court in Yingde. The court heard that Liu arrived at the bar on Chayuan Road with friends on the evening of April 23 for a night of singing and drinking. While there, the defendant expressed his fondness for a female staff member, surnamed Zhang, but she rejected him, according to the indictment, which was published online. He had also failed to reach a business deal after negotiating with another man at the bar, which he blamed on interruptions by someone identified as the venue's manager, it added. In anger, Liu went to his motorcycle, which was parked by the entrance of the karaoke bar, disconnected its fuel pipe and spread gasoline around on the ground. He then used a cigarette lighter to set the fuel ablaze, despite his friends attempts to stop him, the indictment said. Flames quickly spread to other motorcycles, blocking the exit of people inside the bar. 15 men and 3 women died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 3 other people were injured, one of them seriously. Liu fled the scene but was caught by police on April 24. During Thursday's hearing, a tearful Liu confessed to the charges, Nanfang Metropolis Daily reported on Sunday. The court has yet to issue a verdict. The charge of intentional homicide carries the death penalty in China. The trial was witnessed by relatives of both the defendant and the victims as well as political advisers, local media representatives, residents and others. Liu Xiangfu, the head prosecutor who tried the case, said Liu's crime was grievous, as many people were killed. "He committed intentional arson and caused serious casualties and big economic losses," he told the court. "The facts are very clear, and the defendant should be held responsible for his crimes and punished." (source: ecns.cn) SAUDI ARABIA: Saudis campaign for female activist on death row Saudi human rights activists have warned against the possible beheading of detained female political activist Israa al-Ghomgham, who has been provisionally sentenced to death by a Riyadh court. On 6 August, in a first hearing before the Specialised Criminal Court in the capital, the public prosecutor recommended the death penalty for 6 defendants, including Ghomgham and her husband, Moussa al-Hashem, who have been jailed for nearly 3 years on charges of anti-government protests, incitement to disobedience of the ruler, and providing moral support to participants in anti-government protests in the Shia-majority eastern region of Qatif. Ghomgham, 29, and Hashem were arrested on 8 December 2015 in a house raid by Saudi security forces. She was one of the leaders of anti-government protests that have erupted in Qatif since 2011, demanding an end to anti-Shia discrimination and the release of political prisoners. According to Saudi human rights groups, Ghomgham, who belongs to a low-income family, could not afford a lawyer throughout her 32 months in detention. After her case became known, however, many lawyers offered their services to her family pro bono. The final session for Ghomgham's case is scheduled for 28 October. A judge will either confirm or reverse the death penalty recommendation issued by the public prosecutor in August. Beheadings usually take place in Saudi Arabia after the decision is ratified by the king - in this case, King Salman bin Abdulaziz. "Sentencing a female human rights defender to death is a dangerous precedent in Saudi Arabia," said Ali Adubisi, director of the European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR). Adubisi said all the charges against Ghomgham were related to her activism, adding that none of the charges levied against her involved use of violence that would warrant the death penalty under Saudi law. "It's largely a revenge against the Arab Spring, and a punishment for Qatif, which witnessed the largest protests since 2011," Adubisi told MEE. According to the latest tally by ESOHR, at least 58 people, most of them Shia, are currently on death row in Saudi Arabia, 31 of whom had their verdicts confirmed by the High Court. The preliminary death penalty verdict against Ghomgham has prompted a campaign for her release on social media, with many warning this could be the 1st time Saudi Arabia executes a female political activist. (source: Middle East Eye) IRAQ: Iraqi sentences 14 more to death for involvement in Speicher massacre Iraqi judicial authorities have sentenced 14 people to death for participating in the 2014 execution of hundreds of Iraqi air force cadets claimed by the Islamic State (IS) in the northern city of Tikrit. "The Iraqi judiciary
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, FLA., OHIO, MO., ARK., NEB., COLO., USA
August 21
TEXAS:
Death row is not for mistakes
A "mistake."
This is how murder ("the crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with
malice aforethought") is defined in a recent column titled "U.S. Should Follow
Pope's Leadership on the Death Penalty" by Anna Arceneaux, a senior staff
attorney for the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. (The column was penned for
InsideSources.com.)
Arceneaux, referencing the thoughts of a corrections officer, wrote "For the
most part, he said, death row is made up of people who made one horrible,
tragic mistake."
What is a "mistake" is the use of such political spin on the horrific and evil
crimes that land a person on death row in Texas.
There are 2 individuals from Lubbock County on death row in Texas.
1 of them has been on death row since 1998.
This individual, who had previously violated parole for burglary, was sentenced
to the ultimate form of punishment for choking a person to death with a rope
and dumping the victim's body on the street as he fled the scene. (This is
according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.)
To categorize this crime as a "mistake" is an insult to the memory of the
victim.
Such a flippant description of a horrible and violent crime makes it sound as
if a person was killed as the result of someone driving drunk - as if a tragic
accident occurred.
In the case of the aforementioned individual on death row, this was a willful
act of evil that showed zero regard for human life - and it should be noted
that if the individual was not aware that the crime he committed was wrong, why
did he callously dump the victim's body on the street and run?
Those who want to oppose the death penalty are certainly entitled to their
opinions.
However, to gloss over the crimes people commit that result in the ultimate
form of punishment by describing such crimes as simply a "mistake" detract from
the seriousness of such crimes.
Capital punishment is reserved for those who commit the most heinous and
despicable crimes. And with the advent of science (namely DNA evidence - when
available) there is no doubt as to guilt or innocence.
The wilful act of brutally killing another human being should be regarded as
something more than a "mistake" - especially when justice is involved.
(source: Editorial, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
FLORIDA:
Santa Rosa County man on death row may get new sentence
A Santa Rosa County man on death row had a resentencing hearing Monday. The
murder happened 20 years ago. Jonathan Lawrence was convicted of killing and
mutilating 18-year-old Jennifer Robinson in Santa Rosa County in May of 1998.
In the original sentencing, a jury voted in favor of the death penalty 11-1.
Lawrence was back in court because in 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled death
penalty recommendations that are not unanimous are unconstitutional. Since
then, several death penalty cases have returned to court for re-sentencing.
The guilty convictions remain, but a jury or judge has to decide whether that
person should remain on death row or serve a life sentence. The State
Attorney's Office said Lawrence wrote a letter in 2017 to a judge asking for
the death penalty to remain. Assistant State Attorney John Molchan said despite
what a defendant wants, the Supreme Court requires the case be resentenced.
Molchan says the defendant's special counsel provided testimony from a doctor
and some of his relatives stating he had problems in the past and didn't
deserve to be executed. The state is asking for the judge to uphold the death
penalty. The judge will announce his decision on September 12th.
A co-defendant was also convicted in the case. Jeremiah Rodgers had his
original case before a judge, so he did not qualify for a re-sentencing.
(source: WEAR TV news)
OHIOstay of execution
Stay of execution issued for James Worley
The execution process of convicted killer James Worley has hit its 1st speed
bump.
The man found guilty of kidnapping and killing Sierah Joughin filed an appeal
of that conviction back in May.
The Ohio Supreme Court issued a stay of the execution on Monday while that
appeal runs its course.
This is not unusual for death penalty cases.
Worley remains on death row.
(source: WTOL news)
**
Execution for Sierah Joughin's killer put on hold temporarily
The execution of the man convicted of killing Sierah Joughin has been
temporarily put on hold. This ruling comes as the case of James Worley makes
its way through the appeals process.
Every death penalty conviction case gets several appeals, which includes an
automatic one in the Ohio Supreme Court.
Those justices are the ones that granted what's called a stay of execution for
Worley. That puts the execution on hold for now.
Justices said in their ruling that no execution date is to be set while the
appeal is pending.
Worley was convicted in the 2016 kidnapping and
