[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 27 KUWAIT: Rights panel chief rejects calls for cancellation of death penalty - Need to broadcast execution process: Tabtabaei Chairman of parliament's Human Rights Committee MP Dr Adel Al-Damkhi and one of its members MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei support death penalty, based on their conviction that it is the best way to deter anyone who intends to kill others, reports Al- Rai daily. Dr Al-Damkhi rejected the calls for cancellation of death penalty, insisting that it will pave the way for growth of terrorism and increased crime rate because the perpetrators will not fear about paying the price of his crime with his life. He said preservation of human rights includes protection of people's lives from murderers by imposing most serious punishments on the latter. Dr Al-Damkhi affirmed that he is in support of any declaration that respects human dignity and protects those who are exposed to any form of injustice, stressing that punishment is never issued unless the court is convinced without any doubt that the suspect had indeed committed the crime that he or she is accused of. With a similar opinion, Dr Tabtabaei insisted that death sentences should be enforced within 1 year after the end of the judicial stages, indicating that execution of the killer often relieves the pains of the victim's family. He called for the broadcasting of the execution process in order to deter those who intend to commit such crimes, adding that drug traders and rapists must also be sentenced to death. In this regard, a number of the legal experts presented varied opinions concerning the death penalty. According to some, such a penalty, despite of its severity, can guarantee the security of the society. They believe the calls for cancellation of death penalty is like giving opportunities to criminals and murderers to practice their crimes. Constitutional expert Dr Mohammad Al-Feli said the Kuwaiti Constitution prevents barbaric penalties but it does not define the level of barbarism, indicating that its definition depends on the social culture. Replacing He stressed that replacing death penalty with payment of blood money is a known practice throughout history and is usually applied in cases of accidental or unintentional murders. He wondered whether the society will accept such an alternative or not. Vice President of Kuwait Lawyers Society Sharyan Al-Sharyan said, "Despite the fact that many countries have lately given up death penalty such as European countries and some American states, most of the countries worldwide still enforce death penalty for dangerous crimes such as murders, kidnapping, terrorism and the like for the sake of the society's security". He stressed that death penalty is included in the Quran, as a way to save the lives of innocent people from killers. Regarding replacing death penalty with payment of blood money, Al-Sharyan explained that, in some cases, it is up to the family of the victim to accept the blood money or insist on their right to ensure the perpetrator pays the price with his life. However, in cases where the entire society's security is threatened, the family's right for blood money does not apply because it is no longer the right of the family but the entire society's right. A member of the Freedoms Committee at Kuwait Lawyers Society Lawyer Bader Al-Husseini supported death penalty, stressing that it does not deduct the rights of the criminals but saves the souls of the rest of the people from spread of crimes. Lawyer Ahmed Al-Attalla also supported death penalty, as it limits carelessness over taking innocent lives as *89well as the spread of drug-related crimes which negatively impact the youth of the society. (source: Arab Times) VIETNAM: Biggest ever meth smuggling ring busted in northern Vietnam Nearly 45 kilograms (99 lbs) of methamphetamine and 10 kilograms of heroin were seized during the raid. 2 women have been arrested in northern Vietnam for smuggling nearly 45 kilograms (99 lbs) of methamphetamine, the biggest ever haul of the drug seized by authorities, a senior police official said Wednesday. According to Dang Van Sinh, the director of Nam Dinh Province's police department, Nguyen Thi Quyen, 46, and Dao Thi Lan, 38, both from the northern province of Ninh Binh, were caught in the nearby province of Nam Dinh on January 23. They were also carrying more than 10 kilograms of heroin. The methamphetamine and heroin had been smuggled from Laos through a border gate in Vietnam's Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. The smugglers often divide the drugs into small bags and transport them via motorcycles, according to Sinh. Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine face the death penalty. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., GA., OHIO, UTAH, USA
Jan. 27 TEXASexecution A man convicted of committing a fatal robbery at a Balch Springs Subway shop weeks after he was fired from his job there was executed at a Texas prison. 43-year-old Terry Edwards was put to death by lethal injection late Thursday for the $3,000 holdup at a Subway restaurant where 2 employees were gunned down in 2002. Multiple appeals before the high court temporarily delayed the punishment for more than 3 hours. Edwards' attorneys had asked the justices to reopen his case to investigate claims that a court-appointed lawyer earlier in the appeals process provided deficient help by abandoning him. The court 2 weeks ago agreed to review the case of another Texas death row inmate who raised claims about poor legal help. Another appeal before the high court Thursday night raised questions about whether the pentobarbital Texas uses in lethal injections should be tested for its potency before Edwards is put to death. The court order setting Edwards' execution had given the state a 6-hour window, ending at midnight, to carry out the punishment. Edwards was convicted of a 2002 robbery at a Balch Springs Subway sandwich shop where 2 employees were killed. He was sentenced to die in 2003 for the shooting deaths of Tommy Walker, 34, and Mickell Goodwin, 26. Edwards had been fired from the Subway where they worked weeks earlier, and prosecutors said he killed the 2 before fleeing. Witnesses said Edwards later was seen dumping a .38-caliber handgun in a trash can across the street from the store. He was arrested the same day and found with $3,000 from the store. But Edwards' lawyers say he wasn't the triggerman in the deadly robbery. They allege that the lead prosecutor in the trial elicited false testimony from a forensic expert and unconstitutionally cherry-picked jurors so that the black defendant faced an all-white jury. They also contend that the prosecutor withheld statements from witnesses who said they saw Edwards' cousin inside the restaurant at the time of the murders and fleeing out the front door. They say Edwards' cousin, who committed the robbery with him and is eligible for parole, was the gunman. The lawyers sought to delay Edwards' execution and allow the county to assign Dallas County's Conviction Integrity Unit to the case, citing "grave concerns" about the validity of the conviction. State lawyers, however, argue in court documents that Edwards planned and participated in the robbery, knowing that the victims would be shot. They also contend that multiple witnesses identified Edwards and that he made incriminating statements while he was in a police car after his arrest. In a recording of his statements, Edwards was heard to say that he had "messed up" and got 2 murders. "None of applicant's allegations exculpate him as a party to the capital murder, nor undermine confidence in the jury's verdict," Jaclyn O'Connor Lambert, an assistant Dallas County district attorney, wrote in a court pleading. Edwards becomes the 2nd condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Texas and the 540th overall since Texas resumed capital punishment on December 7, 1982. He becomes the 22nd condemned inmate to be put to death since Greg Abbott became governor of Texas. Edwards becomes the 3rd condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1445th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977. (sources: Dallas Morning News & Rick Halperin) * Executions under Greg Abbott, Jan. 21, 2015-present22 Executions in Texas: Dec. 7, 1982present-540 Abbott#scheduled execution date-nameTx. # 23-February 2---John Ramirez--541 24-February 7---Tilon Carter--542 25-March 7--Rolando Ruiz--543 26-March 14-James Bigby---544 27-April 12-Paul Storey---545 28-June 28--Steven Long---546 29-July 19-Kosoul Chanthakoummane---547 (sources: TDCJ & Rick Halperin) *** impending execution Death Watch: A Death Sentence for $1.25John Ramirez goes to the gurney for a murder committed during a robbery John Henry Ramirez, 32, gets Texas' next dose of lethal injection on Thursday, Feb. 2. He was sentenced to death in 2008 after murdering Pablo Castro in Corpus Christi during an alleged robbery. In July 2004, Ramirez and 2 female friends jumped Castro outside of the convenience store where he worked. Nueces County prosecutors charged that Ramirez and his friends spent the night cruising around town looking to rob people for drug money when they spotted Castro taking out the trash. Ramirez attacked the store clerk with one accomplice, beating him, and stabbing him 29 times. They also allegedly stole $1.25 from
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS
Jan. 26 TEXAS: Supreme Court rejects appeal for inmate convicted of Dallas-area murders The U.S. Supreme Court refused to block the execution of a Texas prisoner condemned for committing a fatal robbery at a Balch Springs sandwich shop weeks after he was fired from his job there. Terry Edwards is set for lethal injection Thursday evening for the $3,000 holdup at a Subway restaurant where two employees were gunned down in 2002. Multiple appeals before the high court temporarily delayed the punishment for more than three hours. Edwards' attorneys asked the justices to reopen his case to investigate claims that a court-appointed lawyer earlier in the appeals process provided deficient help by abandoning him. The court two weeks ago agreed to review the case of another Texas death row inmate who raised claims about poor legal help. Another appeal before the high court Thursday night raises questions about whether the pentobarbital Texas uses in lethal injections should be tested for its potency before Edwards is put to death. The court order setting Edwards' execution gave the state a six-hour window, ending at midnight, to carry out the punishment. Edwards was convicted of a 2002 robbery at a Balch Springs Subway sandwich shop where two employees were killed. He was sentenced to die in 2003 for the shooting deaths of Tommy Walker, 34, and Mickell Goodwin, 26. Edwards had been fired from the Subway where they worked weeks earlier, and prosecutors said he killed the two before fleeing. Witnesses said Edwards later was seen dumping a .38-caliber handgun in a trash can across the street from the store. He was arrested the same day and found with $3,000 from the store. But Edwards' lawyers say he wasn't the triggerman in the deadly robbery. They allege that the lead prosecutor in the trial elicited false testimony from a forensic expert and unconstitutionally cherry-picked jurors so that the black defendant faced an all-white jury. They also contend that the prosecutor withheld statements from witnesses who said they saw Edwards' cousin inside the restaurant at the time of the murders and fleeing out the front door. They say Edwards' cousin, who committed the robbery with him and is eligible for parole, was the gunman. The lawyers sought to delay Edwards' execution and allow the county to assign Dallas County's Conviction Integrity Unit to the case, citing "grave concerns" about the validity of the conviction. State lawyers, however, argue in court documents that Edwards planned and participated in the robbery, knowing that the victims would be shot. They also contend that multiple witnesses identified Edwards and that he made incriminating statements while he was in a police car after his arrest. In a recording of his statements, Edwards was heard to say that he had "messed up" and got two murders. "None of applicant's allegations exculpate him as a party to the capital murder, nor undermine confidence in the jury's verdict," Jaclyn O'Connor Lambert, an assistant Dallas County district attorney, wrote in a court pleading. (source: Dallas Morning News) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS
TEXAS: Execution delayed for inmate convicted of Dallas-area murders Texas prison officials have temporarily delayed the scheduled execution of a 43-year-old convicted killer while the U.S. Supreme Court considers multiple appeals intended to keep him from lethal injection. Attorneys for inmate Terry Edwards are arguing his case should be reopened so they can show that poor legal help at his trial resulted in an unjust conviction and that he had deficient legal assistance during earlier stages of appeals. Another appeal before the high court Thursday night raises questions about whether the pentobarbital Texas uses in lethal injections should be tested for its potency before Edwards is put to death. State attorneys are opposing any delay. The court order setting Edwards' execution gives the state a six-hour window, ending at midnight, to carry out the punishment. Edwards was convicted of a 2002 robbery at a Balch Springs Subway sandwich shop where two employees were killed. He was sentenced to die in 2003 for the shooting deaths of Tommy Walker, 34, and Mickell Goodwin, 26. Edwards had been fired from the Subway where they worked weeks earlier, and prosecutors said he killed the two before fleeing. Witnesses said Edwards later was seen dumping a .38-caliber handgun in a trash can across the street from the store. He was arrested the same day and found with $3,000 from the store. But Edwards' lawyers say he wasn't the triggerman in the deadly robbery. They allege that the lead prosecutor in the trial elicited false testimony from a forensic expert and unconstitutionally cherry-picked jurors so that the black defendant faced an all-white jury. They also contend that the prosecutor withheld statements from witnesses who said they saw Edwards' cousin inside the restaurant at the time of the murders and fleeing out the front door. They say Edwards' cousin, who committed the robbery with him and is eligible for parole, was the gunman. The lawyers sought to delay Edwards' execution and allow the county to assign Dallas County's Conviction Integrity Unit to the case, citing "grave concerns" about the validity of the conviction. State lawyers, however, argue in court documents that Edwards planned and participated in the robbery, knowing that the victims would be shot. They also contend that multiple witnesses identified Edwards and that he made incriminating statements while he was in a police car after his arrest. In a recording of his statements, Edwards was heard to say that he had "messed up" and got two murders. "None of applicant's allegations exculpate him as a party to the capital murder, nor undermine confidence in the jury's verdict," Jaclyn O'Connor Lambert, an assistant Dallas County district attorney, wrote in a court pleading. (source: Dallas Morning News) ___ A service courtesy of Washburn University School of Law www.washburnlaw.edu DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Unsubscribe: http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/options/deathpenalty
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OHIO, NEB., NEV., CALIF.
Jan. 26 OHIO: Federal judge rejects Ohio's new lethal injection process A federal judge has declared Ohio's new lethal injection process unconstitutional and delayed three upcoming executions. The ruling Thursday by Magistrate Judge Michael Merz followed a weeklong hearing over the 3-drug method Ohio planned to use Feb. 15 on death row inmate Ronald Phillips. Merz rejected Ohio's use of a sedative used in problematic executions in Arizona and Ohio. The judge also barred the state from using drugs that paralyze inmates and stop their hearts. Lawyers for Phillips argued the method announced last year is worse than a similar procedure used years ago. The state defended the new process as constitutional and said a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year paved the way for its use. Phillips execution would have been the 1st in the state since January 2014. (source: Columbus Dispatch) * Ohio Prepares to Execute Its 1st Inmate Since 2014 Ohio's last execution was 3 years ago, in January 2014, when the State killed Dennis McGuire by lethal injection. In 1989, McGuire raped and murdered 22-year-old Joy Stewart, who was 30 weeks pregnant. The Columbus Dispatch reported on the execution, saying "McGuire...gasped, choked, clenched his fists and appeared to struggle against his restraints for about 10 minutes... before being pronounced dead It took 26 minutes for him to die after the drugs were administered." "I've been with the ACLU 13 years and Dennis McGuire's execution marked the 4th botched execution in that timeframe," says Mike Brickner, Senior Policy Director of the Ohio office of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "Ohio has a very troubling track record with properly carrying out executions, and Mr. McGuire's execution was tantamount to human experimentations." Now, the State of Ohio prepares to impose capital punishment again. On February 15, 2017, Ronald Phillips, who was convicted of raping and murdering his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter in 1993, is scheduled to be executed by the State. Drug Problem Ohio has not put anyone to death since McGuire due largely to the difficulty in obtaining lethal drugs. Many pharmaceutical companies, including Roche and Akorn, according to press releases posted on the Death Penalty Information Center website, have condemned the use of their drugs in execution protocols, so states have been reaching out to strange companies, often in other countries, to obtain them. The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists also "discourages its members from participating in the preparation, dispensing, or distribution of compounded medications for use in legally authorized executions." Meanwhile, Ohio and other states have made laws that keep the pharmacies that compound lethal injection drugs anonymous. Ohio is one of 31 states that provide for the death penalty as punishment, along with the U.S. federal government and the U.S. military. Since the beginning of the new millennium, seven states, including New York and New Jersey, have abolished the death penalty or courts have ruled their state death penalty laws unconstitutional. 4 state governors have halted using the death penalty, and 11 states and the District of Columbia already had previously abolished the death penalty, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC). Ohio has been killing people for capital crimes since the 1800s. For many years, the electric chair was used to kill the condemned, but in 2001, lethal injection became the sole method of execution in Ohio. The State of Ohio has executed 53 prisoners since 1999, but did not execute anyone for a full 36 years between the 1963 execution of Donald Reinbolt and then the 1999 execution of Wilford Berry. Toledo and the death penalty Toledoans for Prison Awareness (TPA), a local organization focused on mass incarceration and prison issues, including the death penalty, in conjunction with the ACLU and Ohioans To Stop Executions (OTSE), hosted on January 12th a talk by attorney and Assistant Cuyahoga County public defender Jeff Gamso on "The Death Penalty in Ohio and the Nation" at the First Unitarian Church in South Toledo. About 50 people attended the event. The date for the talk was chosen to coincide with Ohio's resumption of executions this year. Mr. Gamso noted in his presentation that while the death penalty is still the law in Ohio, and while about 60 % of Americans support capital punishment, executions and death sentences are both declining. "We're killing fewer people, we're sentencing fewer people to death - that's the poll that makes the most sense," Gamso said. There have been fewer capital indictments since 2009, he said, because "it's far more expensive to try a capital case." Gamso is vehemently opposed to capital punishment. "If you kill enough people," he said "sooner or later you're gonna kill innocent ones.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Jan. 26 IRANexecutions 4 Prisoners Hanged on Drug Charges On the mornings of Monday January 23 and Wednesday January 25, 4 prisoners were hanged in 2 different prisons on drug related charges. According to close sources, at least 2 prisoners were hanged at Karaj's Ghezel Hesar Prison on January 25 on drug related charges. The prisoners have been identified as Majid Askari and Rahman Nourian. They were reportedly transferred from their prison cells to solitary confinement two days before their execution. "Majid was arrested 6 years ago for one kilogram and 100 grams of crystal meth, and he was sentenced to death by the revolutionary court," a source close to Mr. Askari tells Iran Human Rights. Iran Human Rights had warned about the imminent executions of Mr. Askari and Mr. Nourian. Close sources also report on 2 executions which were carried out at Maragheh Prison on January 23 on drug related charges. The prisoners have been identified as Iraj Ghafouri and Hossein Fatemi. "Iraj Ghafouri was arrested approximately 4 years and 7 months ago for 800 grams of crystal meth and some opium. Hossein Fatemi was also arrested in 2012, he was sentenced to death for the charge of trafficking 500 grams of crystal meth and 700 grams of crack," a close source tells Iran Human Rights. Executions for drug related charges are increasing in Iran while the Iranian Parliament has proposed a law to limit the use of the death penalty for drug charges. The law must first be approved by Iran's Guardian Council, and it is not clear whether it would actually lead to a reduction in the number of drug related executions. Additionally, members of parliament recently wrote a letter to the head of the Judiciary calling for a halt to the execution sentences of about 5,000 prisoners who are on death row for allegedly committing drug related offenses. (source: iranhumanrights) KUWAIT: First Executions in 4 Years Government Hangs 7 People in a Day Kuwait carried out 7 executions by hanging on January 25, 2017, the 1st time the Gulf state carried out the death penalty in 4 years, Human Rights Watch said today. Kuwait's decision reflects a growing trend in the region to increase the use of, or lift moratoriums on, the death penalty. Kuwait executed 2 nationals, including a member of the royal family, an Ethiopian woman, a Filipina woman, two Egyptian men, and a Bangladeshi man in Kuwait's central prison, according to KUNA, Kuwait's state news agency. The executions were the 1st in Kuwait since 2013, when Kuwait executed 5 people. The 2013 executions ended a de facto death penalty moratorium that had been in place since 2007. "Executing 7 people in 1 day shows Kuwait is moving in exactly the wrong direction on the death penalty," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The Kuwait government should be reinstating the moratorium on the death penalty instead of hanging 7 people." Kuwaiti courts convicted all 7 of those executed of violent offenses between 2007 and 2011, including 6 for murder and 1 for kidnapping and rape. The Filipina and Ethiopian women, migrant domestic workers, were convicted of murdering members of their employers' families, according to Al Jazeera, and the member of the royal family who was executed, Sheikh Al-Sabah, was found guilty of killing his nephew, also a royal, in 2010. Courts sentenced the Kuwaiti woman to death for having set fire to a wedding tent in 2009, killing almost 60 people. The 2 Egyptian men were also convicted of murder, and the Bangladeshi man of kidnapping and rape, according to KUNA. Human Rights Watch has documented due process violations in Kuwait's criminal justice system that have made it difficult for defendants to get a fair trial, including in capital cases. Kuwait maintains the death penalty for non-violent offenses, including drug smuggling. In the regional trend to increasing use of the death penalty, in January, 2017, Bahrain ended a 6-year de facto moratorium on the death penalty, executing three people. In December 2014, Jordan ended its 8-year moratorium on the death penalty, executing 11 people. Saudi Arabia and Iran consistently have some of the world's highest execution rates. Saudi Arabia has executed more than 400 people since the beginning of 2014, and human rights groups in Iran report the country may have executed as many as 437 in 2016 alone. Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all countries and under all circumstances. Capital punishment is unique in its cruelty and finality, and it is inevitably and universally plagued with arbitrariness, prejudice, and error. A majority of countries in the world have abolished the practice. In 2012, following similar resolutions in 2007, 2008, and 2010, the United Nations General Assembly called on countries to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, progressively restrict the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, VA., N.C., S.C., FLA., MISS.
Jan. 26 TEXASimpending execution Unequal Under the Law: The Troubling Case of Terry Edwards, Set to Be Executed on Thursday They removed all the black folks from the pool of potential jurors. In the trial of a black man convicted of killing 2 white folks. Not in 1950 ... but in 2002. Prosecutors systematically removed all the black jurors from the jury pool of 3,000 citizens. And by "systematically," I mean they wrote the letter "B" beside the names of potential jurors, and then seated an all-white jury. It doesn't get much more overt than that. After ensuring that more than 30 black juror-prospects did not make it onto the final jury panel, prosecutors managed to ensure that Terry Edwards would have an all-white jury when he faced the death penalty in Texas. And of course, the death penalty is what he got. Where lynchings happened 100 years ago is where executions happen today. When it comes to race in America, the prison system - and the death penalty in particular - shows us how little has changed in the past century. Our system of criminal justice is one of the social institutions that has been the least affected by the civil rights movement. In the 1950s, as we began to transition from lynchings to state-sanctioned executions, African Americans were 22 % of the population in the U.S. but made up 75 % of executions. Now, nearly 70 years later, African Americans are 13 % of the population but still account for over 1/3 of executions and nearly 1/2 (43 %) of death row. Where lynchings happened 100 years ago is where executions happen today - in states like Texas. And the states that continued to hang on to slavery the longest are the same states still holding on to the death penalty - states like Texas. Texas alone accounts for roughly half of the executions in the country. During sentencing, one of the things argued in Texas courts is the "future dangerousness" of the defendant. It's a nebulous idea for sure, but even more nebulous considering the unhealed wounds of our racial past. In the case of Duane Buck, another Texas man currently fighting to stop his execution, data was allowed into the court as evidence that suggested that black folks are more likely to be dangerous than white folks. The New York Times featured Buck's case in an article "Condemned to Die Because He's Black." Mr. Buck's case is still before the Supreme Court. Now back to Mr. Edwards - whose final hours are ticking away, and whose case may not even make it to the Supreme Court. In addition to striking dozens of potential black jurors from his jury, the prosecution presented an array of bad forensic tests, and withheld all sorts of other evidence. Terry Edwards did not get a fair trial, and he deserves one. This isn't an isolated incident. The prosecutor in this case has been responsible for other wrongful convictions, including three folks who have now been exonerated. What's especially troubling and consistent with other cases is the lethal duo of prosecutor, Thomas D'Amore, and forensic technician Vicki Hall. These 2 teamed up on another trial of a man I've had the privilege to meet. His name is Richard Miles. In 1995, D'Amore and Hall provided gunshot residue "evidence" that is eerily similar to the case of Mr. Edwards. Nearly 20 years later, Richard Miles was exonerated and freed (in 2012). Now he's the Founder of Miles of Freedom working for reform in the prison system. Here's what Mr. Miles has to say: "I was 19 years old when I was arrested for murder. I'm 41 now. I have never shot a gun a day in my life. But that didn't matter. All the jury needed to hear was 'His hands came back dirty.' The prosecutor, Thomas D'Amore, and the forensic technician, Vicki Hall, put on false gunshot residue testimony. Now it looks like this same prosecutor and this same forensic technician are saying the same thing about Terry Edwards. It looks like the same set up." I do not know what happened on July 8, 2002 that took the lives of 2 precious people - Tommy Walker and Mickell Goodwin. My heart goes out to their families and to all the victims of violence. I don't know what happened that night. But I do know that Terry Edwards did not get a fair trial, and he deserves one. The death penalty needs to be remembered in the same way we remember lynching - with horror and shame. Inscribed on the Supreme Court are the words: "Equal Justice Under the Law." The case of Terry Edwards is a poignant reminder that this vision is still a noble aspiration, though far from being fully realized. Too often, the best predictor of who gets executed in America is not the atrocity of the crime but far more arbitrary things like where the crime was committed, the race of the victim, and the resources of the defendant. I also know that there is a way to honor the victims of violence without more violence. The death penalty needs to be remembered in the same way we
