[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
May 2 CHINA: Supervising an Execution in China A prosecutor offers a look into executions carried out in China. "When he looked at me, I could see fear, uncertainty and hope in his eyes. The emotions flashed by so quickly, I would have missed it if I had not been paying attention." An article written in Chinese by a prosecutor in China has been circulating on various blogs and WeChat. The author, credited as Nan Shiqin, in the piece describes his experience supervising the execution of a 23-year-old convicted murderer. Nan comes face-to-face with the prisoner at a morgue, where the convict is executed by a firing squad. The aftermath of the death penalty is nothing like what television dramas show, writes Nan. "There are no angry shouts from the prisoner, no family crying; the autopsy is quick, and the body is hauled onto a chaise from the morgue and taken away." "I felt regret having to end the life of someone so young. At 23, his life was only just beginning. But I also knew that the law is ruthless because it needs to uphold the greater good," writes the prosecutor. "It was not an easy job for me, watching a young man give his life to atone for his crimes." Death penalty data is a state secret in China, but according to an Amnesty International report in 2016, the country is the world's top executioner. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pledged to abolish the death penalty in 1922, but Amnesty International estimates that thousands of executions and death sentences are carried out in China each year - despite the Supreme People's Court judgments database only recording 701 approved death sentences between 2011 and 2016. Amnesty International found 931 death sentences reported in Chinese media between 2014 and 2016, but only 85 of those cases were documented in the Supreme People's Court database. The international human rights organization also reports that the majority of people sentenced to death between 2011 to 2016 were often unemployed or classified as "rural people or farmers," with more than half being the latter. (source: thenewslens.com) INDIA: His Grandfather Executed Indira Gandhi's Assassin. Today, He's A 'Hangman' Pawan Jallad has been a hangman for over 50 years now. Traditionally, in India, a son follows his father's footsteps, taking up the same line of work. Pawan's father was a hangman (called a 'jallad' in Hindi), and so was his grandfather. Despite the grisly task assigned to him as an executioner, Pawan loves his job. He has never imagined being anything else and has wanted to be a hangman since he was a child. Pawan has been in the 'family business' since 1951. Proudly speaking about his family's legacy in this profession, he mentions how his grandfather hanged Indira Gandhi's assassin in 1987, an execution that 22-year-old Pawan witnessed. When asked if he is scared by the work he does, Pawan shrugs and shakes his head. To him, all he is doing is performing a duty. Whether someone is innocent or not is not for him, but the courts to decide. India is one of the few countries where the death penalty still exists. In fact, in 2007, India voted against a UN resolution that opposed the death penalty. In the year 2015, more than 1600 executions were carried out across the world. In India, it is estimated that since 2001, over 270 people have been sentenced to death, but not executed. Outside the metros and beyond the urban jungle live the sons and daughters of India's heartland. The 101 Heartland series tells their stories. It celebrates both unique communities and individual tales of hope, struggle, and reform. From the village of bouncers just outside Delhi to the fascinating story of Ram Kumar Tyagi, once a wanted man but now a coach for aspiring female wrestlers, 101 Heartland tells stories for the heart, from the heartland. (source: youthkiawaaz.com) PHILIPPINES: Death penalty revival dropped from priority bills Congress on Tuesday appeared to have dropped bills seeking the revival of death penalty its priorities for passage this month. Also excluded from the list of priority legislation were the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility, tax reform and postponement of the 2017 barangay elections. House Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas explained leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives identified only 14 bills that could be passed by the end of May, in time for President Rodrigo Duterte's 2nd State of the Nation Address in July. "We met -- the Speaker, the Minority Leader, the chairman of the [House] Ways and Means Committee. We met with our counterparts, namely the Senate President, Majority Leader Sotto, Senate Pro-tempore Ralph Recto and Minority Leader Frank Drilon," Farinas said. Farinas said that in the case of the death penalty bill, there was no consensus among leaders of both chambers to make its passage a priority. (source: abs-cbn.com) A
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----KY., TENN., ARK., MO., ARIZ., CALIF., USA
May 2 KENTUCKY: Sean Cody Model "Chase" Could Face Death Penalty in Murder Trial A Sean Cody model who went by the name of "Chase" will be standing trial for a murder in Kentucky. Should he be found guilty, the actor could face the death penalty. Chase (legal name is James R. Huffman) was arrested 3 years ago after police arrested him for the alleged murder of a student on New Year's Day in 2014, The victim was apparently stabbed with a knife. The trial was supposed to take place in April but there were issues with 2 witnesses (1 prosecution and 1 defense) that caused the judge to pause scheduling through a continuance. EKB, the local news outlet, reports the following: "In Letcher Circuit Court this morning, the trial for James R. Huffman IV, who was set to stand trial beginning today, was continued. The special judge in the case told the jury pool, who was present in the courtroom, that an incident occurred over the weekend that affected 2 witnesses in the case. The judge said it would be impossible to go forward with Huffman's trial today. The judge said he plans to have a phone conference with the attorneys in the case soon to determine how to go forward. Huffman and Patrick Smith are accused of stabbing Michael Hogg to death shortly after the turn of the new year 2014. The trials for the 2 men, who are being prosecuted separately, have been delayed several times." Chase (Huffman) previously pleaded innocent to the murder of Michael Shane Hogg, a 24 year old college man who was visiting home. According to reports, he was on winter break from studies at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY. "Chase" is accused of killing Hogg by stabbing him in the chest during an altercation that took place in a parking lot. The Mountain Eagle reports two other men were also stabbed during the incident. Both survived. Local coverage suggests the victims of the stabbing had been celebrating New Year's earlier in the evening at Streetside Grill and Bar. Cops haven't released a motive yet for the stabbings. Another Sean Cody model, David Meza, is currently standing trial in California for the alleged murder of his alleged sugar daddy. Still, this would be the 3rd Sean Cody model accused of murder in recent years, counting Meza and Jason Andrews (Andrews was found guilty). (source: gaypopbuzz.com) TENNESSEE: Tennessee Supreme Court Affirms Death Sentence For Premeditated Murder Conviction The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed James Hawkins's premeditated murder conviction and sentence of death for the 2008 murder of Charlene Gaither, Mr. Hawkins's long-term girlfriend and the mother of his 3 children. In February 2008, Hawkins stabbed Ms. Gaither, in the presence of their 12-year daughter, in their Memphis apartment. Hawkins made his daughter help him hide her mother's body in a freezer and clean the murder scene, threatening to kill her if she refused. He purchased a power saw later that day, forced his daughter to help him move her mother's body to a bathtub in the apartment, and used the saw to remove Ms. Gaither's head, hands, and feet. Hawkins instructed his daughter to help him return the body to the freezer. Later that night, he and his daughter placed Ms. Gaither's body in her vehicle, drove it to Mississippi, threw her body off a bridge, and disposed of her head, hands, and feet along the route they drove. About 3 days after the murder, Hawkins called the police and falsely reported Ms. Gaither as missing. The next day, highway workers in Mississippi discovered Ms. Gaither's dismembered body. DNA testing ultimately identified the body as Ms. Gaither. Her head, hands, and feet were never recovered. The proof at trial showed that Hawkins murdered Ms. Gaither because she was threatening to call the police and report Hawkins for sexually abusing their daughter. Their daughter testified at trial about the murder and the events that followed it. She explained that Hawkins had sexually abused her for many years, but she had not told anyone because she was afraid of him. Her brothers also testified and corroborated their sister's testimony concerning the sexual abuse and the events surrounding the murder. Other witnesses testified about statements Ms. Gaither had made to them expressing her fear that Hawkins planned to kill her and was sexually abusing their daughter. The jury convicted Hawkins of premeditated murder, making a false report, and abuse of a corpse. After a separate sentencing hearing on the first degree murder conviction, the jury imposed the death sentence based on 2 statutory aggravating circumstances - Hawkins' prior violent felony convictions and his mutilation of the victim's body after death. Hawkins appealed, and the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his convictions and sentences. The Tennessee Supreme Court reviewed the case automatically, as required by statute, and affirmed the convic
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, PENN., DEL., N.C., ALA., OHIO
May 2 TEXAS: Man accused of killing Corpus Christi woman could face death penalty A man accused of killing his girlfriend and leaving her body in a grassy ditch last summer is slated to stand trial in September, and could face death penalty. Nigel Green is charged with capital murder in the death of Carina Castellanos, 26. He also faces family violence assault charges related to a report she made to police about a month before she went missing. Green has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors initially planned to pursue a murder charge but while interviewing a witness learned information they believe makes the crime capital murder, First Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Madrigal said a Nueces County grand jury re-indicted Green on the higher charge, which is punishable by either life in prison without parole or the death penalty. State District Judge Jack Pulcher gave prosecutors a deadline of May 8 to decide whether they'll seek the death penalty. If prosecutors pursue the death penalty, the judge may have to appoint new lawyers and could delay the case, defense lawyer Deeann Torres said. U.S. Marshals arrested Green, 31, in connection with an aggravated assault warrant related to a June 10 incident in which Castellanos called Corpus Christi police and described Green attacking her. The case had been originally closed after Castellanos left a message on a detective's answering machine saying she no longer wanted to pursue charges since Green was leaving Corpus Christi. Castellanos' mother reported her missing on June 30. Before Green's arrest he told the Caller-Times he believed Castellanos was alive and pleaded for her to call her mom. After his arrest in the assault case, Green admitted to killing Castellanos and led police to her body, according to an arrest affidavit. (source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times) PENNSYLVANIA: Pennsylvania Supreme Court upholds Indian national Raghunandan Yandamuri's death sentence The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday upheld the death sentence imposed on Raghunandan Yandamuri, convicted of killing an infant and her grandmother. The 30-year-old Indian techie, of Upper Merion, was convicted by a Montgomery County Court jury of 1st-degree murder in connection with 2 murders. On Oct. 22, 2012, Yandamuri killed 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna and her 10-month-old granddaughter Saanvi, after a botched kidnapping attempt, patch.com reported. According to the report, Justice Max Baer reaffirmed that the evidences against Yandamuri was sufficient, and the court also rejected the convict's allegations of unfair treatment. Yandamuri had earlier told investigators that he panicked and that the deaths were accidental. The prosecutors argued that he knew the baby's parents and planned the kidnapping plot to pay for a gambling habit. The court found that the sentence was based on the evidence presented at the trial. The death sentence will now be sent to Gov. Tom Wolf, who declared a state-wide moratorium on death penalty in 2015. (source: americanbazaaronline.com) DELAWARE: Death penalty bill gets 1st hearing this week The controversial plan to bring back the death penalty gets its 1st committee hearing Wednesday. Hearings and debates would rage for hours when advocates unsuccessfully tried to repeal Delaware's capital punishment program in 2013 and 2015. It took a court decision last year to dismantle the death penalty here. But state Sen. Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown), one of the bill's main sponsors, says he thinks momentum to revive it is on his side. "I believe there is renewed interest in reestablishing this here in Delaware in a constitutional manner and having something that will hold these individuals accountable for the crimes that they commit," Pettyjohn. Pettyjohn and others may have an ally in Gov. John Carney (D), too. In a debate prior to the election, Carney said he would "probably" veto a bill like this. But when it was introduced in March, he said he wouldn't rule out supporting a death penalty for those who kill police or prison guards. The proposal doesn't include a new method of execution - despite pharmaceutical companies refusing to resupply states with drugs used for lethal injections. Pettyjohn says that's something they'll consider at a later date. "I believe that we should leave all options on the table. Let's see where we stand right now with the existing stock of pharmaceuticals that we have," he said. A 2014 Associated Press report showed 2 of the 3 drugs used during a lethal injection execution had expired. The House Judiciary Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. (source: delawarepublic.org) NORTH CAROLINA: Death Penalty Sought Against Suspect In Hickory Triple-Murder Case, Awaiting Decision On Co-Defendant The State has announced that they will seek the death penalty in the case against 23-year-old Dontray Cumberlander of 18th Street
