[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, FLA., MISS., KY., MO.
Oct. 2 TEXAS: UT Amnesty International chaper holds rally for death row inmate Rodney Reed The UT Amnesty International chapter held a protest Tuesday at West Mall in support of Rodney Reed, who was convicted of murder in 1998 and has been on death row in Texas for 23 years. Amnesty International is the largest human rights organization in the world, and UT’s chapter works to spread awareness about human rights abuses, according to the organization’s websites. A couple dozen protestors encouraged bystanders and nearby students to take flyers and sign clemency letters on Reed’s behalf. Zoe Marshall, a UT Amnesty International officer, said chapter members have been closely following Reed’s case, and they believe the evidence shows he is innocent. She said the chapter’s top priority is engaging with and lobbying for this issue in state government. “This case really matters, not just because it involves the death penalty but because Rodney Reed is an innocent man, and he was not given a fair trial,” history senior Marshall said. “Amnesty International stands for fairness and justice for everyone, especially in an instance where this man could be facing death. It’s a case that has lots of urgency for us right now.” Members of Rodney Reed’s family were also present at the protest, including his brother Rodrick and stepsister Wana. “I have been in support of my brother from day one, and I will continue to support him as long a I have a breath in my body,” Rodrick said. “It’s very important that my family and these students get involved because it affects everybody. It is injustice, and when you do it to one person, you’ve done it to us all.” Public relations sophomore Tavia Zepeda said she believes it was “pretty clear” that Reed’s race and socioeconomic status has to do with him being convicted. “It’s almost a never ending story of white police officers taking advantage of black lives,” Zepeda said. Government senior Jenny Matthews said the fight for justice ultimately rests in the hands of the current generation of college students. “The prelaw students here are going to be the ones trying cases like this in the future,” Matthews said. “We’re the future leaders of America … The people in power seem to have no interest in this. Their only interest is in holding up the status quo. They’re not interested in getting people like Rodney Reed out, and we need to change that.” (source: The (Univ. of Texas) Daily Texan) FLORIDA: Jury questioning begins for Michael Jones' death penalty trial in murder of Diana Duve Michael Jones sat passively in court Tuesday as a few people called for jury duty described in detail what they knew about how he’s accused of killing Diana Duve in 2014 after the couple met for drinks at a local bar. Most of the pool of 33 potential jurors called to court for Jones' death penalty trial said they didn’t know anything about the former wealth management advisor, or Duve’s homicide, which police said happened in the early hours of June 20, 2014. Jones, 36, who arrived in court wearing a suit jacket, white dress shirt and blue tie, is charged with 1st-degree murder and faces the death penalty if convicted. He's pleaded not guilty and is being held at the Indian River County Jail. By midday, 6 prospective jurors had been released from serving on his jury. Michael Jones murder trial: “Could you vote for death?” Some recited facts they’d read in recent media reports and during the past 5 years. A few recalled that Jones and Duve had dated and that he’s accused of strangling her then putting her body in the trunk of her car and driving it to another county. Duve was discovered in the trunk of her Nissan Altima in a Melbourne parking lot. Jones was charged with murder days later. One woman who was cut from the jury said she worked as a medical biller and knew Duve, who was a nurse at Sebastian Medical Center. The woman said one of her nurse friends was close to Duve. Duve's parents, Lena and Bill Andrews and other family members silently watched the proceedings in court. One man dismissed from the jury pool said it didn’t matter if state prosecutors proved Jones was guilty, he’d still find him innocent out of fear of retribution if there was a conviction. A couple of people said they’d already decided he was guilty and it would be difficult to set aside their strong opinions about the case. As 15 jurors were quizzed one at a time, Jones sat at the defense table with his public defender legal team, taking notes on a legal pad. He showed no emotion but seemed to be listening to each person as they spoke. After a lunch break, prosecutors and Jones’ lawyers continued speaking to a group of 25 people covering a range of questions about their beliefs related to the death penalty and their experience with or exposure to domestic violence. "I'm interested in your personal feelings about the
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Oct. 2 INDIA: Mumbai: Prosecution seeks death for 29-year-old in physiotherapist rape, murder case Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare submitted before the court that the manner in which the crime was committed showed the “total depravity” of Debashish Dhara, who was found guilty last week of charges including murder, rape and unnatural offences. The prosecutor added that the victim had a bright future and academic aspirations for herself as well as her younger sister. A week after a special court in Dindoshi found a 29-year-old man guilty of raping and murdering a 24-year-old physiotherapist, the prosecution on Tuesday sought the death penalty for him, citing the brutality of the offence. Special Judge A D Deo will decide on the quantum of punishment on October 4. Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare submitted before the court that the manner in which the crime was committed showed the “total depravity” of Debashish Dhara, who was found guilty last week of charges including murder, rape and unnatural offences. Thakare said that the crime was so brutal that it had shocked the conscience of the society. Dhara had entered the victim’s home on the intervening night of December 5 and 6, 2016, while she was sleeping. He then strangled her with a pair of jeans and raped her. Before leaving, he kept books and clothes on the victim and set her on fire to destroy evidence. Thakare told the court that the brutality of the crime could be seen by the fact that a witness, who was part of the inquest panchnama, could not even describe the injuries of the deceased when she came to depose. He further said that it could not be looked at as a case of murder alone as the accused has also been found guilty under Section 376 A (punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim) of the Indian Penal Code, which like the murder charge also carries the maximum punishment of death. The prosecutor added that the victim had a bright future and academic aspirations for herself as well as her younger sister. Thakare also sought compensation for the victim’s family. Dhara, who was brought before the court on Tuesday, claimed that he was assaulted by other inmates after he returned to prison following his conviction last week. He sought leniency, stating that he is the only breadwinner of the family and had unmarried sisters to look after. Dhara also sought that he should be transferred to a prison in his native village in West Bengal, so that he could remain in touch with his family. *** Beant Singh’s kin to move SC if Centre commutes death penalty A special court had in July 2007 awarded the death sentence to Rajoana, along with another terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara, in the Beant Singh assassination case. The family of slain Punjab chief minister Beant Singh will challenge in the Supreme Court any decision by Centre to commute his assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana’s death sentence to life imprisonment, the leader’s grandson and Punjab MLA Gurkirat Singh Kotli Tuesday said. The Union Home Ministry is yet to officially confirm if Rajoana’s death sentence is being commuted, even as politics has heated up in Punjab over reports on such a move. “We will challenge the Centre’s decision in Supreme court,” Kotli said. “We are taking legal opinion on what grounds it will be challenged. One of the main grounds for challenging the Centre’s decision will be that Rajoana himself had never apologised and had never moved any mercy petition for commuting his death sentence,” he added. Kotli, who is an All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and an MLA from Punjab’s Khanna, termed the Centre’s decision unfortunate and politically motivated. “The Modi government should make it clear whether it is with peace-loving people or with those who want to vitiate the atmosphere,” he said. Kotli alleged that the Centre took the decision as Rajoana had appealed for votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Shiromani Akali Dal during the last Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that Rajoana’s sister Kamaldeep Kaur had posted this appeal on her Facebook page. Another grandson of the assassinated leader and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, who had earlier warned that “Centre was playing with fire”. Tuesday said he has sought time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss matter. “Why this double standard by the PM? On one hand, he talks about fight against terrorism and on the other, he is all set to release the most dreaded terrorist. If a sitting chief minister’s killers can be set free, how can a common man expect justice,” Bittu said in Ludhiana. He said he will be writing individually to all the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs and “tell them about the BJP’s stand on terrorism”. “If they are thinking of gaining Sikh votes, they are living in a fools’ paradise,” he added.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----NEB., WIS., ARIZ., ORE., USA
Oct. 2 NEBRASKA: Death Row: Could Nebraska see its 1st woman sentenced? A woman accused of murder may be the 1st woman on death row in the state. Bailey Boswell will go on trial in s6 months, but those against the death penalty say there are better options. Currently, there are 12 men on death row in Nebraska. In March 2020, Bailey Boswell, one of the people accused of killing and dismembering Lincoln woman, Sydney Loofe, could be the 1st woman to get the death penalty. The death penalty hasn't always been an option; the state has gone back and forth on the death penalty. In 2015, lawmakers got rid of it and a year later it was voted back in. The last execution in Nebraska was in 2018 and Carey Dean Moore was put to death. Moore's death was the first in the state to use lethal injection and reignited the conversation over the death penalty. Matt Maly with Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty says this method needs to be reevaluated. “Even if we wanted to continue doing secret executions and to continue to not have transparency in such a gray and important process," says Maly. "We still don’t even have the drugs to do it that way.” Nebraska’s supply of lethal drugs expired in 2018 but Maly says his group still wants it off the books entirely. “We’re not going to give up on this issue. Nebraskans have been fighting to get rid of the death penalty for decades, and we’ll continue to do public education and be all over this state, teaching people the facts about the death penalty.” Governor Pete Ricketts has fought to keep the death penalty for years. In a statement on his website, “I will veto any attempt to repeal the death penalty here in our state. This proposal is the wrong direction and would soften our state’s approach to dealing with criminals.” According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Death-row prisoners in the U.S. typically spend more than a decade awaiting execution. “From a victim’s perspective, there’s over 30 families who have been through horrible, horrible things and have things done to their loved ones," says Maly. "They have been told this crime was so terrible that we’re going to seek the ultimate punishment. This person is going to be executed for what they’ve done to you and almost all of those families, it never happened.” As far as Boswell potentially being the first woman on death row, Maly says it shouldn’t be an option. “We have the full ability to lock them up for a life sentence, they’ll never ever come before a parole board, there is zero chance of them ever getting out and walking the streets again. Again, we can save a lot of money that way and just lock them up and forget about them.” According to a Creighton University study, the state spends around $14.6 million a year to keep its capital punishment system. An average of $23.2 million more a year than other states without it The costs come from appeals, pre-trials and attorneys. (source: Fox News) WISCONSIN: "More than half of death row prisoners are people of color." — Gwen Moore on Friday, July 26th, 2019 in a tweetWisconsin lawmaker hits the target with claim on racial background of death row prisoners All told, some 2,700 people are on death row at the state level. A little more than 60 are in federal prisons awaiting the death penalty. Wisconsin was one of the first states to abolish capital punishment, on July 10, 1853. The move followed the 1851 execution of John McCaffary, the 1st and last person to be executed under Wisconsin state law. More than 2,000 people witnessed the execution by hanging of McCaffary in Kenosha. He had received the death penalty for drowning his wife, Bridgett McCaffary, on July 23, 1850, in a backyard cistern. The hanging turned into a gruesome spectacle, as McCaffary struggled on the end of the rope for some 20 minutes as he was slowly strangled, according to the MurderPedia.org website. The uproar over the slow public strangulation of McCaffary prompted Wisconsin to ban the death penalty. While there is no death penalty in Wisconsin, the issue resonates nationwide -- particularly since the Trump administration moved in July 2019 to reinstate the federal death penalty. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., slammed the reinstatement in a July 26, 2019 tweet: "The death penalty is a discriminatory policy. More than 1/2 of death row prisoners are people of color. The Trump administration isn’t fooling anyone by reinstating the federal death penalty and executing a white supremacist first. Distraction & deflection is their goal." Is Moore right that "more than 1/2 of death row prisoners are people of color"? Establishing the terms Before we jump in, some background on the issue. As of August 28, 2019, there are 30 states that currently allow the death penalty. They include Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas and Utah. Most of the death penalty states are in
