Nov. 26
TEXAS:
https://www.change.org/petitions/dallas-county-district-attorney-craig-watkins-stop-the-execution-of-darlie-routier-release-this-innocent-crime-victim?share_id=OSEQsRVApE
(source: change.org)
CONNECTICUT:
Conn. Home Invasion Survivor Welcomes Baby Boy
The Connecticut doctor whose wife and 2 daughters were killed in a 2007 home
invasion has a new infant son.
The baby was born over the weekend to Dr. William Petit and his new wife,
Christine, whom he met while she was volunteering for the charity foundation
that Petit created in memory of his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their
daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela.
The Petit Family Foundation helps educate young people, improve the lives of
those with chronic illnesses and protect those affected by violence.
Hawke-Petit's mother, Marybelle Hawke, has said her family welcomed the
marriage and encouraged Petit to find peace and joy in his life.
The couple announced shortly before their first wedding anniversary Aug. 5 that
they were expecting a child.
The family was held hostage for hours and their home in Cheshire was set on
fire. Petit was beaten, tied up and taken to the basement, but he managed to
escape and crawl to a neighbor's house for help.
2 men, Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes, are awaiting execution for
killing Hawke-Petit and the couple's daughters.
Petit has campaigned against the repeal of Connecticut's death penalty. He said
in October that he is considering running for Congress.
(source: Associated Press)
DELAWARE:
The case to be made for death penalty's repeal
I am writing this letter in order to share some conclusions, based on research
data, concerning the death penalty. I hope readers will take the time to
reflect upon this important information.
1.The vast majority of law enforcement professionals surveyed agree capital
punishment does not deter violent crime any better than a sentence of life
without parole.
2. It costs far more to execute a person than to keep him or her in prison for
life.
3. Since 1973, more than 130 people have been released from death row with
evidence of their innocence.
4. Capital punishment prolongs pain for victim's families, dragging them
through a long and difficult process.
5. Dozens of prisoners have been executed despite suffering from serious mental
illness.
6. The death penalty is imposed disproportionately upon those whose victims are
white, offenders who are people of color and on those who are poor and
uneducated and concentrated in certain geographic regions of the country.
Please share this information with your stare representative and ask for repeal
of the death penalty in Delaware.
Bill Fitzhugh----Middletown
(source: Letter to the Editor, Delawareonline.com)
MARYLAND:
Maryland's highest court has rejected a claim by a man on death row that his
sentence is unconstitutional.
The Court of Appeals ruled on Monday against Jody Lee Miles' claim that the
Maryland Constitution limits capital punishment to treason against the state
government. The Daily Record reports (http://bit.ly/1bQyzeM) that the court
ruled 6-1.
Miles was sentenced to death for the 1997 robbery and murder of theater manager
Edward Atkinson of Salisbury. He is 1 of 5 men on death row in Maryland.
Maryland lawmakers abolished the death penalty this year, but the five men had
been sentenced before the law was abolished.
Monday's ruling only affects the 5 condemned men.
(source: Associated Press)
FLORIDA:
Friends:
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Delbert Tibbs. Delbert
was Florida's 4th exonerated death row survivor. He was a seminarian and
warrior-poet for peace, justice, and humanity. His leadership and writings
touched many thousands. He was the lead character in theaward-winning play,
"The Exonerated." Like most of Florida's 24 exonerated death row survivors, he
received no compensation from the state. His time on death row may have robbed
him of his health, but it could not take his grace, dignity, and spirit.
Delbert fought tirelessly to abolish the death penalty. He did not live to see
it end in Florida, the state that wrongfully sentenced him and so many other
innocent people to death. He had many friends and colleagues and will be
greatly missed. We will remember and pay tribute to him in the struggle to end
executions in our time.
"One for Ten" recently made a 6 minute video of Delbert Tibbs.
Pete Seeger wrote this song while Delbert was on Florida???s Death Row:
"Delbert Tibbs" by Pete Seeger "I'm sitting here on Death Row, Delbert Tibbs my
name.
Say, won't somebody listen to how that I been framed?
Don't they know my jury was all white?
Don't they know the facts they kept from light?
I need a poem to tell how I been framed
I need a poem to expose this racist game
Say, don't we all need a poem to break these iron bars?
Wouldn't you like a poem to help you see the stars?
Well, the state of Florida is just one of many.
But the state of slavery! Don't we wish there'd never been any?
Don't we wish slavery never existed nor never was?
But slavery was here. Now we can't say, "Becuz, becuz, becuz."
Strange, strange, now I've met some beautiful people.
Some meet and greet upon the street, some gather under a steeple.
Some call 'emselves one thing, some call 'emselves another
But now I know! I do have Sisters and Brothers.
They 're helping me write a poem to tell how I been framed
A truthful poem to expose this racist game.
Say don't we all need a poem to break these iron bars?
Wouldn't you like a poem to help you see the stars?
"I believe life is endless. We can't talk about life without talking about
death; we can't talk about death without talking about life." - Delbert Tibbs
Sent by: Mark Elliott
Executive Director
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, fadp.org
Tampa, FL 33682
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is a coalition of
organizations and individuals united to abolish the death penalty in Florida.
FADP works to build a strong, diverse, statewide grassroots movement which:
* Opposes executions
* Supports reforms aimed at reducing the application of the death penalty until
it is abolished
* Protects the humanity of all persons impacted by the death penalty
* Educates Floridians about the death penalty
* Provides concrete action steps for individuals and groups
(source: FADP)
INDIANA:
Death sentence expected in S. Ind. woman's slaying
A judge is set to give the death penalty to a southern Indiana man convicted of
killing his late mother's 75-year-old best friend.
56-year-old William Clyde Gibson of New Albany is to hear his fate during a
sentencing hearing Tuesday. The Floyd County jury that convicted him last month
of murder in the April 2012 slaying of Christine Whitis decided he should face
execution.
Floyd County Judge Susan Orth is required by law to follow the jury's
death-penalty recommendation.
Gibson still faces 2 murder trials in connection with the 2012 slaying of a
woman nearby Charlestown and the 2002 death of a Florida woman in Floyd County.
Prosecutor Keith Henderson has said he intends to pursue trials in both of
those deaths.
(source: Associated Press)
ARKANSAS:
Education Matters: 'Isolation Uncensored'
Students at Philander Smith College built a replica of a solitary confinement
cell in a state prison.
Students, who built the cell replica, say it's smaller than an average parking
space.
Ahmad Williams is one of the students helping with the class project called
"Isolation Uncensored."
"We believe isolation is torture due to the small space it's in," Williams
said.
Because of that, the group of students is working to educate the public by
letting people visit the replica and showcasing statistics, hoping it helps to
put an end to solitary confinement.
"We're also against how much it costs," Williams said. "We believe it costs
less to put someone in prison for life then to give them the death penalty."
The group of students also plans to use the "Isolation Uncensored" project to
let the public know about the case of Tim Howard.
He's the man sentenced to death for killing 2 people in 1999.
However, many say he was wrongfully convicted.
(source: Arkansas Matters)
TENNESSEE:
Man Charged With Murdering Wife Turns Down Plea
The Germantown man accused of murdering his estranged wife turned down a plea
deal Monday.
Chris Jones was offered 25 years in prison if he plead guilty to murdering his
wife, Heather Palumbo-Jones.
Friends of Heather Palumbo-Jones filled 2 rows of the court room.
They didn't talk to media but some shed tears after seeing the man charged with
killing their friend.
In open court, Chris Jones smiled as he declined a plea deal.
He would've received 25 years in prison, now he faces life in prison or the
death penalty if convicted of murdering his wife.
"Was that a smart idea for this guy to do?" asked Reporter Sabrina Hall.
"Well, that's a decision that his and his lawyer have to make and they did,"
said Assistant District Attorney Theresa Mcusker.
"It's certainly within his rights and I support whatever he does and he wants
the jury to hear this and make the determination. And in our opinion that's the
right thing to do," said Jones' defense attorney, Gerald Skahan.
Germantown police say Jones confessed after Heather's body was found dumped in
the woods near Fayette county in April.
Jones was charged then with 2nd-degree murder.
Now, the district attorney plans to try him for 1st-degree murder once a grand
jury indicts him.
"Obviously for the family we would've preferred some conclusion today but we
have the utmost confidence in the DA???s office," said Heather's uncle, John
Perry.
Jones' next court date is December 19.
(source: WREG)
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