[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----IOWA, N.MEX., WYO., NEV., CALIF., USA
Feb. 4 IOWA: Make capital punishment available in Iowa A staff editorial claimed that "Iowa lawmakers shouldn't reinstate the death penalty, or waste time discussing it." Savor the irony: An American newspaper telling lawmakers they shouldn't waste their time engaging in an "ongoing national debate." The self-appointed doyens of The Gazette view the issue of capital punishment in Iowa as a settled matter. Liberals do this a lot. Things they like are moral and just, never to be challenged or changed. They can be pretty conservative at times, great defenders of the status quo. Capital punishment does not deter, they assert. It's too expensive, they proclaim. It takes too long. It strains the delicate citizens who sit on juries. It is applied to minorities and the poor too often. But make no mistake - these arguments are pure chaff, countermeasures designed to evade this essential question of justice: Does the punishment fit the crime? Is life in prison without parole a sufficient punishment for murderers? But let's take a look at the issue of deterrence. Deterrence is the "inhibiting of criminal behavior by fear of punishment." Punishment must be swift and certain. Does anyone think our judicial process serves as an effective deterrent? After a murder is discovered the police collect evidence and identify suspects. If an arrest follows, prosecutors, grand juries and defense lawyers enter the fray. Add judges, juries and trials. If convictions result in death sentences, years of appeals are sure to follow - appeals mainly generated by an activist cabal of abolitionists. So, what deterrence? Murderers fear punishment after their crimes, not before. Every person behind bars is a failure of deterrence. Statistical studies abound on both sides of the deterrence debate. Mark Twain popularized the phrase: "Lies, damn lies, and statistics." Without the death penalty as law, it cannot deter. With it, it is at least arguable. In any case, it is still irrelevant. Convicted murderers sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole are supplied with room and board for the rest of their natural lives. They receive free medical care. They have access to television, books and newspapers. They can cheer for their favorite sports teams and write letters to their loved ones. They can even become remorseful for their murderous actions. Meanwhile, our memories of murder victims fade. Do you remember the name of the young woman who was shot in the back at the Coral Ridge Mall 3 years ago? I do. Do you remember the names of the 2 police officers ambushed and killed in the Des Moines area 2 years ago? I do. And I resent the fact that their killers are alive today. They were judged guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at their trials. But I believe we can say more - much more. We can say with absolute certainty that these men murdered their victims. No dream team of lawyers dancing on the head of a pin will ever change those facts. Justice requires that if you take an innocent life, you should forfeit your own. I applaud and encourage the efforts of Iowa lawmakers to start discussions on making capital punishment available to Iowa prosecutors and juries. Unlike some folks, I believe our state legislature is the right place to have this debate. (source: Guest Columnist; Christopher H. Marks is an Army veteran residing in AmanaThe Gazette) NEW MEXICO: Swift end for House bill to reinstate death penalty New Mexico abolished the death penalty in 2009, and it is not coming back this year. A legislative committee on Saturday quashed a bill that would have reinstated capital punishment for the murders of children, police officers and correctional officers. The 3-2 party-line vote was no surprise, but it brought out some of the most visceral testimony yet of this year's 30-day legislative session. The recently discovered death of 13-year-old Jeremiah Valencia of Santa Fe County and stories of his tortured life loomed over the discussion. But so, too, did the story of a former lawmaker's son who was wrongly accused of murder and locked in jail until his exoneration. House Bill 155 was just the latest proposal by Republican legislators in recent years to reinstate capital punishment for certain murders. They argued the measure would have made the death penalty an option again for only the worst of the worst criminals. Rep. Monica Youngblood, a Republican from Albuquerque and the bill's cosponsor, pointed to the high-profile murders of several children in recent years. "While we're all reading the stories of what happened to poor Jeremiah, last session it was Ashlynn Mike. The session before it was Victoria Martens," she told the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. Youngblood's measure would have applied only to murders committed after May 15, 2018, according to an analysis by legislative aides. Under her bil
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
Feb. 4 IRAN: Refugees protest Iran capital punishment at UNCHR in Erbil In an act of solidarity, Iranian refugees gathered in front of UNHCR headquarters in the Kurdistan Region's capital of Erbil on Saturday to condemn capital punishments handed out by the Islamic Republic's courts. The demonstrators read a joint statement "to protest against the execution rule for political activists: Ramin Hossein Panahi, Hidayat Abdullah Pur, and others facing capital punishment by the Islamic Republic of Iran." Panahi was sentenced to death on the charge of membership in Komala after being captured amid skirmishes with Iranian security forces near Sanandaj. Komala is a Kurdish political party that resumed an armed struggle against the forces of the Islamic Republic in 2017. "We have gathered here today to condemn death sentence for political prisoners in Iran and Kurdistan and show support to all political prisoners in Iranian prisons," the statement added. Hidayat Abdullah Pur was arrested in 2016 and then an Iranian court handed down death penalty on charges of working with a Kurdish group. "In the end, we call on the UNHCR and all the other institutions advocating for human rights, artists, and freedom lovers of the southern Kurdistan to take practical steps to revoke the death sentences..." stated the protesters outside of the UN's Refugee Agency offices, using a different term for the Kurdistan Region. Amnesty International has called justice in Iran "exceptionally cruel." Ali Kazemi, 22, was hanged on January 30 after being convicted of murder when he was 15-years-old. "By carrying out this unlawful execution, Iran is effectively declaring that it wishes to maintain the country's shameful status as one of the world's leading executers of those who were children at the time of their crime," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director said. On Friday, Mughrabi warned of "grave concerns about the grim reality for those defending human rights in Iran today..." (source: rudaw.net) ___ 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, PENN., GA., FLA., ALA.
Feb. 4 TEXASimpending execution Texas man vowed to forgive whoever killed most of his family; then he learned it was his son Rage and faith warred inside Kent Whitaker as he lay in a hospital bed with a 9mm bullet hole 6 inches from his heart. It was December 2003, and the pillars of the Houston-area man's life had just been ripped down. A husband of 28 years, he was now a widower. Of his 2 college-age sons, 1 was dead and the other was recovering from a gunshot wound. A man of faith, he was burning at God for letting tragedy strike. His anger tightened specifically around the unknown shooter who had ambushed the 4 as they came home from a family dinner. "All I could feel for this person was an incredibly deep and powerful hatred," Kent told The Washington Post this week. "Just thinking about how I could inflict pain on him." But Bible verses also pushed into Kent's thoughts. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him," he recalled. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Although the settlement brings closure, families said they still are searching to forgive. Revenge was a dark path he did not want to step down, Kent realized, so he resolved to forgive the shooter. Lying in the hospital bed, it seemed impossible. But he would do it. No matter who it turned out to be. "As soon as that happened, there was a warm glow that flowed over me," Kent said. "It took the fire out of me." What Whitaker didn't realize then was that the man he would have to forgive was his surviving son, Thomas "Bart" Whitaker. In the spring of 2007, Bart was convicted of orchestrating, along with two accomplices, the murders of his mother, Tricia, 51, and younger brother, Kevin, 19. During the attack, Bart was purposely shot in the arm as a way of diverting suspicion. Jurors sentenced him to death. Throughout the appeals, however, Kent has stayed by his son's side -- and remains there today, as the state prepares for Bart's Feb. 22 execution. With time running short, the Whitakers have filed a request with Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend a sentence commutation, to life in prison, to Gov. Greg Abbott. Kent's forgiveness is the bedrock of the petition. The board's role is to provide a check on the justice system when it fails, Kent said this week. His son's sentence was flawed because no one -- neither Kent nor Tricia's family -- pushed for his execution. "I feel the whole decision to pursue the death penalty was an overstep," Kent said. "This isn't just a case of a dad who is ignoring the truth about his son. Believe me, I'm aware of what his choices have cost me." The Whitakers' last-shot appeal is framed by a dramatic debate working through courtrooms across the country, the same issue spotlighted by the recent sentencing hearing for Larry Nassar. When more than 160 abuse survivors marched into a Michigan courtroom to testify about the fallout from the disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor's abuse, it amplified the power of victim's' participation in the legal system. Kent's appeal channels the same question: How can justice be served if victims are not involved in the process? "Texas claims to be a victims' rights state. It's something we're proud of," Whitaker told The Post. "I'm asking for the board to recognize victims' rights means something even when the victim is asking for mercy, not just when they are asking for vengeance." Although investigators initially thought the Dec. 10, 2003, shooting was the work of a burglar interrupted in the middle of a break-in, clues began pointing elsewhere. Drawers were pulled out in the house, consistent with a break-in, but the contents of the drawers were still neatly organized, not ransacked. Also, the only item missing from the house was Bart's mobile phone. Why leave everything else except a phone? Also, on the night of the murders, Bart had invited the family out to dinner because he wanted to celebrate his upcoming college graduation. But police learned Bart was not about to graduate college. He wasn't even enrolled in school, a fact he had kept hidden from his parents. For 7 months after the shooting, Bart lived at home with his father. Police told Kent his son was a suspect and warned he still could be in danger. "He continued to deny it, and the police continued to say he was their suspect," Kent told The Post. "I didn't know who was telling the truth. I told the police, 'If I see something, I'm going to tell you. But I'm not going to abandon my son. I'm going to stand with him through all of this even if he's responsible.'" Police found their strongest lead when a former roommate of Bart's came forward and said the 2 had plotted earlier to kill the Whitakers. Investigators recorded a phone conversation between the 2. Although Bart said nothing specific about the killings, he did agree to pay the roommate $20,000. Then he d
