[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
July 9 NEW ZEALAND: Give paedophiles 'involuntary euthanasia': Adviser for Hannah Tamaki's Coalition NZ Party A campaign manager for Hannah Tamaki's Coalition New Zealand Party has called for the Government to introduce involuntary euthanasia for paedophiles who are repeat offenders. Jevan Goulter, who told the Herald his personal views don't necessarily represent the political party's stance, says its time for New Zealand to discuss the death penalty and involuntary euthanasia, alongside David Seymour's End of Life Bill after passing its 2nd reading. The campaign manager originally took to social media stating he wanted the euthanasia bill killed and the reintroduction of the death penalty for paedophiles who are repeat offenders. "Kill the Euthanasia Bill, reintroduce the 1961 death penalty for third time offenders," he said in a video. "If we're already talking about euthanasia, something that's going to threaten our most vulnerable people in this country, the elderly, people with Alzheimer's, dementia patients, people with disabilities, people that suffer from depression and mental illnesses, then should we not just throw a few of these paedophiles who commit heinous crimes against our children? "We should save $100,000 of taxpayers money that it cost us to hold them in jail and just damn well euthanise the bastards! If we're going to talk about human life, they're the ones who deserve it." Following Goulter's strong stance the Herald contacted Destiny Church, run by Hannah and Brian Tamaki, who said the church is currently undertaking its own research on euthanasia and don't yet have a formal position regarding the debate. During the launch of the Coalition NZ Party in May, Hannah Tamaki highlighted potential issues surrounding euthanasia, marijuana and late-term abortions. However, in an interview with the Herald, Goulter, who works for Coalition NZ, said the party is yet to formalise any stance on euthanasia but says it will be a topic raised between party members. Keen to elaborate on his own views, Goulter says if the country is "intelligent enough" to discuss euthanasia then a debate around the death penalty needs to be had. He told the Herald the term euthanasia is just an "umbrella" term for many forms of death, including "involuntary euthanasia", and believes New Zealanders need to have a more in-depth discussion around the topic before making a final decision. "As a country, if we believe ourselves to be intelligent enough to have a discussion around euthanasia, why not open the door and put other things on the table at the same time. "One of the reasons they got rid of the death penalty is because it was inhumane. But we're in 2019 now and it wouldn't be inhumane because you wouldn't be giving voluntary euthanasia to people if it was inhumane. "You'd be giving them the same thing as the death penalty. So it's no longer inhumane. "When it comes to children I'm calling for 3 strikes and you're out. if our justice system gets it wrong 3 times then there is something wrong with that. "People say euthanasia is completely different to the death penalty because you're aiding those who suffer from terminal or incurable illness, but my argument is when you look at the definition of euthanasia it's an umbrella word for voluntary euthanasia, involuntary euthanasia and non-voluntary euthanasia. "If we're going to debate euthanasia, we are also really debating involuntary euthanasia which is similar to the death penalty. "We have a lot of problems in New Zealand, such as poverty, a lack of homes. What makes it okay to spend $90,000-$100,000 a year to home paedophiles in jail, then let them out to potentially reoffend again. "At what point do we say it's not our job to take human life. But then we decide we're going to allow euthanasia anyway, so I'm saying why the hell would you allow a paedophile out to go and screw with a child's innocence just for the sake you want to take the moral high ground on human life. "It's hypocrisy from people who support voluntary euthanasia but don't support involuntary euthanasia." The last person to be executed was Walter James Bolton, for poisoning his wife, on 18 February 1957. Walter maintained his innocence right until his last breath, which raised questions about whether capital punishment was inhumane. The death penalty in New Zealand was abolished in 1961. END OF LIFE BILL David Seymour's End of Life Bill allows people with less than 6 months to live or with a grievous and irremediable medical condition to have a lethal dose of medication to cause death, although Seymour has said he will put up an amendment to ensure it applies only to people to people with 6 months to live. To be eligible, the patient must meet the above conditions and be in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability and experiencing unbearable suffering, be aged at
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, N.C., FLA., LA., TENN., ARIZ., CALIF., USA
July 9 TEXASnew execution date Execution date set for ‘Texas 7’ prisoner who accused judge of anti-Semitism A “Texas 7” escapee who filed an appeal alleging his trial judge was racist and anti-Semitic is now scheduled for execution this year, despite 2 pending legal claims still winding through the courts. Dallas County Judge Lela Mays on Wednesday approved an Oct. 10 death date for Randy Halprin, a Jewish prisoner who in May accused ex-Judge Vickers Cunningham of routinely using obscenity-laced language and racial slurs to describe Jewish and minority defendants. “In case after case, the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly and consistently enforced defendants’ constitutional right to a judge free of bias,” defense attorney Tivon Schardl said Monday in a statement. “Yet, Mr. Halprin’s trial judge, who presided over the death penalty trial, made critical decisions about what evidence the jury would hear, and sentenced Mr. Halprin to die, was biased against Mr. Halprin, referring to him as a ‘fn’ Jew’ and a ‘G*n k**e.’” Now 41, Halprin was originally sent to death row for his role in a 2000 prison escape and crime spree that left dead Irving police Officer Aubrey Hawkins. That December, Halprin and six other men took hostages and broke out of the Connally Unit south of San Antonio. They stole a prison van, then switched it out for a getaway vehicle and fled to Houston, where they pulled off two robberies to stock up on supplies, guns and money. Afterward, they drove toward Dallas, hoping to get away from the search teams hunting for them. On Christmas Eve, the escapees held up an Oshman’s sporting goods store in Irving - and Hawkins was the 1st officer who responded to the call. In a chaotic scene, 5 of the men started firing at the lawman. When it was over, Hawkins lay dead in the parking lot, shot 11 times and dragged 10 feet by an SUV as the panicked prisoners fled with $70,000 and 44 guns. Some of the men admitted to to their roles, but Halprin has consistently maintained that he never fired a shot and that he didn’t even want to bring a gun. Still, he and the other 5 survivors - 1 man killed himself before he could be captured - were sentenced to die under the controversial law of parties, a Texas statute that holds non-shooters as criminally responsible as triggermen. After more than 15 years spent fighting his conviction and sentence, Halprin’s legal team learned of Cunningham’s alleged bias last year when he admitted to the Dallas Morning News that he’d set up a living trust that rewarded his children if they married a fellow white Christian. “I strongly support traditional family values,” he told the paper in a video interview during his 2018 campaign for county commissioner. “If you marry a person of the opposite sex that’s Caucasian, that’s Christian, they will get a distribution.” He lost the Republican run-off by just 25 votes. Afterward, defense investigators began interviewing people who knew him to find out more about his views toward Jewish people and minorities. “If someone were actually African-American he would call them (N-word) and their 1st name,” childhood friend Tammy McKinney recounted. “It was his signature way of talking about people of color.” The May appeal and attached statements detailed a slew of other alleged expressions of bias toward Catholics, Jews, Latinos and black people. Previously, Cunningham did not respond to the Chronicle’s requests for comment. In early June, even before the federal courts ruled on that appeal, the office of Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot asked for the October execution date. A district attorney’s office spokesperson did not respond Monday to a request for comment. The Texas Office of the Attorney General - which represents the state instead of the district attorney once a case reaches federal appeals - last month filed a response brief both arguing that Halprin wasn’t legally entitled to relief and condemning Cunningham’s alleged bigotry. “To be clear, the details of Cunningham’s living trust and the accounts of those who knew Cunningham regarding his bigoted statements and beliefs are troubling to say the least,” state attorneys wrote. “The Attorney General’s Office does not condone or excuse Cunningham’s creation of his living trust, and the racist and religiously-bigoted statements he is alleged to have made are abhorrent.” Aside from Halprin, only one other Texas 7 prisoner who’d been sentenced to die - Patrick Murphy - is still alive on death row. The others have all been executed. (source: Houston Chronicle) *** Texas 7 death row inmate fighting for religious freedom Execution halted, a convicted cop killer's lethal injection on hold minutes after what would have been his last meal. It's a result of a major Supreme Court decision which led to changes in how death row inmates die in Texas
