[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TENN., NEV., CALIF., USA
May 3 TENNESSEE: Her Father Was Executed for Murder. She Still Wants to Know if He Did It.Sedley Alley went to his death based on scant physical evidence and a confession he said had been coerced. His daughter hopes DNA testing will provide answers. April Alley had last spoken with her father when she was a girl of 10, so there was plenty of catching up to do when they met about 15 years later, in the noisy visiting area of a prison in Nashville. She told him about her life as an adult: college, marriage, a home near Louisville. Her father, Sedley Alley, talked about being a convicted murderer on death row, and the haze of his ragged years as an alcoholic and drug addict. Near the end of their meeting, she posed the question that had shadowed her since childhood. Was he really a killer who had raped and impaled a young Marine? “I asked him, ‘Did you do that? If you did or not, you’re still my dad and I love you,’” Ms. Alley recalled. His reply was the same opaque answer he gave psychiatrists after his arrest in 1985, and continued to give to anyone who asked, right until his execution in 2006. He did not know. “He said, ‘If I did do it, I deserve what I get,’” Ms. Alley said. “‘But I don’t remember doing it.’” On Tuesday, Ms. Alley, 43, asked a judge in Memphis to grant her what the courts had refused her father during his lifetime: DNA testing of evidence from the murder. She realizes the results might cement her father’s guilt, giving her an answer that he could not — or would not — provide. “I don’t want it to be like that — that he actually did it,” Ms. Alley said. “But it would almost make it easier. Because the thought of all of that happening for no reason doesn’t sit well with me at all.” Mr. Alley went to his death based on scant physical evidence and a confession that he claimed he had been forced to give. 5 years after he died, the Tennessee Supreme Court said that denying his request for DNA testing had been a mistake. Ms. Alley has become executor of his estate and “now stands in the shoes of her father, seeking the truth,” her petition for testing says. It is not yet clear when the court will rule on her request. If the testing goes forward and unambiguously points to someone other than Mr. Alley as the killer, it could become the first time DNA has exonerated a person put to death in the United States. The kind of post-mortem inquiry she seeks is “incredibly rare,” said Brandon L. Garrett, a professor of law at Duke University. “The prisoner is deceased, the case is closed and the evidence is destroyed,” Professor Garrett said. Sometimes, though, evidence is preserved. Ever since the Alley trial in 1987, the Shelby County clerk has kept exhibits that include the victim’s underwear, a pair of red briefs apparently worn by the attacker and a 31-inch tree branch. Mr. Alley’s DNA was harvested while he was alive and is still in storage, according to Kelley J. Henry, a federal public defender who represented him in his last years. For nearly 2 decades after Mr. Alley’s arrest, no one disputed in court that he was the killer; his original lawyers argued that he was not guilty by reason of insanity. In 2003, new lawyers said a fresh investigation raised serious doubts about his guilt that only DNA tests could resolve. Prosecutors said that the request was a stalling maneuver, and that even if someone else’s DNA were found, it would not clear Mr. Alley. They prevailed. The murder occurred one night in July 1985. Lance Cpl. Suzanne Collins, 19, left the barracks at Naval Air Station Millington, just outside Memphis, to take her daily 10-mile run. She had just finished 9 months of avionics training. Around 11 p.m., 2 fellow Marines running the other way crossed paths with her. Moments later, they dodged a station wagon swerving along the road, in the same direction that Corporal Collins had been running. Lance Corporal Suzanne Collins was murdered in July 1985. She was 19. After it passed, they heard a woman hollering, “Don’t touch me! Leave me alone!” They ran toward the shouts and saw a car, which they believed was the same station wagon, stopped on the side of the road. It sped off. A second car came their way and they tried to wave it down, but the driver did not stop. They ran to the gatehouse. A guard sounded an alarm for a possible abduction. About an hour later, just after midnight, Mr. Alley was stopped near the base driving a rattling 1972 station wagon. A Navy investigator noted that he had no visible injuries. Mr. Alley, then 29, was not in the service — he had been discharged some years earlier for drug and alcohol abuse — but his wife was in the Navy. After she was questioned, the investigators concluded that the jogging Marines had heard the Alleys squabbling, not an abduction. At that point, no one knew Corporal Collins was missing. The alert for the station wagon was
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
May 3 TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Bring back death penalty It is sad and unfortunate to read about the 3 Quintero family members from Palmiste who were found all shot dead in their vehicle along the Solomon Hochoy Highway. I don’t believe the police are capable of being everywhere at any given time. They are doing their best but the murderers and the gang leaders are reaping havoc throughout the country. The Government and especially the Attorney General have not yet stepped up to condemn the killings. They are the ones that said in their manifesto that crime will be number 1 on their agenda, which is evidently all hogwash. Both the UNC and the PNM made promises to eradicate crime during their terms in office. They have both failed our people as nothing significant is being done to abate the killings. They are both guilty and it will be no surprised to hear them preach the same sermon prior to the election. The death penalty is not the ideal answer to crime but it has proven time and again that it has the potential to be a deterrent, having the chilling effect that those who commit murder will be executed. It is not barbaric, nor is it inhumane or merciless. In fact, 30 states in the US have the death penalty and it is proving to be very effective. Time to bring back capital punishment in TT. JAY G RAKHAR, New York (source: Letter to the Editor, newsday.co.tt) GAMBIA: Key human rights concerns highlighted in a meeting with President Barrow During a meeting with President Adama Barrow in the capital Banjul Thursday, Amnesty International delegates noted the major progress made in the 2 years since his inauguration but drew attention to serious human rights violations in Gambia which still need to be addressed urgently. While acknowledging that there is still much to do to improve respect for human rights in Gambia, President Barrow also recognized the challenges the country is facing in what he considers as “a transition period”. Referring to the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) which began hearings on 7 January 2019, President Barrow told Amnesty International that at the end of its investigations, the government will look at the recommendations and prosecute those who are suspected to have committed grave human rights violations and abuses during former President Yahya Jammeh’s rule and ensure that they face justice. President Adama Barrow also told Amnesty International he is committed to outlaw the death penalty, “as part of his legacies to the country.” “While Gambia has come a long way regarding respect for human rights under President Barrow’s leadership, there are still areas that need improvement to achieve a better human rights record,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director. “We still see security forces using excessive force to disperse peaceful gatherings. Prison conditions are desperately poor, and we have credible evidence that teenagers as young as 15 years old are being held with adults without trial. Arbitrary arrests and detention still occur. If Gambia wants to go way from the poor human rights record it has had for many years, the country must accelerate its reforms and ensure that laws restricting freedom of speech and assembly are changed.” The Anti-Crime Unit in the Police Force which was created in April last year has been accused of arbitrarily arresting and detaining individuals. In January this year, Omar Touray a member of the former ruling party was arrested and detained for five days without being presented before a judge. Other cases of arrests and detentions include the case of Dr Ismaila Ceesay who was arrested in January 2018 after he gave an interview to a newspaper where he reportedly criticized the president. He was later released and charges against him dropped. In June 2017, youth activist and journalist Baboucarr Sey was subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention for leading a community initiative to protest the acquisition of a football field by a private company. Amnesty International also took the occasion of its meeting with President Barrow to underline the need to improve the conditions in prison facilities such as Mile 2 and Janjanbureh, and reform relevant legislation in line with international standards. The situation was especially bad at Mile 2 prison, where Amnesty International documented that young boys of 15 and 16 years old were detained alongside adults for months without being brought to a court. “We asked President Barrow to publicly instruct the Anti-Crime Unit, the army and the State Intelligence Services not to detain people beyond the 72-hour period which is permitted by law,” said Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barry. “The President should also provide the leadership needed to ensure that relevant authorities move swiftly to improve the dire conditions in prison facilities
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, N.H., PENN., GA., FLA., LA.
May 3 TEXAS-new execution date North Texas man convicted of killing Godley woman during crime spree gets September execution date A North Texas man sentenced to die for killing a 61-year-old woman during a 2010 crime spree is now scheduled for execution later this year. A Johnson County judge last month signed off on a Sept. 10 death date for Mark Anthony Soliz, who was sent to death row 7 years ago following a 2-county string of violence. "I will fight this execution date with every legal tool in my kit," said Houston-based defense attorney Seth Kretzer, vowing to file another appeal and pursue a clemency request from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. In June 2010, Soliz and his buddy Joe Ramos stole long guns and a 9-millimeter semiautomatic in a burglary, according to court records. For the next week, they robbed strangers at gunpoint, shot a man in the ear, killed the driver of a beer delivery truck, pulled off a carjacking, burglarized homes, and shot a man repeatedly in a drive-by. Most of the crimes were in the Fort Worth area, but on June 29, Ramos and Soliz drove to the Johnson County home of Nancy Weatherly and knocked on her door, then pulled out a gun when she answered and pushed inside to rob her. Before leaving, according to state records, Soliz shot Weatherly in the back of the head. During trial, Soliz barely paid attention and sometimes fell asleep even as the jury heard how Weatherly begged for her life before she was killed, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported at the time. The jury also heard about Soliz's rough childhood, surrounded by drugs and poverty. He saw his aunt stabbed to death when he was young and started breaking into parking meters when he was 9 or 10. In the years since he was sent to death row, Soliz has filed appeals alleging bad lawyering and claiming his death sentence should be considered unconstitutional because he suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. But the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his latest claims earlier this year, and he's now one of three Texas men with pending execution dates. (source: Houston Chronicle) * Executions under Greg Abbott, Jan. 21, 2015-present43 Executions in Texas: Dec. 7, 1982present-561 Abbott#scheduled execution date-nameTx. # 44-Aug. 21Larry Swearingen562 45-Sept. 4Billy Crutsinger563 46-Sept. 10--Mark Anthony Soliz---564 (sources: TDCJ & Rick Halperin) NEW HAMPSHIRE: Supporters of Death Penalty Repeal Bill Holding Vigils Supporters of a bill to repeal the death penalty are starting daily candlelight vigils outside of the New Hampshire Statehouse to express their hope that Gov. Chris Sununu will sign it, or allow it to become law. Both the House and Senate have voted with veto-proof majorities to repeal the state's capital punishment law. Sununu, a Republican, vetoed a death penalty repeal bill last June and is expected to do the same this year. The vigils, which started Thursday, are being led by the New Hampshire Council of Churches. The Rev. Jason Wells, the group's executive director, says the people of New Hampshire have spoken clearly that the state can live without the death penalty. (source: nhpr.org) * Death penalty repeal awaits Sununu's veto On Wednesday, Senate President Donna Soucy signed HB 455, repealing the death penalty for capital murder. The New Hampshire Senate previously voted 17 to 6 to pass the bill, while the House voted 279 to 88 — reaching a veto-proof majority. The bill now awaits action from Gov. Chris Sununu, who is expected to veto it. “The death penalty has been an issue every New Hampshire legislator has grappled with over many years," said state Sen. Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, in a statement after the signing. "My journey on this topic began 25 years ago in an ethics class at Saint Anselm College. “While our conclusions may differ, I have the utmost respect for my colleagues who have been on similar journeys and for the votes they have cast. At its core, repealing capital punishment is a matter of public policy and conscience. It has been my privilege to speak with my constituents and my fellow lawmakers about this important issue and it was my privilege today to take the historic step of signing the death penalty repeal bill.” Sununu indicated he will veto the bill. “I will continue to stand with crime victims, members of the law enforcement community, and advocates for justice in opposing this bill,” he said. (source: eagletribune.com) PENNSYLVANIA: Study: Republicans are abandoning the death penalty in record numbers So if you thought it was weird that one of the most progressive Democrats in the state House was teaming up with one of its most conservative members on a bill calling for
