Death Penalty Update (8/15/2003)
Contents About Death Penalty Update
News
August Executions
New Resources
Action Alerts
Featured Events About Death Penalty Update:Death Penalty Update, a bi-weekly e-Newsletter of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, is an excellent overview of death penalty news stories, scheduled executions, and new resources is . You can check our website for regular updates or you can subscribe by sending an email to Josh Noble, at jnoble@dcaclu.org and type ""Death Penalty Update"" in the subject line. If you have experience working on the death penalty or would like to get more involved, please indicate this in your e-mail.
We want to continue to build the list of people receiving this bi-weekly Death Penalty Update, an excellent overview of death penalty news stories, scheduled executions, and new resources. Please take a minute to let your colleagues, friends, etc know that they too can subscribe. News: Michigan Jury Rejects Federal Death Penalty (August 15, 2003) A federal jury in Michigan rejected a death sentence for an alleged gang member found guilty of murder and cocaine trafficking. John Bass was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Despite Attorney General John Ashcroft's aggressive efforts to expand the use of capital punishment, juries in 17 of the last 18 federal trials have refused to impose a death sentence. Legal experts believe this trend may be attributable to overreaching by prosecutors or jurors' unease with the death penalty. The cases in which prosecutors failed to persuade juries to impose the death penalty, all of which resulted in convictions, were in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. A recent case in Puerto Rico also averted a debate over the U.S. Federal Government imposing capital punishment after the jury issued a not guilty verdict for two alleged gang members charged with murder. Although federal law can impose a death sentence, Michigan has not had the death penalty since 1846. The last person executed in the state was Anthony Chebatoris who was hanged in 1938 for killing a truck driver while robbing a federal depository. To read an article from the Associate Press, please visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deathpenaltynews/message/8368.
Maryland Judge Declines to Impose Death Penalty (August 14, 2003)
After expressing doubts that Wesley Allen Rollins was guilty of killing an elderly woman beyond a reasonable doubt, a Baltimore County Circuit judge refused to impose a death sentence. However, regardless of his decision, the Judge John F. Fader II could not overturn the jury's verdict, which ruled that Rollins had smothered the 81-year-old woman to death after admittedly burglarizing her house. Before Judge Fader could impose the death sentence, he had to decide whether prosecutors proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Rollins did in fact cause the victims death. Judge Fader reached his conclusion based on conflicting evidence presented at trial, specifically evidence from medical experts and strong testimony from both the prosecution and defense. Judge Fader's decision marks the third time a Baltimore County judge has declined to impose a death sentence. Statistics consistently show a substantial reduction in the number of death sentences being imposed nationwide. To read an article from The Baltimore Sun, please visit: http://www.sunspot.net/news/local/crime/bal-md.rollins15aug15,0,6542326.story?coll=bal-local-headlines.
Federal Judge Voices Concern About Death Penalty (August 12, 2003)
A federal judge in Boston voiced concern about imposing the death penalty, but declined to rule that the death penalty was unconstitutional. Among his concerns, Judge Mark L. Wolf wrote that the imposition of a death sentence would inevitably result in the execution of innocent people. ""In the past decade, substantial evidence has emerged to demonstrate that innocent individuals are sentenced to death, and undoubtedly executed, much more often than previously understood."" Judge Wolf denied that the death penalty is yet unconstitutional, but wrote, ""The day may come when a court can and should declare the ultimate sanction to be unconstitutional in all cases. However, that day has not yet come."" Judge Wolf was appointed to the bench by President Ronald Regan and is a former prosecutor and Justice Department Official. Judge Wolf's concerns come at a time when 111 death row inmates have been exonerated since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. To read an article by Adam Liptak of the New York Times, please visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/11/national/11CND-DEAT.html?ex=1061694913&ei=1&en=528f3c8cd2f005c0.
Recent Pew Poll Finds Drop in Death Penalty Support (August 12, 2003)
A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center indicates a significant decline in support for the death penalty. According to the findings, 64 percent of those polled support capital punishment compared to the 74 percent who showed support in 1996. In addition, the poll found that only 28 percent of those that favored capital punishment felt strongly about their support, which has also declined significantly from 43 percent in 1996. The poll also showed that a growing number of Americans are voicing opposition to capital punishment - 30 percent today compared to 18 percent in 1996 - and that 58 percent of those polled oppose executing juvenile offenders. To view DPIC's list of recent poll findings, please visit: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=23&did=210. For additional news, please visit http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org. August Executions: - 7/29 Harold McElmurry (OK) EXECUTED
- 8/1 Darnell Williams (IN) 60-DAY STAY
- 8/6 Curtis Moore (TX) STAY
- 8/6 Jose Rivera (TX) STAY
- 8/7 Rickey Lewis (TX) STAY
- 8/7 Tommy Fortenberry (AL) EXECUTED
- 8/20 Mark Robertson (TX) STAY
- 8/22 Quentin Jones (NC) EXECUTED
For execution updates and action alerts, please visit http://www.ncadp.org. New Resources: The New York Times Magazine recently explored the life and evolution of Stanley Williams, an original founder of the California-based "Crips" gang and a convicted murderer who has been on death row in San Quentin prison for more than two decades. (The New York Times Magazine, August 10, 2003). A recent paper based on the Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life reveals that support for the death penalty among Catholics is strongly shaped by the opinion of their parish priest. After examining Catholic opinions regarding capital punishment, sociologists Michael Welch of Notre Dame and Thoroddur Bjarnason of the University of Albany-SUNY discovered that Catholics are less likely to support the death penalty when their parish priest strongly opposes it. The study also found that parishioners who were devout and active in parish life were more likely to oppose the death penalty. (Notre Dame Magazine, Summer 2003). In "Why Do White Americans Support the Death Penalty?," American University researchers Joe Soss, Laura Langbein, and Alan Metelko examined whether racial attitudes play a role in white support for the death penalty. The researchers found that white support for the death penalty in the United States has strong ties to anti-black prejudice, and in some geographic areas racial prejudice emerges as the strongest predictor of white death penalty support. Soss, Joe, et al.: "Why Do White Americans Support the Death Penalty? "; 65 The Journal of Politics 397 (2003). For additional resources, please visit Death Penalty Information Center at http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/getcat.php?cid=5. Action Alerts: Action Alerts from Amnesty International: http://www.amnestyusa.org/exe.do?action=dp.actions.
Featured Events:
September 26-August 12 Journey of Hope: Ohio. 17-day tour of murder victim family members who oppose capital punishment, death row families, innocent persons freed from death row and other supporters who will travel across the state of Ohio to share their incredible messages of love, forgiveness and healing. Tour events include: public speaking, rallies, marches, concerts, tree plantings, media interviews, and other activities. For additional information, please visit http://www.journeyofhope.org/Ohio/.
October 10-12 Amnesty International USA's National Weekend of Faith in Action on the Death Penalty. This event seeks to bring together two important approaches to social justice -- that of human rights and that of faith-based community action. This national observance weekend invites a diverse range of faith communities throughout the country to devote a weekend to reflect, discuss, and take action on abolishing the death penalty within a faith-based framework. Contact Kristin Houlé at 202-544-0200 ext. 496 or khoule@aiusa.org for more information, or visit: http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/faithinaction.html.
October 11
Student Death Penalty Conference and Rally in Harrisburg, PA. The conference is specifically for students and is being organized by Students Against the Death Penalty of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project. We expect youth from across PA and nearby states to attend. The keynote speakers are Former Illinois Governor George Ryan and death row exoneree Ray Krone. Immediately following the conference will be a rally at the steps of the State Capitol which is open to students and non-students. For more information contact Morgan Macdonald, 410-303-7376, morgangmac@hotmai.com or to register: www.studentsagainstthedeathpenalty.org October 16-19 National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty's annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. For more information and to register: http://www.ncadp.org/html/conference.html
See past issues of Death Penalty Update.
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