Tag: Death Penalty

Senator Marsha Blackburn Visits All 95 Counties of Tennessee Each Year: The ‘Full Blackburn’ Takes a Page from Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

Kaitlin Housler
Marsha Blackburn

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss a new bill she and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced as well as State Representative Gloria Johnson’s (D-Knoxville) recent vote against a bill that would allow prosecutors to pursue a death penalty sentence for convicted child rapists.

Blackburn, who was traveling through Sumner County while on the newsmaker line, first discussed the importance of her annual trips to all 95 Tennessee counties.

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Tennessee U.S. Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson Was Only Lawmaker to Vote Against Giving Death Penalty to Child Rapists

Tom Pappert
Gloria Johnson

U.S. Senate Candidate Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) on Tuesday was the only member of the Tennessee State House Criminal Justice Subcommittee to vote against legislation that would allow prosecutors to pursue a death penalty sentence for convicted child rapists.

After an exchange with Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland) over his bill, HB 1663, which amends existing law to authorize “the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child,” Johnson quietly voted against the legislation and was seen on video verifying her “no” vote would be recorded by making a thumbs down gesture.

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Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooter

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A jury announced Wednesday that they believed Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people in a targeted attack against Pittsburgh Jews in 2018, should receive the death penalty, according to multiple reports.

A jury determined in July that Bowers was eligible for capital punishment despite his defense team arguing that he suffered from mental disorders that prevented him from understanding the weight of his actions. The jury deliberated for over ten hours during the course of two days before issuing its verdict that Bowers should be put to death for deliberately going after Jewish worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue, according to various reports.

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DeSantis Signs Bill Allowing Prosecutors to Seek Death Penalty for Convicted Pedophiles

Just the News

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is advancing his tough-on-crime message by signing a new package of crime bills, including one that would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty for some found guilty of pedophile-related crimes.

DeSantis, a Republican, signed the bills into law Monday, including one, which allows for the death penalty for those found guilty of “sexual battery against children under the age of 12,” the governor’s office said.

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Florida Passes Bill Enacting Death Penalty for Sexual Abusers of Children

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On Tuesday, the Florida State Legislature passed a bill that would enact the death penalty for those who are convicted of sexually abusing children.

As the New York Post reports, the bipartisan bill passed in the Florida State Senate by a margin of 34 to 5 on Tuesday night, after previously passing in the Florida House of Representatives by a 95 to 14 margin last week. The bill would apply to anyone who is convicted of abusing a child below the age of 12, and would also allow the death penalty to be handed down by a jury vote of at least 8 to 4, rather than a unanimous jury vote as previously required.

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Gov. Shapiro Emboldens Pennsylvania Death Penalty Abolitionists

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s recent declaration that he will sign no death warrants is emboldening lawmakers who want to abolish executions in the Keystone State. 

To that end, state Representative Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) is circulating a memorandum asking colleagues to cosponsor a measure he plans to offer ending the state’s death penalty. 

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Hobbs, Mayes Temporarily Halt Death Penalty in Arizona

The Center Square

Gov. Katie Hobbs issued an executive order on Friday to review the death penalty process in Arizona, while a stay from Attorney General Kris Mayes halts it for the time.

Hobbs will be selecting an “independent review commissioner” to investigate “all components” of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, & Reentry’s “execution process for lethal injections and the gas chamber,” the order states.

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Murray Hooper Executed in Arizona After Nearly 40 Years on Death Row for 1980 Murder

Neil Jones

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Wednesday that death row inmate Murray Hooper had been executed by the state of Arizona for the 1980 murder of Pat Redmond and Helen Phelps.

“The people of Arizona made it clear once again that those who commit heinous crimes in our state will be held accountable,” said Brnovich. “We must never forget the victims or cease to pursue what justice demands.”

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Death-Penalty Opponents Want Abolition Bills Passed Before Ohio Session Ends

Bradley Vasoli

Death-penalty abolitionists in Ohio this week are organizing a campaign to persuade lawmakers to end capital punishment in their State. 

The nonprofit No Death Penalty Ohio is hosting letter-writing parties in various cities throughout the week in support of a state House bill and an identical state Senate bill to ban executions. While Republicans often support capital punishment and control both legislative chambers, the bills have some GOP support. State Senator Stephen Huffman (R-Dayton) is cosponsoring the Senate measure alongside Senator Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) while Representative Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) is spearheading the House legislation with Representative Adam Miller (D-Columbus). 

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Paul Gosar Introduces Legislation Aiming to Punish Fentanyl Distributors with Death Penalty

Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04) recently introduced House Rule (HR) 8228, which aims to punish those who distribute fentanyl, resulting in death, with the death penalty or life in prison.

“One of the many deeply troubling consequences of Joe Biden’s open border policies is the deadly flow of fentanyl across the southern border. Since Biden assumed office in January 2021, more than 1,000,000 pounds of illegal drugs have been seized, including 7,700 pounds of fentanyl in just the first five months of 2022. The overwhelming majority of fentanyl is smuggled across the border from Mexico,” Gosar said in a press release.

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Ohio Governor Postpones Two Executions, Citing Problems with Pharmaceutical Suppliers

Bradley Vasoli

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) issued reprieves of execution on Friday to Antonio Sanchez Franklin and Stanley Fitzpatrick, citing “ongoing problems” with obtaining needed substances from pharmaceutical companies.

The now-43-year-old Franklin was scheduled to receive a lethal injection next January 12; his execution is now scheduled to take place next February 11. The convict murdered his grandparents, 71-year-old Ophelia and 76-year-old Ivory as well as his 38-year-old uncle Anthony in Dayton in 1997 and then set their house on fire when Antonio was 18.

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Rothman Proposal Would Make Death Penalty Likelier for Killings at Pennsylvania Schools, Certain Other Settings

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania state Rep. Greg Rothman (R-Camp Hill) last week announced he intends to introduce a measure allowing courts to impose the death penalty for killings based on their taking place in some settings including schools.

Currently, a convict can receive a death sentence in the Keystone State if a court finds he or she committed a murder to which at least one of 18 statutorily defined “aggravating circumstances” and no “mitigating circumstances” apply. Aggravating circumstances include the victim having served as a police officer or other first responder, the defendant having committed the killing for hire or the killer having held the victim hostage. Mitigating circumstances include the perpetrator having no prior criminal history or the killer having committed his or her crime under “extreme duress.”

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District Attorney Announces He Will Seek the Death Penalty Against the Clifton Man Charged with Murdering Hardin County Deputy Matthew Locke

Kaitlin Housler

Over the weekend, Hardin County Deputy Matthew Locke was shot and killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic violence call. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Todd Alan Stricklin, 48 from Clifton, has been charged with first-degree murder after shooting the deputy just after 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

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Steven Wiggins Sentenced to Death for Killing Dickson County, Tennessee Sergeant Daniel Baker

Bradley Vasoli
Steven Wiggins Sentencing

On Thursday, a Dickson County, Tennessee jury sentenced Steven Wiggins to death for murdering Sergeant Daniel Baker.

Earlier that day, District Attorney General Ray Crouch and defense lawyer Luke Evans presented their closing arguments to jurors, who were tasked with deciding between the death penalty and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. 

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Steven Wiggins Found Guilty on All 10 Counts in Killing of Dickson County, Tennessee Sgt. Daniel Baker

Bradley Vasoli

A Dickson County, Tennessee jury Thursday found Steven Wiggins guilty of premeditated first-degree murder and nine other charges related to the 2018 shooting death of Sergeant Daniel Baker. 

“Some people obviously had some tears, but I had some sort of sense of relief,” Baker’s widow Lisa told reporters after the verdict was announced.

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Agents Who Found Slain Dickson County, Tennessee Sergeant Baker Testify

Bradley Vasoli

On Tuesday, the second day of Steven Wiggins’s trial for killing 32-year-old Dickson County, Tennessee Sergeant Daniel Baker in 2018, jurors heard from the law-enforcement officers who found the slain sheriff’s deputy.

Drug Task Force (DTF) Agent Nathaniel Proctor of the 23rd Judicial District was the first to take the stand in the Charlotte courtroom, followed by his colleague Darren Adams.

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Georgia Spa Shooter Receives Four Life Sentences After Guilty Plea

Peter D'Abrosca

The man who killed eight in a rampage against massage parlor employees in Georgia received four life sentences. 

Robert Aaron Long formalized his deal, agreeing to plead guilty in exchange for being spared the death penalty, in Cherokee County Tuesday morning, according to several reports. He received 35 years tacked onto the life sentences, and will not be eligible for parole. 

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Email Shows Biden Nominee Pushed Essay Comparing Police to KKK

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Kristen Clarke

President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s civil rights division circulated an essay from self-proclaimed Marxist poet Amiri Baraka defending cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal and referring to police officers as members of the Ku Klux Klan, according an email from her days at Columbia University.

Kristen Clarke forwarded the Baraka essay in an email on June 25, 1999, to her mentor, the late historian Manning Marable.

She suggested that the essay, entitled “Mumia, ‘Lynch Law’ & Imperialism” be placed in a magazine Marable edited and used for a panel on the death penalty.

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House Passes Bill Mandating Death or Life Imprisonment Without Parole for First Degree Murder of Law Enforcement, First Responders

Corinne Murdock

The Tennessee House passed a bill mandating death or life imprisonment without parole for the first degree murder of law enforcement and first responders. The bill would elevate the intentional targeting and murdering of first responders to an act of terrorism. It passed without opposition, 88 to 0. 

Two amendments moved to strengthen the language of the bill. One amendment noted that defendants who receive life sentence can’t be eligible for parole consideration until they’ve served 51 years. The other amendment added to the definitions of terrorism to offer further protections to law enforcement and first responders. Both amendments were adopted.

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Virginia Legislators Call for New Parole Board Investigation After More Details Leaked About Release of Man Convicted of Killing Police Officer

Eric Burk

Legislators are calling for a new investigation into alleged misconduct by the Virginia Parole Board (VPB). Last summer, a leaked six-page report from the Office of the State Inspector General detailed how the VPB violated laws and policies when, in April 2020, it decided to parole Vincent Martin without giving his victims the required 50-day notice. Martin was serving a life sentence for killing police officer Michael Connors in 1979, and was released last June. But a new 13-page draft of the report leaked this week, first reported by WTVR, revealing more details about the alleged misconduct by the board and by former Chair Adrianne Bennett, who is now a judge.

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General Assembly Votes to Make Virginia First Southern State to Abolish Death Penalty

Eric Burk

The Virginia General Assembly passed a death penalty repeal on Monday. Governor Ralph Northam is expected to sign the bills, which would make Virginia the first state in the South to ban capital punishment. Advocates have argued that the death penalty is vulnerable to wrongful conviction, is expensive, cruel, and applied unfairly, but opponents say some of the most heinous crimes require a death penalty to make sure the criminal doesn’t get free. During the 2021 session, House Republicans have emphasized the names of victims of particularly serious crimes, who they say are being ignored by Democrats.

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Chances for Ohio Death Penalty Repeal Appear to be Growing

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The biggest-ever bipartisan coalition on Thursday announced a renewed effort to repeal the death penalty in Ohio.

State Sen. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, and Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, hosted a virtual press conference to announce that they and three other Republican and four Democratic senators so far have said they will co-sponsor the repeal legislation. The measure also has bipartisan support in the House.

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Virginia Senate Passes Bill to Abolish Death Penalty

Peter D'Abrosca

Virginia is one step closer to abolishing the death penalty after a bill to do so passed the Senate Thursday. 

SB 1165 passed by a vote of 21-17 along party lines, with one GOP Senator Bill Stanley (R-20th District) abstaining. Stanley originally co-sponsored the bill, but wanted to add a provision that would ensure murderers convicted of aggravated offenses would never be allowed out of prison. 

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Virginia Gov. Northam Supports Ending ‘Inequitable’ Death Penalty as House Bill Passes

Peter D'Abrosca

Gov. Ralph Northam (D) showed his support Friday as a bill that would end the death penalty in the state passed through a subcommittee in the Virginia House of Delegates.

“The use of capital punishment has been inequitable. The administration strongly supports HB 2263 and abolishing the death penalty. The Office of [Gov. Northam],” Del. Mike Mullin (D-Newport News) said on Twitter, attributing the statement to Northam’s office. 

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Delegate Mullin Introduces HB 2263 to End Virginia’s Death Penalty

Eric Burk

Delegate Mike Mullin (D-Newport News) has introduced HB 2263, which would abolish the death penalty in Virginia. The bill has attracted support from leading Democratic policy makers; co-patrons of the bill are House Majority Leader Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria), attorney general candidate Delegate Jay Jones (D-Norfolk), gubernatorial candidate Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas), and 40-year House member Delegate Ken Plum (D-Fairfax). In his 2021 State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Ralph Northam also advocated ending the death penalty.

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Legislation Abolishing Death Penalty Advanced by Virginia Senate Committee

Jacob Taylor

Legislation to abolish the death penalty in the Commonwealth of Virginia was advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday morning.

Introduced by Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax), Senate Bill 1165 was reported out of the committee by a vote of 10-4, mostly along party lines with Sen. Bill Stanley (R-Franklin County), chief co-patron on the measure, the only Republican who voted in support.

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Jon Ossoff Calls for Abolishing Death Penalty in Response to Activists Calling to Protect Murderers

Corinne Murdock

Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff issued several statements supporting total eradication of the death penalty. Ossoff’s stance aligned with petitions to save violent murderers from execution.

“Abolish the death penalty,” Ossoff tweeted twice.

The candidate’s tweets occurred as part of the ongoing social media trend inspired by scheduled federal executions taking place. Users petitioned that the prisoners should be reprieved of their death sentence. Social media users and celebrities claimed that man executed Thursday, Brandon Bernard, was given an unfair sentence.

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Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty for Serial Killer

Ben Kolodny

The Ohio Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentences of convicted serial killer Michael Madison last week. Madison, who was convicted of murdering three women after confessing to killing one, claimed that he did not recall killing the two others. The 2013 conviction was not without controversy however, as the defense took issue with several aspects of the prosecution including psychiatric reports, jury selection, and even the constitutionality of the death penalty.

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California Governor to Order Death Penalty Moratorium

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The governor of the U.S. state of California plans to announce Wednesday a moratorium on carrying out death sentences. In prepared remarks seen by news organizations ahead of the official announcement, Governor Gavin Newsom says, “The intentional killing of another person is wrong.” He cites cases of innocent people being convicted for crimes they did not commit, and sometimes even executed. Newsom also says cases involving capital punishment disproportionately affect minorities, the mentally ill and those who do not have enough money for costly legal representation. The moratorium will involve an executive order to withdraw the state’s lethal injection protocol. None of the 737 inmates currently on death row in California will be released or have their sentences changed. California last executed an inmate in 2006. Rights groups praised Newsom’s decision. Alison Parker, U.S. managing director at Human Rights Watch, said the governor “has taken a strong moral stand” and that the group hopes other states will follow his actions. Criticism came from some law enforcement organizations. Michelle Hanisee, president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, called Newsom’s moratorium “hasty and ill-considered,” and said he was going against the will of the people of California. In 2016, a ballot…

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China Faces U.S. Pressure to Contain Deadly Fentanyl Exports

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by Joyce Huang   After meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 meeting earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump praised China for considering imposing the death penalty on illicit producers of fentanyl – an opioid up to 100 times more potent than morphine with a lethal dose of just two milligrams in most people. When fentanyl, which is used as a pain medication but has a high potential for abuse, was highlighted during a meeting between the leaders of the United States and China in Buenos Aires earlier this month, some analysts in China saw it as another one of Washington’s tactics to embarrass China. Others, however, note that reaching out to China to contain its deadliest export to the United States may not be enough if the country doesn’t ease its dependence on painkillers. Game changer Xi has promised to criminalize the sale of deadly fentanyl to the United States, according to Trump, who said it has the possibility of being “a game changer” in easing the fentanyl overdose epidemic in the United States. “Last year over 77,000 people died from Fentanyl in the US. If China cracks down on this ‘horror drug,’ using the Death…

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