death penalty

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New Mexico Bans Death Penalty
 New Mexico
Bans Death Penalty
Mar 19, 2009 3:14 AM CDT

New Mexico Bans Death Penalty

Guv abolishes executions after wrestling with conscience

(Newser) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has signed a bill abolishing the state's death penalty, reports the Santa Fe New Mexican. Richardson, who formerly supported capital punishment, said replacing execution with life in prison without the possibility of parole was “the most difficult decision of his political life.” He...

Amnesty Moves to Stop 128 Iraqi Executions

Says international standards may have been ignored in trials

(Newser) - Amnesty International has called for Iraq not to execute 128 prisoners sentenced to death, saying their trials may not have conformed with international rules, Reuters reports. Amnesty says Iraq should release the names of and charges against the prisoners, noting that capital punishment is an ineffective threat when suicide bombing...

Recession May Kill Pricey Death Penalty

Worried about legal costs, states consider abolition

(Newser) - Death and taxes may always be with us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fiddle with them. Specifically, as the recession decreases tax revenue for states, some are considering abolishing the death penalty, which can cost millions. “And we can’t afford that, when there are better...

2 Afghans Face Death Over Koran Translation

Clerics say book aims to replace holy text

(Newser) - A pocket-size translation of the Koran has landed six men in prison in Afghanistan and left two of them begging judges to spare their lives. They're accused of modifying the Koran, and their fate could be decided Sunday in court. The trial illustrates what critics call the undue influence of...

Mexicans Eye Death Penalty to Stem Drug Murders

Politicians consider reinstating capital punishment to stave off tide of violence

(Newser) - Mexican lawmakers are considering bringing back the death penalty in the wake of an overwhelming tide of murders and kidnappings linked to drug cartels, reports the BBC. The Green Party, usually a staunch foe of capital punishment, is leading the campaign to reinstate it. Surveys show 70% of Mexicans want...

3 Sentenced to Death in China Milk Scandal

Chairwoman of tainted milk firm gets life

(Newser) - A Chinese court has sentenced three men to die for adulterating milk for profit and poisoning thousands, CNN reports. The former chairwoman of the milk company at the heart of the scandal that killed six infants and sickened 300,000 has been sentenced to life in prison. Other defendants, including...

9/11 Accused Admit Guilt at Tribunal

(Newser) - Two suspected Sept. 11 planners calmly declared their guilt today at what could be the final military tribunal session at Guantanamo Bay, the Miami Herald reports. "We are proud of 9/11," said Ramzi bin al Shibh, who announced his plan to plead guilty, the AP reports. Another...

Atlanta's Courthouse Killer Gets Life Without Parole

Jury deadlocked over whether multiple murderer should be executed

(Newser) - A Georgia man convicted of killing four people after escaping from custody will serve consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Brian Nichols was found guilty last month of killing a judge, a court reporter, a sheriff's deputy, and a federal agent. The jury spared...

Texas Steps Up Executions to Clear Logjam

State empties death row of 12 inmates over 6 weeks

(Newser) - A dozen condemned inmates in Texas's "death watch" cells are being executed at a scheduled rate of two a week through November. The executions relieve a logjam created when the US Supreme Court effectively halted lethal injections while deciding whether the method was unconstitutionally inhumane. It ruled the method...

Yacht Killer Guilty on All Counts

Former child actor may now be sentenced to death

(Newser) - A former bit-part child actor has been found guilty of murdering a couple by tying them to an anchor and throwing them overboard off the California coast in a plot to steal their yacht, the Orange County Register reports. The jury must now decide if Skylar Deleon, also found guilty...

Supreme Court Stays Execution of Georgia Man

Convicted killer had 2 hours to live before ruling spared him

(Newser) - The Supreme Court issued a stay of execution for a Georgia man only two hours before he was scheduled to die tonight, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Troy Anthony Davis has been on death row since 1991, when he was convicted of killing an off-duty police officer. Seven of nine key...

Ga. Won't Stay Execution Despite Witness Reversals

Carter, clergy, NAACP have asked for life sentence for Troy Davis

(Newser) - A man sentenced to die tonight in Georgia is looking to the US Supreme Court after the state’s parole board and top court rejected clemency yesterday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Troy Anthony Davis was convicted in 1991 for murdering a police officer, but seven prosecution witnesses have since recanted...

Inmate Too Fat to Execute: Just Shoot Me

Cooey says that he didn't intentionally pile on the pounds

(Newser) - Convicted killer Richard Cooey knows there have been jokes at his expense. But he insists he’s not afraid to die— just too fat for lethal injection. At 5’ 7”, 267 pounds, Cooey is so rotund that it’s nigh-impossible to find a vein. “It's hard getting access to...

Life for Mom Who Cooked Baby
 Life for Mom Who Cooked Baby
Sep 9, 2008 2:22 AM CDT

Life for Mom Who Cooked Baby

No parole for woman who shut daughter in microwave

(Newser) - An Ohio mother who burned her month-old baby alive in a microwave oven was sentenced yesterday to life without parole. The jury could not agree on imposing the death penalty, reports the Dayton Daily News. China Arnold, 28, was not present for the emotionally charged hearing, and instead watched the...

Texas Defies UN, Executes Killer

World Court had ordered hearing

(Newser) - A Mexican national convicted of raping and murdering two girls was executed in Texas yesterday in defiance of an international court. Attorneys for Jose Medellin, 33, had argued that authorities violated an international treaty when Medellin was denied access to Mexican consular officials after his arrest, reports the Houston Chronicle....

Iran Hangs 29 Convicts, Calls Deaths Crime Deterrent

Denies rights groups' charges of excessive use

(Newser) - Amid charges of excessive use, Iran hanged 29 convicts this morning in Tehran. The Iranian Supreme Court approved the death sentences, variously on charges of murder, rape, armed robbery, or drug trafficking, the BBC reports. Last year, the country carried out 317 executions, second only to China. Tehran, however, insists...

Supreme Court Goofs Up Key Fact in Child Rape Decision

Court was wrong about federal death penalty

(Newser) - The Supreme Court misconstrued a key fact in reaching its recent decision banning the death penalty for child rape, reports the New York Times. Swing justice Anthony Kennedy mistakenly noted in his decision that child rapists did not face the death penalty in federal jurisdiction. But in fact the rape...

Report: California Death Penalty in Critical Condition

Panel calls for reforms to clear massive execution backlog

(Newser) - California's capital punishment system is nearing collapse, according to a state commission. The time between sentencing and execution in the state is as long as 25 years—double the national average. The panel recommended California spend $100 million a year to hire more lawyers and clear the "overwhelmed" appeals...

Obama Backs Death Penalty for Child Rapists

Dem disagrees with Supreme Court ruling against Louisiana law

(Newser) - Barack Obama joined rival John McCain yesterday in supporting the death penalty for child rapists, the AP reports. The Democratic candidate spoke after the Supreme Court ruled against a Louisiana law allowing capital punishment for child rape, saying it violates the constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The verdict...

Justices Strike Death Penalty for Child Rape

Top court also trims $2.5B Exxon Valdez damages to $500M

(Newser) - The Supreme Court found today that the “death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child,” striking down a Louisiana law as cruel and unusual punishment. While the court split 5-4 on the hot-button issue—swing justice Anthony Kennedy penned the opinion—there has...

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