death penalty news October 7, 2004
CONNECTICUT: State Preparing For First Execution Since 1960 - Governor Says She Has No Power To Stay Execution Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she is prepared to uphold the law, and she said she has no power to stay the execution or grant a pardon for Ross. "I do support the death penalty in those areas where the crime is the most heinous, and this certainly fits that," Rell said. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Correction would not discuss the specific preparations being made for the execution. "We have several months in which to make the necessary preparations, and we will be ready to carry out the mandate of the law," agency spokeswoman Stacy Smith said. Ross, 45, is on death row for killing four young women in eastern Connecticut in the 1980s. Altogether, he killed eight women -- two others in Windham County and two in New York -- and is serving more than two life sentences in prison. A state judge set the Jan. 26 execution date after Ross said in court that he does not want to pursue any more appeals. The state Supreme Court has upheld six death sentences against him, but Ross could still pursue a U.S. Supreme Court review, a pardon or a petition of habeas corpus. Relatives of the victims and others accused Ross of manipulating the criminal justice system and said they are skeptical that Ross will go forward with his plan to die. His lawyer, T.R. Paulding, insisted that Ross is sincere. Paulding said Ross has not manipulated the system but has been forced by the courts to pursue appeals he did not want. "He has not changed his mind," said Paulding, who spoke with Ross Thursday. In court on Wednesday, Ross requested that he not be put in a medical unit because he does not want to continue with appeals. Prison officials may see his decision as a suicidal act requiring medical attention, he said. Paulding said Ross has not been put in the medical unit, but added that Ross was meeting with medical officials Thursday. In any event, Paulding said, Ross still plans to forgo appeals, even if he is put in the medical unit. Because Connecticut's last execution was in 1960, the Department of Correction will have to set up a system to administer the execution. Under department policy, the warden of Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers will appoint a team of at least six correction staff members and six alternates to oversee the execution at the prison. An executioner, who would administer a fatal dose of three chemicals, also must be appointed. The team will have to conduct drills to simulate the movement and restraint of Ross on the execution day. The warden also has to ensure that dedicated telephone lines are working and other equipment is in place for the execution. Ross will have to decide if he wants a clergyman and up to three supporters to witness the execution, and a committee of news media representatives will have to select up to nine media witnesses. Ross, who is now housed at the super-maximum security Northern Correctional Institution, will have to be moved to nearby Osborn at least a day before the execution. The policy sets the execution time at 2:01 a.m., or as soon after as possible. The lethal injection is made up of three chemicals: a lethal dose of thiopental sodium in solution, which causes sedation, then pancuronium bromide, which stops breathing, followed by potassium chloride, which stops the heart. Paulding said the Corrections Department will have to work with some outdated laws that are still on the books. For example, the law requires a prisoner about to be executed to be in a level five prison -- the highest security -- but Osborn is a level four. Also, one old law that dates from when the main state prison was in Wethersfield states that the criminal could have to be housed and executed in the same place. Ross does not plan to make an issue out of any of these technicalities, Paulding said. Ross has stated that no one but Paulding may represent him or file appeals on his behalf, which would prevent anti-death penalty advocates from trying to intercede. The state legislature has some outspoken opponents of the death penalty, although lawmakers have not tried to repeal it recently. In the late 1990s, a bill to give the governor the power to stay an execution failed to pass. Rep. Mike Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, doubts Ross will be executed on Jan. 26. "This is more evidence that this whole death penalty as a public policy is self-defeating. It has cost an awful lot of money to go through this charade. It's certainly cruel and usual punishment for the victims' families," Lawlor said. "What's the point?" (source: NBC)
