April 29 NEW HAMPSHIRE: Senate votes to raise minimum age for death penalty The Senate voted with little discussion Thursday to raise the minimum execution age in New Hampshire from 17 to 18. The 16 -8 vote to send the bill to the governor largely was symbolic because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on March 1 that executing juvenile criminals is unconstitutional. The Legislature had voted last year to raise the age, but then-Gov. Craig Benson vetoed the bill. New Hampshire has not executed anyone since 1939, but capital punishment was pushed into the spotlight when a federal judge in Massachusetts ordered convicted carjacker Gary Sampson to be executed in the state. (source: The Union Leader) ARIZONA: Prosecutors to seek death penalty in case of woman burned alive In Tucson, prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against 1 of 2 men accused of burning a woman alive last year. Pima County Deputy County Attorney Rick Unklesbay told a judge Thursday that he will be seeking death for Antonio G. Carrillo, 21, in the death of Patricia Marie "Patsy" Rubalcaba, 27. Rubalcaba's body was found in the desert last October. Authorities said an autopsy showed that in addition to being burned alive, Rubalcaba had been stabbed several times. Carrillo and Jesus Rafael Muro-Monge, 18, were arrested in February and charged in connection with the case. The County Attorney's Office is expected to decide within the next month if it will also seek the death penalty for Muro-Monge. (source: Associated Press)
