URGENT ACTION APPEAL
16 September 2005
UA 242/05 Death Penalty
USA/Alabama: John W. Peoples Jr,
John W. Peoples Jr., white (m), is scheduled to be executed
by lethal injection in the State of Alabama on 22
September. He was sentenced to death in January 1984 for
the murder of Paul and Judy Franklin and their son, Paul Jr,
in Talladega County. There are doubts about the
competency of the lawyer who represented him at the trial
at which he was convicted. His alleged accomplice was
convicted of the same murders but sentenced to life
imprisonment.
The Franklin family were murdered on 6 July 1983.
According to evidence presented at the trial Paul Franklin
was murdered in his house after refusing to sell a car to
John Peoples Jr. and his cousin, Timothy Gooden. His body
was dumped in nearby woods, where his wife and son were
also taken and murdered. John W. Peoples Jr. was arrested
five days later, and confessed to the murders without a
lawyer being present. Timothy Gooden also pleaded guilty
to capital murder and was sentenced to life without the
possibility of parole.
John Peoples Jr's current legal team argue that, despite his
full cooperation with the law enforcement agencies, at the
sentencing phase of the trial his then lawyer did not offer
any mitigating evidence and explicitly told the jury that no
alternatives to execution existed in the punishment phase.
Timothy Gooden was also brought as a defense witness and
testified in favour of execution.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all
cases, regardless of questions of guilt or innocence. The
death penalty is a symptom of a culture of violence, not a
solution to it. It has not been shown to have a unique
deterrent effect, denies the possibility of rehabilitation,
carries the risk of irreversible error as well as inconsistent
and discriminatory application, and consumes resources
that could be used to fight violent crime and assist those
affected by it.
Today, 120 countries are abolitionist in law or practice. In
the USA the capital justice system is marked by
arbitrariness, discrimination and error. Since the USA
resumed executions in 1977, it has carried out 982
executions, 33 of which were carried out in Alabama.
There are 191 people on death row in Alabama.
In Alabama the Governor has sole authority to grant
clemency in death penalty cases.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to
arrive as quickly as possible:
- expressing sympathy for the relatives and friends of the
Franklin family, and explaining that you are not seeking to
excuse the manner of their deaths or to minimize the
suffering caused;
- stating that the death penalty has not been shown to have
a unique deterrent effect, denies the possibility of
rehabilitation, and consumes resources that could be used
to fight violent crime and assist those affected by it;
- opposing the execution of John W. Peoples Jr;
- urging the Governor to grant clemency to him.
APPEALS TO:
The Governor of Alabama
Governor Bob Riley
State Capitol N 104
11 S. Union St #600
Montgomery, AL 36130-2751
Fax: 1 334 242 0937
Email:
http://www.governor.state.al.us/contact.htm
Salutation: Dear Governor
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check
with the Colorado office, if sending appeals after 28
October 2005.
Amnesty International is a worldwide grassroots movement that
promotes and defends human rights.
This Urgent Action may be reposted if kept intact, including
contact information and stop action date (if applicable). Thank
you for your help with this appeal.
Urgent Action Network
Amnesty International USA
PO Box 1270
Nederland CO 80466-1270
Email: [email protected]
http://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent/
Phone: 303 258 1170
Fax: 303 258 7881
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END OF URGENT ACTION APPEAL
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