Nov. 19
OREGON:
1 Year After Death Penalty Moratorium, Little Has Happened
1 year ago this week, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber stunned the state and made
international headlines when he issued a moratorium on the death penalty. He
said he hoped his action would spur state lawmakers to a conversation about the
death penalty. But so far, there's little momentum for the legislature to act
on the issue.
Kitzhaber called Oregon's capital punishment system "compromised and
inequitable." He said the ban on executions would last through the end of his
time in office.
And he said "I call on the legislative branch to bring forth potential reforms
to the 2013 legislature."
A full repeal of the death penalty would require approval by voters. Lawmakers
could send such a measure to the ballot, or make changes to how the death
penalty is applied.
But so far, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Floyd Prozanski says there's been
relatively little discussion on the issue.
"At this point I know of no proposed legislation being introduced."
Prozanski's likely counterpart in the House for the 2013 session, Democrat Jeff
Barker, also says he knows of no pending legislation.
A spokesman for Governor Kitzhaber says the loss of two Republican death
penalty opponents in the legislature in the past year has created uncertainty
about whether state lawmakers will take up a ban on capital punishment.
(source: KLCC News)
GEORGIA:
Death penalty tossed out in Ga. triple murder case
The Georgia Supreme Court has unanimously tossed out the death sentence of a
man who was convicted of killing his wife and twin 2-year-old sons in Lithonia
in 2006.
The court on Monday upheld Clayton Jerrod Ellington's murder conviction, and
the state will once again have the option to seek the death penalty.
Ellington's attorneys had argued the trial court unfairly prohibited them from
asking prospective jurors whether they would consider a life sentence rather
than the death penalty.
Ellington was convicted of attacking his wife, Berna, with a hammer as she
slept, and beating to death his twin sons in their cribs.
Officials in the DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney's office were not
immediately available for comment.
(source: Associated Press)
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