[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
July 23 INDIA: MP man gets death for rape and murder of minor In a speedy trial, a 26-year-old man was sentenced to death by a local court for raping and killing a 6-year-old girl here in April this year. District and Sessions Judge Rajiv Sharma, while awarding the death penalty yesterday, observed that people like Kamlesh Kushwaha (the accused) are "cancerous" to the society and hence its necessary to eliminate them in the same manner just as doctors remove cancer tumours surgically for saving people's lives. The hearing in the case began on July 15 and it was completed in only 8 days, according to public prosecutor Rajendra Tiwari. On April 18, Kushwaha, a resident of Maheba village raped and murdered the girl belonging to Dongarpur village. Kamlesh, who was living in Dongarpur with a relative took the girl to a farm on some pretext and committed the crime. Postmortem reports had confirmed rape and also 21 injuries were found on the girl's body following which the accused was arrested. (source: Zee News) ___ DeathPenalty mailing list DeathPenalty@lists.washlaw.edu http://lists.washlaw.edu/mailman/listinfo/deathpenalty Search the Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/deathpenalty@lists.washlaw.edu/ ~~~ A free service of WashLaw http://washlaw.edu (785)670.1088 ~~~
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, OHIO, IND., KAN., ARK., NEB., CALIF., USA
July 23 TEXAS: When I Was on Death Row, I Saw a Bunch of Dead Men Walking. Solitary Confinement Killed Everything Inside ThemBy Anthony Graves, Death Row Exonoree #138 When I was on death row, I saw guys come to prison sane and leave this world insane, talking nonsense on the execution gurney. I am death row exoneree #138. There are 12 more people like me from Texas. 12 people who spent years of their lives locked alone in concrete cages waiting to die before they were set free, exonerated for their innocence. 11 people have committed suicide on Texas' death row. All because of the conditions. When I was sentenced to death, I did not know that this sentence would also mean that I would have 12 years without any human contact, i.e. my mother, my son, my friends. All those people were stripped from my life because of this injustice. I did not know it would mean 12 years of having my meals slid through a small slot in a steel door like an animal. I did not know it would mean 12 years alone in a cage the size of a parking spot, sleeping on concrete steel bunk and alone for 22 to 24 hours a day. All for a crime I did not commit. The injustice. For me and the 400 other prisoners on Texas' death row while I was there, a death sentence meant a double punishment. We spent years locked alone in a tiny, concrete cage in solitary confinement, with guys going insane, dropping their appeals, doing everything they could to check out of this place before we were ever strapped to an execution gurney. All because of the conditions. I am writing today because the ACLU has put out an important new paper about what it does to people to lock them alone in cages on death row. They found that over 93% of states lock away their death row prisoners for over 22 hours a day. Nearly 1/3 of death row prisoners live in cages where their toilet is an arm's length away from their bed. 60 % of people on death row have no windows or natural light. Solitary confinement is like living in a dark hole. People walk over the hole and you shout from the bottom, but nobody hears you. You start to play tricks with your mind just to survive. This is no way to live. I saw the people living on death row fall apart. One guy suffered some of his last days smearing feces, lying naked in the recreation yard, and urinating on himself. I saw guys who dropped their appeals and elected to die because of the intolerable conditions. To sum it up, I saw a bunch of dead men walking because of the conditions that killed everything inside of them. And they were just waiting to lie down. After I got out, I have tried to use my time to raise awareness about these conditions. I am currently working on a book and traveling the globe trying to share my message and educate people about the effects of solitary confinement. I have created AnthonyBelieves.com, which is my consulting firm that I use to help attorneys, nonprofit organizations, etc. I am asking for your support in my endeavors to bring attention to such inhumane issues by going to my website and ordering anything from my store to help offset my travel expenses. There's also a petition on my webpage that I am asking 10 million people around the world to sign in solidarity with me as I stand up for justice. Please help me and the ACLU get the word out about these conditions. Our death penalty system is broken in this country - it is applied unfairly against people. When you have a broken system, innocent people like me can end up on trial for their life. And subjecting anyone in prison to solitary confinement is torture. I am speaking on experience. Many of these same people are returning to our society, and when they do they come with all the baggage we put on them in the system. This keeps the rate of recidivism high. In this country, we should be doing better than that. We should not have a criminal justice system turned into a criminal by the way we treat our citizens. Even when we do not like people or believe they have done something wrong, our emotions should not govern our society. We should be making laws from a rational perspective. We have to be above the criminal by keeping our system humane. Everyone should be treated like a human being. This is America. Please share the new video I recorded for the ACLU to help get the word out about the double punishment of solitary confinement on death row. And make sure to read the ACLU's new report. Also please check out AnthonyBelieves.com and give me your support while I cross the county and try to educate people about the inhumane treatment in our criminal justice system. Thank you and best wishes. For more on the double punishment of solitary confinement on death row, read the ACLU's report A Death Before Dying. (source: ACLU blog) see: http://youtu.be/LjXfc888pxQ [youtu.be] or --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjXfc888pxQ&
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
July 23 MALAYSIA: Police sniff out 110kg of heroin concealed in spice bottles, arrest 7 Pakistanis 7 Pakistani nationals thought they could 'spice up' their lifestyle and live like dukes by smuggling 110kg of high-grade heroin concealed in bottles of spice. The 'spice boys' cooked up an elaborate plan to distribute the Grade 4 heroin worth about RM6.6 million, to a ready international market. Using a spice factory in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan as a front to hoodwink the authorities, it was 'all systems go' - until the federal police got wind of the activities of the Pakistan-linked syndicate. On Saturday, a team from the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman raided a factory at an industrial area in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan and detained 2 Pakistanis. Bukit Aman Narcotics CID director Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said a search of the factory led to the seizure of 39 boxes of bottles containing mixed pickles, inside which were 195 packets of heroin meant for the international market. He said on Sunday, 5 other Pakistanis, believed to be the duo's accomplices, were nabbed in another operation at a house in Danau Kota, Setapak. All 7 are aged between 26 and 39. He told a news conference in Bukit Aman that the Pakistani nationals were detained under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction. Noor Rashid said that among other items seized at the factory were various boxes of goods such as salt, rice noodles, tomatoe sauce and pickles from abroad, believed to have been brought into the country via sea by the Pakistani nationals. Meanwhile, in a separate operation last Friday, the federal police arrested a Nigerian student in Puchong in connection with the seizure of a leather jacket inside which was concealed 390 grammes of cocaine. Noor Rashid said the Argentinian-made jacket was found with drugs lined in between the layers of the leather material. He said the 32-year-old suspect had entered the country using a student visa to study at a language centre in the federal capital. (source: The Borneo Post) ** Nayati kidnap trial postponed The Nayati Shamelin Moodliar kidnap trial was postponed to Oct 21 due to the absence of key prosecution witnesses. Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Nik Suhaimi Sulaiman told the High Court yesterday that the witnesses are currently in South Africa. "We(Prosecution) apply for the trial be postponed to 21 till 31 Oct because they would only be able to attend proceedings on these dates," he said. Counsels for the accused Datuk Hanif Hashim, Rejinder Singh, and Chong Joo Tian raised no objection to the application. High Court judge Kamardin Hashim allowed the application and postponed trial to Oct 21 till 31. Long time friends, handphone seller Foong Khar Fai, 20, trader Chong Tat Siong 25, and jobless Lee Phak Seng, 25, and another person still at large were alleged to have kidnapped Dutch national Nayati, then 12. They allegedly committed the offence as the victim was walking to the Mont Kiara International School at 7.30am on April 27 last year. They face the death penalty or life imprisonment with caning if convicted. (source: New Straits Times) NIGERIA: Nigeria's lawmakers mull death penalty for kidnappers Convicted kidnappers in Edo State, mid-western Nigeria, may henceforth get the death penalty without an option of fine, if a bill before the State House of Assembly, gets the final nod of members. The bill for a law which prohibits the act of kidnapping and committing of any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of a person kidnapped in Edo State successfully passed through the second reading on the floor of the House. Mr. Kingley Ehigiamusor, the member representing Igueben Constituency, who kicked off debate on the bill, said the bill seeks to protect the society and sentence the criminals to death. Ehigiamusor noted that the rate of kidnapping in the State has become alarming, hence the consideration of the bill for passage. "A system where an individual or group of people are held captive and unable to free themselves can not guarantee development," Ehigiamusor stated. He further stated that the bill was a boost for tourism and investment opportunities, as foreigners will feel confident to come and invest in the state without fear. The member representing Etsako West, Abdulrazak Momoh said the act of kidnapping was inimical to the development of the state, adding that the crime slows down economic activities. Momoh noted that the bill was an improvement on the earlier bill passed which was not consented to by the executive arm of government. According to him, the death penalty, the destruction of property used for the crime and the sentencing of those who connived to life imprisonment was a welcome development. Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Uyigue Igbe, therefore
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----OHIO, MO., NEB., ARIZ., CALIF., WASH., USA
July 23 OHIO: Ohio man charged with murder after women found in plastic bags An Ohio man charged with kidnapping and murdering 3 women whose bodies were found wrapped in plastic bags was ordered held on $6 million bail on Monday, as police investigated the possibility of other victims. "There may be more to this, which is why we are continuing to do searching and use other agencies to help us along," East Cleveland Police Chief Ralph Spotts told reporters at a press conference. Michael Madison, 35, a registered sex offender who pleaded guilty to attempted rape in 2002, was arraigned in East Cleveland Municipal Court on 3 counts of kidnapping and 3 counts of aggravated murder - a crime that carries a maximum penalty of death. He was arrested on Friday at his mother's home hours after the 1st body was discovered not far away in the garage of the apartment building where Madison lives. Neighbors' complaints of a pungent smell triggered the search. "We believe if left on the streets just 1 hour longer, (he) may have put the lives of others in danger," East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton said at the press conference. During a police interview, Madison invoked the name of a Cleveland serial killer, Anthony Sowell, who was convicted of murder in the deaths of 11 women whose bodies were found wrapped in garbage bags in and around his home in 2009, Norton said, declining to elaborate further. "Things that he said made us believe he was influenced by Sowell," Norton added. In court, Judge William Dawson said the $6 million bail he set represented $1 million for each count. Handcuffed and wearing a gauzy purple jumpsuit and diamond-like earring, Madison quietly told the judge he understood the charges against him. Madison, his head closely shaven and beard trimmed, declined to enter a plea and waived a preliminary hearing. His case will now be transferred to Cuyahoga County Court. Authorities said he would be taken to the Cuyahoga County jail, where Ariel Castro, a former school bus driver, is being held in a separate kidnapping case involving 3 female captives. The bodies, 2 of which were found by cadaver-smelling dogs, were located in a garage, the basement of a building and in a weeded lot nearby. The bodies had been there for about 6 to 10 days, during which temperatures soared into the 90s, said the mayor. One of the victims was identified as Angela Deskins, 38, Norton said. Authorities were working to identify the other 2 victims, he said. Autopsies conducted on all 3 women could not immediately determine a cause of death because their bodies were so badly decomposed, said Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson. General contractor James Fambro, who worked on Madison's sparsely furnished apartment, said it had once been occupied by the mother of Madison's child before she moved out. Fambro said that after Madison's arrest, he entered the building's garage and saw blood on the floor. (source: Reuters) * Michael Madison charged with murder over Cleveland killings; The suspect did not enter a plea in court An Ohio man has been charged with murder in the deaths of 3 women found wrapped in rubbish bags in a suburb of Cleveland. Michael Madison, a 35-year-old convicted sex offender, was arrested on Friday after a stand-off with police. The 3 bodies were found in separate but nearby locations in East Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday and Saturday. Officials have said Madison may have been influenced by the case of local serial killer Anthony Sowell. This is the 3rd recent high-profile case in the Cleveland area that involves missing women. 'Badly decomposed' A search for additional victims was suspended on Sunday afternoon. 1 of the women found on Saturday has been identified as Angela Deskins, believed to be 38 years old. Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson said the 3 bodies were badly decomposed. His office was still investigating the final causes of death and the identities of the other 2 women. Investigators believe the women were killed in the last 6 to 10 days. Following a court appearance on Monday, Madison was being held in lieu of a $6m (3.9m pounds) bond. He could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted of the charges of aggravated murder. He is also charged with three counts of kidnapping. On Friday, Madison was arrested at his mother's home hours after the 1st body was found nearby in a garage at his apartment block. Officials said the three dead bodies were found about 300-600ft (100-200m) apart. In 2002, Madison pleaded guilty to charges of attempted rape. East Cleveland Mayor Gary Norton told a press briefing on Monday: "We believe if left on the streets just 1 hour longer, [he] may have put the lives of others in danger." The mayor also said the suspect indicated he had been influenced by a previous multiple murder case in neighbouring Cleve
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, CONN., S.C., GA., ALA.
July 23 TEXASnew execution date Child Killer's Execution Date Set for October A man on death row since 1996 now faces an execution date in October for the murder of a little boy in Corpus Christi's northside. In September 1995, then 21-year-old Larry Hatten broke down the back door of a home on Sam Rankin and opened fire with a .357 pistol. Resident Tabitha Thompson was shot 4 times, but survived. Her 5-year-old son Isaac Jackson died from 1 gunshot wound. Hatten learned his execution date last week from District Judge Missy Medary. (source: KRIS V news) *** Executions under Rick Perry, 2001-present-263 Executions in Texas: Dec. 7, 1982-present502 Perry #scheduled execution date-name-Tx. # 264-July 31---Douglas Feldman-503 265-Sept. 19--Robert Garza504 266-Sept. 26--Arturo Diaz505 267-Oct. 9-Michael Yowell-506 268Nov. 12-Jamie McCoskey-507 269Jan. 15-Rigoberto Avila, Jr.508 (sources for both: TDCJ & Rick Halperin) CONNECTICUT: 'The Cheshire Murders': HBO Documentary Reveals An Added Level Of Horror To Unspeakable Connecticut Crime The circumstances surrounding the small-town murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her 2 young daughters, the subject of the chilling HBO documentary "The Cheshire Murders," are so impossible, so unreasonable, that it's hard to believe they happened at all. "When it hits you on a gut level it kind of shuts down your brain," said David Heilbroner, a former prosecutor who co-directed "The Cheshire Murders" with Kate Davis. On July 23, 2007, 6 years ago Tuesday, the Petit family - William, Jennifer and their daughters Haley, 17, and Michaela, 11 - were the victims of a home invasion turned triple murder at the hands of Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, career burglars who had never killed before. After holding the family hostage for hours in their Cheshire, Conn., home, Hayes drove Jennifer to a nearby Bank of America branch, demanding that she withdraw $15,000 in cash or her family would be killed. Less than an hour later, Jennifer was dead of strangulation, and Haley and Michaela were dead of smoke inhalation after the killers doused the home with gasoline and set it on fire. Jennifer was raped and Michaela sexually assaulted before they died. William Petit, who was severely beaten and tied to a post in the basement, managed to escape and crawl to a neighbor's home for help just before the house went up in flames. All of this happened while the Cheshire police were setting up a perimeter just outside the home, on a quiet but populated residential street. For Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her 2 daughters to die that Monday, everything that could have gone wrong must have; multiple lifetimes' worth of bad luck had to have descended on this good-natured, respectable family in the hours between a Sunday afternoon trip to the grocery store and the violent deaths less than a day later. Komisarjevsky, who is repeatedly alluded to in the film as a suspected pedophile, became interested in Jennifer and Michaela when he spotted the mother and daughter in a grocery store the day before the killings. Guessing, correctly, that they were part of a prosperous family who lived in a nice home, he followed them there from the grocery store and made plans to come back later that night with Hayes to burglarize the place. What happened next and why remains a mystery; the only thing that is certain is Hayes' and Komisarjevsky's guilt: Both offered to plead guilty and accept life in prison without the possibility of parole. But the prosecution demanded the death sentence, and the killers' fates became entangled in a politically charged legal battle around the death penalty in the state of Connecticut. For a film that shines a light on incomplete police accounts and timeline gaps, "The Cheshire Murders" leaves us with many unanswered questions. At what point did the burglary become murderous, and why? Why was Jennifer allowed to walk out of the bank alone with $15,000 in cash, when just a few minutes' delay could have allowed police to apprehend Hayes there? What were the police outside the home doing while Jennifer and her daughter were being assaulted? Perhaps because the film begins with burning questions about why law enforcement did not meaningfully intervene sooner, it's easy to expect that the documentary will examine with a fine-tooth comb what appears by all accounts to be a tragically flawed police response. But "The Cheshire Murders" does not purport to be a substitute for, or to correct, a botched investigation; and in any event, the Cheshire police were far from forthcoming about some important details. Instead the film devotes m
