[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
September 18 INDIA: SC Stays Execution of Death Penalty to Convict in Rape & Murder of a 4-Year-Old Girl Supreme Court has stayed the execution of death sentence of a convict in rape and murder of a 4-year-old, according to an ANI report. Madhya Pradesh High Court's Jabalpur bench in its judgement had sentenced the convict to death. Earlier last month, Madhya Pradesh High Court had upheld a lower Court's order awarding death sentence to a man for raping and killing a 4-year-old girl, observing that "humanity is more in danger in the hands of persons like the convict". According to the PTI report, the offence was described as an act of extreme depravity, and this was done taking note of the fact the rising crimes against minor girls. The Court further highlighted that such punishment could deter other criminals. A division bench of Chief Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla as quoted in the report said, "The extreme judgment conveys a message to these predators that it is not a soft state where criminals committing such serious crimes may get a reprieve in the guise of humanity." (source: latestly.com) YEMEN: 24 Baha'i people, including a child, facing possible death penalty Responding to news that 24 Yemenis from the Baha'i faith - including 8 women and a child - are facing charges that could result in death sentences by the Huthi-controlled Specialized Criminal Court in Sana'a, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East Director of Research, said: "Once again, we are seeing trumped up charges and flagrantly unfair proceedings used to persecute Yemeni Baha'is for their faith. And it is particularly abhorrent that some of these men and women could face the death penalty for their conscientiously held beliefs and peaceful activities. "The group, which includes a teenage girl, were charged with various serious offences including espionage for foreign states, some of which can carry the death penalty. The Huthi authorities should drop these bogus charges, release those who are arbitrarily detained and end their abuse of the justice system to punish freedom of belief and persecute political critics, journalists, activists, Baha'is and other minorities." Background Since 2015, Amnesty International has documented a number of incidents in which members of the Baha'i community in Yemen were detained by the Huthi authorities. At the moment, 6 Baha'is are detained by the Huthis in Yemen, including some who have been subjected to enforced disappearances, torture and incommunicado detention. In January 2018, the Huthi authorities sentenced 52-year-old prisoner of conscience Hamid Haydara to death for allegedly collaborating with Israel and forging official documents. This sentence came after Hamid Haydara had been detained since December 2013, and was the result of a fundamentally flawed process, including trumped up charges, an unfair trial and credible allegations that he was tortured and ill-treated in custody. (source: Amnesty International) MALAYSIA: Malaysian PM Mahathir urges review of death penalty for man who sold medicinal cannabis Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday (Sep 18) came to the defence of a man facing the death penalty for selling cannabis oil to patients, saying his sentence should be reviewed. Muhammad Lukman Mohamad, a 29-year-old father of 1, was convicted of trafficking in cannabis, a crime punishable by death in Malaysia. He was sentenced to death by hanging on Aug 30 and has filed an appeal, his lawyer Farhan Maaruf told Reuters. During the trial, Muhammad Lukman testified that he had only sold cannabis oil to help patients suffering from illnesses such as cancer and leukemia, Farhan said. The case sparked a debate over the use of marijuana for medical purposes, with many, including some lawmakers, calling for amendments to the country's harsh drug laws. A Change.org petition, which urged the attorney-general to free Muhammad Lukman, has garnered nearly 45,000 signatures. Asked about the case, Mahathir told reporters it should be reviewed. "No, I think we should review that," he was quoted as saying in a video recording of his comments seen by Reuters. Nurul Izzah Anwar, a member of parliament from Mahathir's coalition, said she would be writing a letter calling for the attorney-general to reconsider the conviction and penalty for Muhammad Lukman. "From the reports, it looks to be a miscarriage of justice," she said. The attorney-general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comments. Malaysia, like other countries in Southeast Asia, imposes harsh penalties for drug offences. Last year, parliament voted to remove the death penalty as mandatory punishment for drug trafficking and leave it to the judges' discretion instead. Earlier this year, an Australian mother of 3 was sentenced to death for trafficking more
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TENN., MO., NEB., COLO., IDAHO, NEV., CALIF., USA
September 18 TENNESSEE: Erick Eugene Jones Jr. Trial Testimony Begins Prosecution testimony began Monday morning in the Greene County Criminal Court trial of Erick Eugene Jones Jr. Prosecutors seek the death penalty for Jones, 25, who is charged with 4 counts of 1st-degree murder, along with 2 counts each of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect in connection with the December 2014 deaths of 13-month-old Kynsleigh Easterly and 2-month-old Trinity Brooke Tweed, who lived with mother Kendra Lashae Tweed in the same North Hardin Street house as Jones. The credibility of Jones and witnesses who will testify at trial will ultimately determine if the jury finds him guilty of the crimes. Each count reflects different theories of the crimes allegedly committed by Jones, who maintains his innocence. In opening statements before 2 prosecution witnesses took the stand, both 3rd Judicial District Attorney General Dan E. Armstrong and lead defense lawyer Douglas L. Payne urged the jury to consider all the evidence presented during trial, including a series of statements given by Jones to investigators shortly after the girls' deaths and an additional statement given while he was in custody in February 2015. Armstrong detailed the traumatic injuries suffered by Kynsleigh Easterly and Trinity Brooke Tweed in telling the jury about testimony to be given by a doctor who conducted their autopsies. The doctor will testify that the girls' spinal cords were essentially severed from their brains and both suffered suffered blunt force trauma, Armstrong said. Jones gave conflicting versions of events in different interviews with detectives from the Greeneville Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation that alternately shifted responsibility for the girls' deaths to Kendra Tweed and at least one other person, Armstrong told the jury. The girls were in the care of Jones while Tweed worked the early morning hours of Dec. 17, 2014, as an aide to an elderly woman in Greeneville. Jones was charged several days later in connection with the deaths. Tweed, 25, was charged in 2015 with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in connection with the case. Tweed's case is pending. She is expected to testify for the prosecution at trial. When she returned home, she found both girls "unresponsive" and cold, Armstrong said. Evidence will show the girls had apparently been dead for some time before a "very distraught" Kendra Tweed returned home and called 911 on the morning of Dec. 17, 2014, Armstrong said. Tweed gave the phone to Jones, who agreed to try CPR on the children. "He said several days later he knew Kynsleigh and Trinity had been dead for hours," Armstrong told the jury. Armstrong said that Jones told investigators he didn't call 911 because he "panicked because there were drugs in the house" and began flushing drugs down the toilet about 4:30 a.m. that morning. "He was telling the truth," Armstrong told the jury. Jones identified at least 2 other people who had been at the house that night, and detailed drug use and related activity in versions of events to investigators, Armstrong said. He denied hurting anyone. Payne told the jury in his opening statement that jurors should pay heed to Jones' contention that he is not responsible for the girls??? deaths. "Mr. Jones said what truly happened and you will see for yourself who caused the deaths," Payne told the jury. Kendra Tweed's sister, Kristen Trombley, and her boyfriend, Joshua Hall, were the first 2 prosecution witnesses Monday morning. Trombley testified she was at the North Hardin Street house on Dec. 16, 2014, and later took Kendra Tweed to work at the house of the woman she was caring for. Under cross-examination by defense lawyer J. Russell Pryor, Trombley said she was not aware of any chronic health problems the girls had. Kynsleigh had a cold, Trombley said. Pryor asked Trombley if she ever saw Kendra Tweed "on the edge of crying" after she began a relationship with Jones. "No," Trombley replied. Hall then took the stand. He testified he picked up Kendra Tweed about 5 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 17, 2014, at the home of the woman she was caring for. It took about 15 minutes to get to the house Tweed lived in with Jones on North Hardin Street. Hall testified he walked Tweed to the entrance to the house. Armstrong asked Hall what he saw when Tweed opened the door before he left. "The house was dark and I saw (Erick Jones) laying on the couch," Hall said. Hall testified he was not aware from what he saw of any medical problems Kynsleigh Easterly or Trinity Tweed might be suffering. One child was found by first responders in a "bouncy chair," while the other was laying in a love seat. Pryor asked Hall on cross-examination if Kendra Tweed was in the habit of coming home often while she was working. "No," he responded.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, MD., N.C., ALA., MISS., LA., OHIO
September 18 TEXAS: Death penalty not ruled out for Texas border patrol agent accused of killing 4 women A U.S. Border Patrol agent charged with killing 4 women and abducting a 5th may face the death penalty - if the evidence stacks up. There was a clear pattern to the murders allegedly committed by Juan David Ortiz - he took each of the women out to desolate areas near or just outside the limits of the city of Laredo, Texas, before allegedly killing them using a handgun, according to Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz. Authorities said Ortiz knew the women - all believed to be sex workers - and targeted them for their vulnerability, amid fears of more deaths at his hands remaining undiscovered. Alaniz didn't rule out prosecutors pursuing the death penalty for Ortiz, although he said it's too early to tell because the crime is still being investigated and evidence compiled. "At the appropriate time, we will make the decision on what final charges Ortiz will be facing," Alaniz said. "There is a possibility that we will elect - if the evidence supports - to charge capital murder, and then the decision will be made if it will be capital murder non-death or capital murder seeking the death penalty." Ortiz is currently being held on $2.5 million bond, although Alaniz said the bond option will be rescinded if evidence supports a death penalty prosecution. Ortiz, 35, amassed weapons at his home in anticipation of a possible confrontation with police, authorities said. When officers did try to apprehend him, he fled to a nearby parking lot before brandishing his cellphone like a weapon in the hopes of being shot, but he was captured without incident around 2 a.m. Saturday. According to affidavits, Ortiz confessed to the killings after he was taken into custody on Saturday. Authorities are still trying to ascertain what sparked the suspected 10-day killing spree. Ortiz served in the U.S. Navy for nearly 8 years before being hired by Border Patrol. The law enforcement agency said there was nothing in his background to suggest he was capable of murder. (source: globalnews.ca) MARYLAND: Author to discuss his book about Kirk Bloodsworth, exonerated death-row inmateTim Junkin, author of 'Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA Evidence,' will speak about his book on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Abingdon Library. Tim Junkin, the 2018 One Maryland One Book author of "Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA Evidence," will speak about his book on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Abingdon Library. This event is free and open to the public. Copies of Junkin???' book will be available for purchase and signing the evening of the talk. In his book, Junkin, an attorney with 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer and advocate of civil rights, details the story of Kirk Bloodsworth, who was charged with the rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl in 1984. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to die in Maryland's gas chamber. Maintaining his innocence, Bloodsworth read everything on criminal law available in the prison library and persuaded a new lawyer to petition for the then-innovative DNA testing. After nine years in prison, Bloodsworth became the 1st death row inmate exonerated by DNA evidence. He was pardoned by the governor of Maryland in 1993 and has gone on to become a spokesman against capital punishment. In addition, 18 book discussion programs will be held at libraries and other locations throughout Harford County through Oct. 25. For times and locations, visit hcplonline.org or pick up a copy of Headlines & Happenings at any Harford County Public Library. One Maryland One Book is a program of Maryland Humanities and is presented in Harford County by Harford County Public Library and its partners Harford Community College and Harford County Department of Community Services.Junkin lives on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. An award-winning writer and a teacher, he is also the author of "The Waterman: and "Good Counsel." Junkin graduated from the University of Maryland in 1973 and completed his law studies at Georgetown University Law Center in 1977. He has taught at American University, Georgetown University Law Center, Harvard University Law School and the Bethesda Writer's Center. "Hosting the author of this year's One Maryland One Book is quite an honor for Harford County Public Library," Library CEO Mary Hastler said. "If you lived in Maryland when Kirk Bloodsworth was exonerated, you will remember what a big news story it was. We are pleased to welcome author Tim Junkin as he describes Kirk Bloodsworth's incredible account about an innocent man who faced the death penalty and was freed thanks to new technology at the time - DNA testing. It will be an incredible evening for our customers to hear how justice was served, and
