[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
September 26 GHANA: Don't abolish death penalty - Prof. Mike Oquaye Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Oquaye has kicked against calls for the scrapping of the death penalty in Ghana's statute books. The death penalty has been in Ghana's statute books since the application of the English common law in 1874, but in practice, no execution has been recorded since July 1993, when then-President Jerry John Rawlings ordered the execution of some 12 convicts via a firing squad. Human Rights groups, like Amnesty International for years, have been pushing for the expulsion of the death penalty from the country's statutes. The call heaped on following the sentencing of three persons by a Tamale High Court to death by hanging in July for murder. "It is rather unfortunate that Ghana, we are still handing down death penalties or death sentences to Ghanaians. I believe that this is something that we should put an end to," the Country Director of Amnesty International, Ghana Robert Akoto Marfo told Starr News' in July in a reaction to the Tamale High Court sentencing. Prof Oquaye however, argued Tuesday in Parliament after the approval of President Akufo-Addo's nominees to the Supreme Court, that death penalty is a fallback measure for the nation in punishing heinous and horrendous crimes thus, it must be maintained. "It is [a] very interesting matter when people talk about the right of the criminal. Supposed a psychopath sets out to go and kill people in the mosque on Friday, people in the church on Sunday, mows everybody down, [and] at the end of it, he says, I have got the right under the law not to be executed. It is ridiculous. He has got the right not to be executed, but he has the right to go and kill thousands of worshipers. So, the state must reserve for itself [the death penalty]. It's good that in Ghana we have not executed people for so long of the death penalty. "But, I believe the State of Ghana must have it [death penalty] in its pocket reserved so that where necessary, the most heinous of crimes can still be subject to such executions. These are parameters that some of the Human Rights advocates don't seriously exam and we must be very mindful of them in the future," he stated. (source: ghanaweb.com) Parliament approves nominees to Supreme Court Rev Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, the Speaker of Parliament of Tuesday indicated his personal support for the death penalty as the House approved by consensus, the nomination of 4 persons by President Nana Akufo-Addo as justices to the Supreme Court of Ghana. The approval followed the debate by Members on the Report of the Appointments Committee after the vetting of nominees-Prof Emmanuel Ashie Kotey, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana; Nene Abayateye Ofoe Amegatcher, private legal practitioner and former President of the Ghana Bar Association; Justice Samuel Kofi Marful-Sau and Justice Agnes Mercy Abla Dordzie, both judges of the Appeal Court of Ghana. The Speaker, in a comment, before the plenary responded with a resounding "aye" to approve the nominees, picked on the thorny issue of death penalty and indicated that the death penalty, although not used for a long time in Ghana should be maintained to serve as deterrent. The issue of the death penalty had come up during the vetting, and the Speaker wondered if it were right for a person to continue to enjoy life, on the grounds of human rights, if he or she takes that of others in a shooting spree. Rev Prof Oquaye cited an instance of a psychopath, who enters a mosque on a Friday or a church on Sunday and kills about a thousand people in each case and then he is allowed to go scot free on the grounds of human rights. He asked the proponents of human rights, who would not support death penalty for such a person, if that person has the right to take the lives of others. Rev Prof Oquaye registered his personal support for the death penalty to be maintained, as he put it "have it in our pocket to serve as deterrent to offenders." First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Appointments Committee Joseph Osei Owusu agreed with Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu that issues about the number of people to serve on the Supreme Court, whether to capped or increased should be directed to that office for interpretation. The appointment of the Justices to the Supreme Court followed the retirement of some long-serving justices. As at 2016, there were 14 Supreme Court judges, but at least 3 Supreme Court judges have retired or are expected to retire in a few years. (source: Ghana News Agency) EGYPT: Egypt Court upholds death sentences, long prison terms for 135 over Kerdasa police killings Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld the prison sentences and death penalty Monday handed to 135 people in the case of the deadly attack on a police station in the town of
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----S.DAK., IDAHO, WASH., USA
September 26 SOUTH DAKOTA: Briley Piper Again Appeals Death Penalty Death-row inmate Briley Piper is once again going before the South Dakota Supreme Court. He continues to fight his death sentence and is trying again to withdraw the guilty plea he entered in 2001. Oral arguments are set for Monday, Oct. 1. Piper was convicted of taking part in the kidnap, torture, and murder of 19-year-old Chester Poage, who died on March 13, 2000, in Spearfish Canyon. (source: sdpb.org) IDAHO: Death penalty challenged in slaying Defense counsel for a Washington state man accused of murder is moving to have the death penalty taken off the table. Hailey attorney R. Keith Roark argues Idaho's death penalty protocol violates Jacob Corban Coleman's constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, according to documents filed in 1st District Court on Thursday. "Lethal injection, as performed in Idaho, risks the infliction of pain and suffering," Roark said in a motion to strike the state's notice to seek the death penalty against Coleman for the stabbing death of Gagandeep Singh in Kootenai in 2017. Coleman, a 20-year-old from Puyallup, is accused of repeatedly stabbing Singh inside Singh's parked minivan taxicab in August 2017. Coleman remained inside the minivan as Singh bled to death, rendering neither help nor summoning for help, according to statements Coleman made to sheriff's detectives following his arrest. Singh, a 22-year-old from Spokane Valley, Wash., was stabbed more than 20 times, according to the Bonner County Coroner's Office. Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall notified the defense last year that the state would be seeking the death penalty due to aggravating factors in the killing, such as the cruel and callous nature of the attack. But Roark argues that some of Idaho's lethal injection methods have been condemned by human rights groups. Idaho has 4 methods of lethal injection, 2 of which are known to cause prolonged pain and suffering, Roark said in court documents. Those methods involve the use of Pancuronium, potassium chloride and sodium thiopental. Roark also filed a motion to exclude at trial audio and video recordings from inside the minivan, which was fitted with a surveillance system. However, Roark argues there were no signs advising riders of the recording equipment, which meant Coleman did not consent to being recorded. He further argues that Washington law should be applied in the case because Coleman and Singh are Washington residents and the cab ride originated in that state, court records show. Hearings on the various motions are pending. Coleman pleaded not guilty to 1st-degree murder and is being held at the Bonner County Jail. His trial is set for April 2019. (source: bonnercountydailybee.com) WASHINGTON: Poetry to persuade death penalty opposition One Port Townsend local is looking to help take down Washington state's death penalty by using the power of poetry. Sarah Zale is calling on any poets who believe in her cause to submit their works to her by the end of the year to be included in a chapbook that will be distributed as far as she can take it. "I'm looking for different ways to get the word out about what I'm trying to do," Zale said. A total of 110 executions have been carried out in Washington state and its predecessor territories since 1849, Zale said. "5 executions have taken place since the death penalty was re-enacted Nov. 4, 1975. 8 men are currently on death row. They can choose death by lethal injection or hanging," Zale stated in a release. Zale, a published poet and self-proclaimed political activist, was inspired by Gov. Jay Inslee's efforts to stall the death penalty in the state with a moratorium in 2014. Senate Bill 6052, introduced in January 2018, now sits in the Senate Rules Committee for a third hearing. 2 years ago, through Northwind Arts Center's Roadstead Project, Zale started a collaborative art undertaking, composed of visual artists and musicians. This year, it will be presented from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25, along with interactive art exhibitions that invite visitor participation. Her group's project is the death penalty, and before that it involved the Holocaust. "Once we come up with projects, we will have a showing and communicate about the collaborative process," Zale said. "It can be much more complex than just the death penalty." Zale's goal is to get people involved locally for a call of poems and readings at local venues and those around the state, with hopes of drawing attention statewide. "There are still 33 states that still have the death penalty," Zale cited. As a Michigan native, Zale said she takes great pride in the state being the 1st to abolish the death penalty in 1839. "As a poet, I did a book of poetry focused on Detroit," Zale said. "One of those poems was called 'The Last Hanging in
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, N.C., S.C., ALA., KY., TENN.
September 26 TEXASimpending executions Texas set to execute Troy Clark Wednesday, the 1st of 2 scheduled executions in 2 daysClark was convicted in the Tyler murder of Christina Muse, whose body was found stuffed in a cement-filled barrel months after her death. Death penalty opponents say his conviction rests too heavily on a co-defendant's testimony. The 1st of 2 scheduled Texas executions this week is set to take place Wednesday evening. Troy Clark, 51, was convicted in the 1998 Tyler kidnapping and murder of Christina Muse, and he has been accused of 2 other murders and a slew of other crimes, according to court records. The prosecution said Clark beat and drowned Muse before stuffing her body in a barrel with concrete and hiding it on his landlord's property. Though his attorneys hadn't filed any last-minute legal challenges as of Tuesday, his conviction has been questioned by anti-death penalty advocates since it was largely based on the testimony of his then girlfriend who also faced a murder charge. And for years, his legal fight had focused on a lack of evidence presented at trial that could have swayed the jury to opt for the lesser sentence of life, like his suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. At the time of Muse's murder, Clark was living with his girlfriend, Tory Bush. The 3 would do drugs together - court records show Clark used and dealt methamphetamines - but Bush testified at trial that on May 19, 1998, Muse came over and Clark tased her with a stun gun, taped her hands, ankles and mouth and then put her in a closet. Several hours later, her took her to the bathroom, beat her over the head with a wooden board and had Bush help him drown her in the bathtub, according to Bush. The barrel and Muse's decomposing body were found months later after Bush spoke to police while under arrest on another charge. In 2000, Bush said at Clark's trial that he was paranoid and thought Muse was talking to the wrong people about his drug dealings. After he tased her, "He told her, he said, 'You should have kept your mouth shut,'" Bush told the jury. Others testified that they had helped Clark load a blue barrel on his truck the day Muse disappeared. And the state also brought forth witnesses that indicated he had killed 2 other people, including a man whose body was found in a septic tank on the same property as Muse, according to federal court filings. In an unsuccessful last-ditch petition to the Texas parole board asking for a reduced sentence, Clark's attorney pointed out that Bush's testimony - which played a large role at trial - had changed several times. Previously, Bush said she thought the man found in the septic tank was to blame for Muse's death, and then she gave a detailed statement saying she killed Muse out of jealousy and that Clark wasn't even home at the time. In that statement, she told police if Clark were implicated in the murder, he "would just cover up for me." At trial, attorneys briefly questioned Bush on her changing testimony, and she said she had lied earlier because she was afraid of Clark and also loved him, the trial record shows. "He wanted me to change the whole story," Bush testified. "He wanted me to lay the blame on 2 other people, and those 2 other people are dead." She acknowledged on cross examination that she had been given a promise of a 30-year recommended sentence for her involvement in the murder if she cooperated with the prosecution. Bush ultimately pleaded guilty to a 20-year sentence and has since been released from prison. "Clark's death sentence is the product of the largely uncorroborated testimony of an incentivized co-defendant and a trial attorney whose performance was abysmal," wrote David Dow, Clark's current attorney, in his plea to the parole board. The board voted unanimously against Clark's petition on Monday. (source: Texas Tribune) * Tyler man slated to be 1st of 2 Texas death row inmates executed in 2 nightsTroy Clark was convicted of an East Texas murder. The East Texas man convicted of drowning a former housemate and stuffing her body into a barrel of lime is slated to die Wednesday in the first of two consecutive executions in the Lone Star State. If both punishments go through as planned, it'll be the 1st time in just over 6 years that Texas has put to death 2 prisoners in 2 nights. Both men say they're innocent, and the pair of impending executions - 1st of Troy Clark, then of Daniel Acker - has attracted attention from actress Susan Sarandon, author Mary Buser and renowned death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean. "Texas plans to execute Troy Clark on Wednesday but there are some serious problems with his case," Prejean tweeted. "Troy has always maintained his innocence. Someone else made a detailed confession and then completely changed her story in exchange for a reduced sentence." Clark was
