[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
October 30 MALAYSIA: Death penalty not a deterrent, says ex-judge Retired Court of Appeal judge Mah Weng Kwai believes that the death penalty is not a deterrent and that there are other ways to prevent crimes from being committed. Recalling an execution he witnessed 35 years ago when he was a rookie magistrate, Mah said that unless the execution was made known to the press or to the public, it would not have served as a deterrent. "Was it (the execution) ever made known to the press or to the public? If it wasn't, what good is it to say that it will serve as a deterrent when there is no information for the public to make an informed decision?" Mah asked the audience at a talk on whether the death penalty served as a deterrent. The talk was organised by the St Ignatius Church and the Catholic Lawyers Society. Mah also vividly recounted his experience witnessing the execution. He said in 1973, as a magistrate, he not only had to visit prisons, but also witnessed executions. He recalled the execution of 2 brothers, aged 19 and 21, who had been sentenced to death over the murder of a policeman. The 2 boys, Mah said, had attempted to rob a policeman of a revolver, after which a struggle ensued, the gun went off, and the policeman died. Mah said to his horror, he, the imam and a doctor had to walk past the death row cells. “The 2 boys were very quickly taken out of the cell, their hands cuffed behind them. Their heads were covered with a cloth. "They stood on the trap door, with the rope around their heads, the next thing you know, the trap door opens, and then bang! It was the loudest bang I have ever heard. After that, there was silence. No one said a word. "Can you imagine. One moment, the 2 guys are walking, alive, and the next thing you know, they are dropping," he said. Mah said he had also noticed a chart behind him, where the weight and height of those who would be executed were used to determine the length of the rope that would be needed. Mah said within seconds of the trap door opening, the person will lose consciousness, but does not immediately die. In reference to the 2 boys, Mah said their bodies were left hanging for 30 minutes before they were taken down and certified medically dead. "After the execution, the prison governor invited us to go to the office for a cup of coffee. Can you imagine, after just witnessing 2 guys being killed, and to have the bodies remain hanging, and the prison governor invites us for coffee," he said. Mah further pointed to the double standards practised by the public. He said that in general, the public did not like seeing a public execution of a person, and they would call it uncivilised and inhuman. However, if the person had, for instance, murdered someone, they believed that the murderer should be hanged, but in prison. Mah said executions generally go by unnoticed unless there was a big clemency drive. De facto law minister VK Liew had reportedly said that amendments to abolish the death penalty would be tabled at the current Parliament sitting. Liew had also said that death row inmates would serve 30 years' life imprisonment under the proposed abolition of the death penalty. (source: freemalaysiatoday.com) SINGAPORE: International human rights groups plead with Singapore to abolish the death penalty after six men were recently hanged Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Office appealed to Singapore to stop the hangings and abolish the "cruel and irreversible' death penalty. The wealthy city-state has recently executed six men convicted of drug offences in October, despite pleas of clemency from the rights groups and neighbouring country Malaysia, which just this month announced that it was eradicating capital punishment by the end of the year. Just this month, Singapore hanged 6 men, all for drug-related offences. Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International's Singapore Researcher said that the death penalty "has no place in any society, as more than 2/3 of the world's countries have come to recognise". 1 of the men executed was 31-year-old Malaysian national Prabu N. Pathmanathan. Pathmanathan, who was on death row since 2014 for possession of diamorphine, was hanged at Changi prison on Friday morning, October 26. Singaporean Irwan bin Ali was also put to death alongside Pathmanathan, following the "secret" hanging of Selamat bin Paki, according to the International Federation for Human Rights. Legal counsel for Pathmanathan's family, N. Surendran, said that their petition for clemency was unlawfully denied by the office of Singapore President Halimah Yacob, which had delivered a letter to Prabu's family in response, saying it was "unable to accede to [their] request". Pathmanathan, according to Surendran, had become "a new man" and "very spiritual" after his time in prison. "He wanted to live. He wanted to have another
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, FLA., OHIO, TENN., S.DAK., USA
October 30 TEXAS: Jurors deciding fate of hitman who killed Uptown dentist shown his 'Life or Death,' '1 Man Army' tattoos The pediatric dentist who was gunned down in 2015 in the parking garage of her Uptown apartment loved children, built houses for people in need and served on mission trips in third-world countries, her family and friends testified Monday. In contrast, the hitman who killed Kendra Hatcher has a lengthy criminal history, according to testimony during the punishment phase of the trial for 34-year-old Kristopher Love. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Love, who was convicted last week of capital murder in Hatcher's death. Her loved ones said she was universally loved, which made her murder-for-hire so shocking to them. "Nobody disliked her," Hatcher's sister, Ashley Turner, testified. Prosecutors showed jurors pictures of Hatcher through the phases of her life: a 3-year-old girl grinning at the camera, a high school honor student, a dental school graduate, a pediatric dentist treating children abroad. Prosecutors also showed jurors photos of Love covered in tattoos that read "Life Or Death" and "1 MAN ARMY." Love was allegedly hired by Brenda Delgado, the ex-girlfriend of Hatcher's boyfriend. Delgado, 36, is also charged with capital murder in Hatcher's death. Her trial has not been scheduled. After Hatcher's death, Delgado fled to Mexico. She was extradited from Mexico in 2016 and is not eligible for the death penalty as part of the extradition agreement. Delgado, 36, is accused of being the mastermind behind a murder plot allegedly fueled by jealousy over her ex-boyfriend's relationship with Hatcher. A third person, 26-year-old Crystal Cortes, was also charged with capital murder for her role as the getaway driver. She pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of murder. She expects to receive a 35-year sentence in exchange for her testimony in Love's trial and later Delgado's trial. Cortes testified she was paid $500 for her role as the getaway driver. She said Love was paid in "drugs and money" but didn't know the exact amount. Although Cortes originally told police she didn't know there was a plan to kill Hatcher, she testified during Love's trial that she knew Delgado wanted Hatcher dead. She said the trio took turns following Hatcher during the 1 weeks before her death. She also admitted she tried to buy a silencer for the handgun that was used to kill Hatcher. Telephone records show that Love was texting about selling marijuana before and after Hatcher was killed, and his text messages included conversations about working as a pimp. His cellphone was near Hatcher's apartment at least twice before the murder, the records showed. Hatcher was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head Sept. 2, 2015. Her family said they were stunned to learn how she died. Hatcher grew up in a small town in Illinois with 4 siblings. "This doesn't happen in central Illinois," Turner said. "We didn't know evil like this existed." After Hatcher was killed, Turner searched for a video that captured her sister's laugh. "I wish she could just walk through the room and do it for you," Turner testified Monday. "She was full of life and full of love." Hatcher was excited about her relationship with Ricardo Paniagua, whom she started dating in May 2015. Paniagua testified that he had remained friends with Delgado after their breakup and said the woman knew he was in a serious relationship. Hatcher and Paniagua were scheduled to go to Mexico on vacation Sept. 3, 2015, the day after Hatcher was killed. They were also planning to go to Hatcher's hometown the following weekend. Tami Patano met Hatcher while they were in dental school. She said she struggled to find the words to describe her best friend. "Her laugh was contagious. It was just so high-pitched and full of joy," she said. "Last time I talked to Kendra was a week before she passed," Patano said, pausing to look at Love, "before she was murdered." Like Hatcher's family, Patano said she hasn't recovered from her grief. She said she is plagued by anxiety and fear. She regularly looks over her shoulder and even struggles to perform surgeries because the sight of blood makes her think of how her friend died. She also said she couldn't understand why Hatcher was killed. "Kendra did not participate with drugs or crime," Patano said. "She did not associate with questionable people." Prosecutors also presented jurors Love's criminal history Monday, which includes aggravated assault charges and a burglary of a habitation in Tennessee, where Love is from. The sentencing phase of the trial continues Tuesday. (source: Dallas Morning News) FLORIDA: Florida man on death row for 42 years fighting for his life; Private investigator says he didn't kill anyoneFlorida inmate fights for his life It was a gruesome crime. 5 people were
