[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----FLA., IND.
Nov. 12 FLORIDA: Dad faces death penalty for horrifying abuse of toddler uploaded to dark web A 2-year-old was raped by her father in a video he uploaded to the dark web, according to police. The girl's father, 30-year-old James Lockhart, faces the death penalty if convicted of the horrific abuse. US Homeland Security said the Florida father "posted a video of extreme sexual abuse of a female child [appearing to be less than 2-years-old[ by an adult male" in November 2017. According to the Miami Herald, Lockhart also made posts on securely encrypted web pages detailing his sexual experiences with a young girl and boy, while asking for suggestions of things he could do and promising future updates. Authorities managed to track Lockhart down through instant message service Kik and raided his home. According to Homeland Security, the alleged paedophile's wife was shown footage of the horrific ordeal and was able to instantly recognise her baby daughter, her husband's hands, their couch and daughter's stuffed toy. The 2-year-old girl and her twin brother were been taken into custody on the day of their father's arrest. It is understood the suspect has made other postings to the dark web under a different username. Lockhart faces numerous charges including capital sexual battery - which carries a death sentence if convicted. (source: New Zealand Herald) INDIANA: Judges turning to imported juriesWant fair trials for high-profile defendants The trial of a Fort Wayne man facing the death penalty for allegedly killing 4 people – 1 of them his unborn child – more than two years ago could cost Allen County at least $282,500. And the county could be on the hook next year for thousands more as jurors in another high-profile case are selected elsewhere and brought here for trial. A 3rd case could be added, as a judge has already said he will likely order out-of-county jurors to be chosen for the trial of a Grabill man accused of sexually assaulting and killing 8-year-old April Tinsley in 1988. It's rare for trials in Allen County to be heard by jurors from somewhere else. The last time was in 2002, when jurors from South Bend acquitted former Fort Wayne police officer Gentry Mosley of murder and attempted murder in connection with a 1997 double shooting. The process is time-consuming and challenging to plan, and local officials are working to prepare for 3 trials with imported juries in 2019 – potentially a first for Allen County. “This will be a learning experience, for sure,” said Allen Superior Court Executive John McGauley, who is responsible for some of the planning, including asking the County Council for funding to cover trial costs. “We know what we'll be doing,” he said. “It's just a matter of getting the logistics set up.” Defendant facing death penalty Marcus Dansby, 23, is charged with 4 counts of murder in the grisly killings of 4 people on Sept. 11, 2016, in a Holton Avenue home. One of the victims, 18-year-old Dajahiona Arrington, was carrying his child, and prosecutors filed paperwork in early 2017 to seek the death penalty. Allen Superior Court Judge Fran Gull issued an order Oct. 1 calling for jurors to be selected in Marion County and brought to Allen County for Dansby's trial, which is scheduled to start in April and could last more than a month. The order said defense attorneys had shown evidence of “public hostility and outrage” surrounding the case and pretrial publicity “that is inflammatory and sensational.” It's difficult to pin down the expected cost of a trial with out-of-county jurors because variables such as the length of the trial and the distance from which jurors will travel fluctuate. It also costs more to sequester juries, lodging them where the trial is occurring, and that will happen with Dansby's case. When it looked as if Dansby might go to trial in 2017, McGauley asked for $282,576 from the county. That money would have paid for the cost of the trial, including expenses such as meals for jurors and transcription service. The trial was delayed several times, though, and that figure likely is less than what the actual cost of the trial will be because expenses like transportation and lodging for jurors is not included. McGauley said expected costs for the April trial have not been calculated. The court's $6 million budget pays for day-to-day operations, and additional funding for “special situations” such as the trial for Dansby is sought from the County Council, he said. “The court does not have a budget set aside for such possibilities,” McGauley said in an email. “These instances are rare, and a standby budget like that wouldn't get used often enough to justify having it all the time.” County's practice The right to a fair trial is protected by the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and state law ensures that defendants can ask a judge to move a trial from
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----worldwide
November 12 MALAYSIA: Lawyers not convinced death penalty the answer for heinous crimes against childrenMalaysia is moving towards abolishing the death penalty, but a lawyer says it could be retained to punish crimes against children. Rights lawyers who oppose the death penalty have disagreed with a suggestion by Ramkarpal Singh that the capital punishment be retained for crimes involving children. Eric Paulsen said there should be no exceptions to abolishing the death penalty, which he referred to as a “state-sanctioned murder”. Ramkarpal, who is also DAP’s Bukit Gelugor MP, had earlier said that even though he had always advocated doing away with the death penalty, he was in favour of the sentence being meted out on those found guilty of committing horrific crimes against children. His comments came in the wake of the death of 11-month-old Nur Muazara Ulfa Mohammad Zainal on Friday. Police have arrested a couple, after a post-mortem showed the baby could have been raped, sodomised and abused. But Paulsen said it still did not justify the death penalty. “There is nothing to be gained by killing another person even though he or she may have committed a heinous crime,” he said. “All it shows is that we are a society that is bent on retribution and punishment instead of reform and mercy.” However, he said those convicted of serious crimes should be put away with long prison sentences. Lawyer Latheefa Koya, meanwhile, said that judicial punishment should be more about deterrence rather than “cold-blooded vengeance”. “It has been proven that the death penalty does not deter serious crimes,” said Latheefa, who heads Lawyers for Liberty. She said life imprisonment was a more dreadful punishment. “In fact some prisoners prefer to die, than spend their life in prison,” she added. (source: freemalaysiatoday.com) INDONESIA: Bali 9’s Renae Lawrence is set to be released within days after spending 13 years locked up in Indonesia for heroin trafficking - the 1st member of the syndicate to leave alive Bali 9 member Renae Lawrence is set to be released from prison in Indonesia It would make Lawrence the only member of the Bali Nine group to be released She has been behind bars in Bangli jail since 2005 for trafficking 2.6kg of heroin A provisional date for her release has been set for November 21, sources confirm Bali 9 drug smuggler Renae Lawrence is set to be released from prison in Indonesia within days - after spending 13 years locked up for heroin trafficking. The impending release of the 41-year-old would mean she is the only member of the notorious syndicate to leave prison in Bali alive. Lawrence has been behind bars in Bali's Bangli jail since she was convicted of attempting to smuggle 2.6kg of heroin into Australia through Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport on April 17, 2005. The drugs were found strapped to her body - and the bodies of three other drug mules - after the Australian Federal Police tipped off Indonesian authorities. 2 separate sources have confirmed to 10 Daily News that the sole female member of the drug trafficking group will be released from jail by the end of the month, with a provisional date set for November 21. Bali's head of Board Corrections, I Made Badra, told the publication that his team are working with the Australian consulate on Lawrence's release. 'On the day of her release, we'll take her to Denpasar Immigration for her passport and plane ticket,' he said. Lawrence could have been freed from prison in May but couldn't make the $100,000 payment and opted to remain in jail for another 6 months. Fellow Bali 9 members Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan were executed by firing squad in 2015, while Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died from cancer earlier this year. Lawrence hopes to work when she returns to Australia but believes it may not be easy to find an employer that will take on an ex-prisoner. 'In Australia, it's difficult because we already have the status of prisoner,' Lawrence told News Corp in August. 'If the owner of the company is a kind person and can accept us but that person rarely exists.' She was the only Bali 9 member to not receive life imprisonment and has been making the most of the rehabilitation programs while in jail. Where are the other members of Bali 9? Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 34, - were executed by firing squad on the Indonesian prison island of Nusa Kambangan on April 29, 2015. Tan Duc Thanh was initially given life but was then sentenced to death following an appeal. He died of cancer while in jail earlier this year. 5 others are serving life in jail: Scott Rush, 32 Rush's parents were the ones to tip of the Australian Federal Police stating they hoped it would stop their son from becoming a drug mule. Following his arrest he was sentenced to life in prison and upon appeal was slapped with the death penalty.
