[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----N.C., S.C., FLA., ALA., OHIO
Jan. 25 NORTH CAROLINA: Donovan Richardson sentenced to life in prison for 2014 double murder A Wake County jury on Wednesday sentenced Donovan Richardson to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of 2 elderly men nearly 4 years ago in Fuquay-Varina. The verdict capped several hours of deliberations in which the jury could have sentenced him to death penalty. Jurors found him guilty of the murders of two senior citizens - Arthur Lee Brown, 78, and David Eugene McKoy, 66 - on July 19, 2014 at their Howard Road home. Richardson was 1 of 3 men accused in the crime: Gregory Crawford pleaded guilty in May 2016 to charges of 1st-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and burglary in connection with the slayings. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Kevin Britt was charged with 2 counts of 1st-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and burglary. He has not been sentenced yet, but he did plead guilty to being an accessory to murder. He also testified against Richardson during his trial. The jury began deliberations on Tuesday after attorneys finished their closing arguments. While formally sentencing Richardson, Judge Graham Shirley pointed out in no uncertain terms that Richardson will never taste freedom again in his life. "You have a life expectancy of 52.35 years, so I want you to know for the next 27.5 million minutes of your life that (prison) is where you are going to remain," Shirley said. "Never to be a free man again." Wednesday's decision was the 9th time Wake County prosecutors have sought the death penalty in the last decade in a case, but was rebuffed when the jury handed down a life sentence. "This was a case that we felt strongly (that) under the law (and) under the facts of the case, it was appropriate to go to a jury on that issue," said Lorrin Freeman, the Wake County district attorney. "And we respect the jury's decision." Prosecutors said the 2 men did not deserve to die in their own home. "This is everybody's worst nightmare of 2 men who worked hard (and) loved their families (but) were murdered in the sanctity of their home at night," Freeman said. Rick Gammon, the defense attorney, said he and his client, respected the jury's decision. "He's not good, but he's not as bad as he could be quite frankly," he said. "He's very appreciative of the jury's consideration." (source: WRAL news) SOUTH CAROLINA: S.C. Senate panel advances bills to address lethal injection drug shortage for death penalty A South Carolina Senate subcommittee advanced 2 bills Wednesday that would help the state work around a long-running shortage of lethal injection drugs to carry out the death penalty. The 1st measure would protect the identity of pharmaceutical companies that provide the drugs needed for lethal injections. Gov. Henry McMaster called on the Legislature to pass such a bill, known as a "shield law" or "secrecy law," in November. The 2nd bill under consideration would allow the state to use the electric chair for executions if a lethal injection is not possible. Under current law, death row inmates are given the right to choose between electrocution and lethal injection. Both bills are sponsored by state Sen. William Timmons, R-Greenville. The committee favorably reported both by a 3-1 vote. The lone objector was Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston, who argued the shield law would reduce public transparency. "I think we're going to find ourselves in more legal trouble than where we started," Kimpson said. The full committee is scheduled to consider both measures on Feb. 1. If approved there, the bills would head to the Senate floor for a vote. Privacy "I'm glad we were able to move the legislation forward so that the full committee can take a look at it," said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield. "I think everybody has to acknowledge that there's a problem right now that the Department of Corrections can't carry out the law." All 35 death row inmates in South Carolina are currently winding through the legal appeals process, so there are not any executions the state could not complete due to the drug shortage. Massey said he hopes the measures can move forward before the state reaches that point. "It's important that people know that the law will be carried out," Massey said. "So it would be a bit of a stain if the state has a law and does not empower the agencies of the state to carry out the law." (source: Post and Courier) * South Carolina must be able to carry out death penalty While it can be a controversial topic, South Carolina has the death penalty. This has been the law in our state for a very long time. There are 2 ways for this punishment to be carried out: by electrocution or by lethal injection. Under current state law, a person sentenced to death may choose which method is used for execution.
[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----N.C., S.C., FLA., ALA., OHIO, IND. S. DAK., CALIF., US MIL.
Oct. 16 NORTH CAROLINA: Death penalty has its place in an orderly society Several weeks ago, North Carolina Rep. Justin Burr took to his Facebook page and advocated for a return of capital punishment. Opponents of the death penalty have hammered Burr ever since, not only on Facebook (where several responses are childishly profane), but also in the pages of this newspaper and Raleigh's News & Observer. National magazines, including The Hill and Newsweek, have picked up the story. But according to nearly every reputable poll, most North Carolinians continue to support capital punishment. This despite a relentless, years-long campaign against the death penalty from almost every mainstream news source. What explains the majority's stubborn, unrelenting support for capital punishment? Maybe our priorities and those of the media elite are not the same. Among our top priorities is the preservation of order, which necessitates a reverence for and protection of the innocent and defenseless. The deliberate taking of such a life is incomprehensibly cruel and unforgivable. The ultimate punishment for such offenses is not only justified, but necessary: the offender receives punishment that is proportionate to his offense, and society sends a message that is unmistakable. North Carolina's most recent execution (in 2006) provides a vivid example. In 1994, Samuel Flippen beat to death his 2-year-old stepdaughter, Britnie Nichole Hutton. Flippen was not executed until 12 years later. Opponents of the death penalty are in the awkward (if not impossible) position of arguing that the execution of Samuel Flippen was, somehow, a miscarriage of justice. But one could argue that the only injustice in the Flippen case is that it took the state about a decade too long to carry out the sentence. Since 2006, legal challenges have effectively created a moratorium on the death penalty in North Carolina. A recent case in Michigan reminds us that lenient treatment of murderers can have catastrophic consequences. 25 years ago, Gregory Green stabbed his wife to death. She was 7 months pregnant at the time. (The infant also died.) Green served 16 years, was released from prison, and remarried. In September 2016, he killed his 2 biological daughters, aged 4 and 5, and both of his teenage stepchildren. The latter pair were shot to death in front of their mother, Green's 2nd wife, who was shot and stabbed, but survived. Maybe it's time for Michigan to reconsider its ban on capital punishment. And Rep. Burr is correct: North Carolina needs to resolve its legal quagmire and resume executions. Our death row is occupied by 145 people. The oldest, Blanche Taylor Moore, is now in her mid-80s, and has eluded justice for a quarter-century. Despite the virtual moratorium on the death penalty, some prosecutors, including Assistant DA Robert Enochs, continue to seek the ultimate punishment. A local man, 29-year-old Garry Gupton, is on trial in Greensboro for the murder of Stephen White, 46, 3 years ago. As reported in these pages on Oct. 3, police "believe Gupton beat White before setting him on fire in Room 417 of the Battleground Inn at 1517 Westover Terrace." Surgeons had to amputate both of White's arms, and he died less than a week later. Faith Harris-Green, Gregory Green's 2nd wife, told her homicidal ex-husband at his sentencing hearing, "Your justice will come when you burn in Hell for all eternity for murdering 4 innocent children." It's a shame that the state of Michigan is unable to expedite Mr. Green's long-overdue journey to Hell. (source: Charles Davenport Jr. is a News & Record columnist and a member of the Community Editorial Boardgreensboro.com) SOUTH CAROLINA: Man once sentenced to death gets life for killing teen A Georgia man once sentenced to death in South Carolina for torturing and ordering the killing a 16-year-old boy will now spend the rest of his life in prison. Steven Barnes, 36, was found guilty of murder Friday after an hour of deliberations by an Edgefield County jury, Solicitor Rick Hubbard said. Barnes ran a teen prostitution ring in Augusta, Georgia, where clients were robbed after having sex, and 16-year-old Samuel Sturrup was one of several teens who liked to hang out with him, investigators said. But in September 2001, Barnes thought Sturrup robbed him. He beat the teen with his fists, a metal pole and a shock absorber, stuffed him in a car trunk and drove toe Edgefield County with several other people, authorities said. Barnes forced Sturrup into the woods, where he ordered another teen to shoot the victim in the head. Sturrup's disappearance went unsolved for three months until a dog found a skull with a bullet hole, investigators said. Barnes had been sentenced to death, but the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his conviction in 2013, saying he should have been allowed to represent himself at his
