The Virginian-Pilot
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With a new governor in office, Virginia appears poised to significantly expand its use of the death penalty.
Two death-penalty bills won preliminary approval by overwhelming margins Tuesday in the House of Delegates. One would make accomplices to a murder eligible for capital punishment. The other would extend the ultimate penalty to the killers of emergency personnel other than police officers.
Both measures have been passed by the General Assembly before and vetoed by former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican who took office last month, is favorably disposed toward both, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
HB502, sponsored by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, would repeal the state's "triggerman rule," which provides that only the actual perpetrator of a capital murder is eligible for the death penalty. Gilbert's bill would make accomplices eligible as well if it is proven they had the same intent to kill as the actual murderer, or if they ordered or directed the slaying.
The measure "ensures that equally guilty defendants are treated equally under the law," Gilbert told the House. He noted that under existing Virginia law, such figures as Osama bin Laden and Charles Manson could not have been put to death.
Arguing against the bill, Del. Joseph Morrissey, D-Richmond, called it "unwarranted, unworthy and un-Christian." He said capital punishment is more costly to administer than life in prison, ineffective as a deterrent, disproportionately applied to minorities and occasionally meted out to innocent people.
During questioning from Morrissey, Gilbert acknowledged that under his bill, someone who wasn't present at the scene of a murder could be put to death for it.
The bill was approved 73-25.
The second measure, HB166, sponsored by Del. Brenda Pogge, R-Yorktown, would expand the death penalty to cover the killers of auxiliary law-enforcement officers, emergency medical services personnel, fire marshals and assistant fire marshals.
"Protecting public safety personnel is a duty of this body," Pogge told the House. If any such workers are murdered, she said, "the full weight of the law should be brought down on the perpetrator."
Morrissey, arguing against the bill, called it "a solution looking for a problem."
Fiel ding questions from Morrissey, Pogge acknowledged that she knows of no slayings of fire or emergency medical personnel in recent Virginia history.
Pogge's bill was approved 71-24. Pending final House passage today, both measures will go to the Senate.
Already, Virginia has executed more convicted criminals than any other state except Texas since the resumption of capital punishment in the United States in 1976.
The pace of executions has slowed in recent years. Kaine, a Democrat and death-penalty opponent, vetoed several legislative attempts to expand the state's capital punishment laws during his just-completed four-year term.
Bill Sizemore, (804) 697-1560, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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Life after death?
It's far from easy to say violent killers shouldn't be handed a death sentence, especially in cases where a lot of victims or particularly vicious acts are involved. What's hard--or should be for anyone who thinks about it--is sending an innocent person to death, which happens. And if that innocent person wrongly convicted were your father, or brother, or sister or mother, daughter, son, best friend--well, would you be quite so eager to see them strapped to a gurney or chair and killed by the state (which represents us)? How must it feel to be the loved ones of people wrongly executed? Where is their vengeance? Until we can bring those later proven innocent back from the dead, how can anyone justify the death penalty?
Death Penalty and state hiring practices
I believe in the Death Penalty and Virginia should continue to enforce the Death Penalty. However, if Virginia employs a Medical Examiner with a criminal history, then it is virtualy impossible for the Prosecutor to qualify the Medical Examiner as an expert which is a required step before the expert can testify to the evidence collected during the autopsy. Without the Medical Examiners expert testimony, the case ceases to be a Death Penalty case and the Murderer/Rapist can live out the rest of his worthless life in prison! My point is, enforce the Death Penalty but Virginia needs to employ people who are qualified to testifying during the trial. Comment is based on my personal experince as the relative of a murdered child.
It's only Bad if you are not the victim
It's easy to stand back and say violent killers should not be put to death, but what if someone walked into your house and shot one of your family members? Do we forgive and forget, or an eye for an eye a life for a life. My only response is that if the state doesn't give this person the death sentence, I will if it is one of my family members. If we make examples of these violent offenders, maybe the violence will stop.
That's why we have laws and courts.
If you do do something like this you should be held accountable also. Vigilantism is not what a just and legal society do.
With reservations
I think the death penalty is totally earned by some of those who receive it. I also think that no innocent life should be taken so that the burden of proof to get the death sentence must be incredibly high. Otherwise it must be life in prison. This idea of executing those other than the "triggerman" makes me pretty uneasy. Being with the killer is not the same as being the killer. Don't know that I can agree with that bill.
Again, if the prohibition of murder is not religious based than what is it? Why support abortion and oppose death penalty?
And for that guy who keeps calling conservatives the american taliban- grow up and educate yourself. You have no idea how ignorant you sound do you?
Death Penalty
I have to agree with Capital punishment for the people that helped kill someone and Capital punishment for those that kill first responders and police. I am a moderate Democrat and I do not want to pay for their college education in jail and their exercise regime etc...etc...etc...If they were put to sleep their families would move on with thier lives and they would have a chance to improve their lives and not be victims of having a father or mother alive in jail. In the Middle East there is almost no crime. My family lived there for over 25 years and we felt much safer there than we do here. You would of had to live this experience to understand what I am saying. People there fear getting in trouble and hurting someone because they know they will pay. Yes its kind of rough but it saves thousands of innocent lives in the long run.
I dont want to pay these private companies the money to house these long term criminals either. This is a huge business and you know how people are with businesses all they care about is profit so these companies will be very active in stopping Captial punishment so they can profit. Another example of not caring a bit about the people and only caring abo
Some of these elected officials----
Some of these elected officials, MR. Morrisey and friends, have no touch with reality, and know not whereof they speak! His arguments against the death penalty are complete exaggerations of the facts.
Then please
enlighten them. What are the facts? Just stating that "the facts" show different isn't showing the facts.
death penalty
It makes me feel ill when I know that our state is going to kill someone. When I read about someone trying to get the Gov. to parden them, I always hope that this life will be spared. I don't think we should kill people because they are sick. Help is what they need, not death. I wish this state would do away with the death penalty. Jails are for punishment and hospitals are for the sick.
Arguing against the bill,
Arguing against the bill, Del. Joseph Morrissey, D-Richmond, called it "unwarranted, unworthy and un-Christian."
There you go again. Please keep your religion OUT of my politics.
It may be "Un-Christian" but is it Un-Muslim? Or Un-Buddhist? How about Un-Rastafarian?
*Shakes Head*