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15 Sep 2011 22:33

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U.S.: US Supreme Court issues stay in execution of Texas inmate

  • NO Duane Buck won’t be executed tonight source
  • » What happened: In 1995, Buck was convicted of double-murder in Houston, Texas, and sentenced to death. Buck’s guilt is not being disputed; however, during the sentencing phase, a psychologist testified that black criminals are more likely than other races to pose a threat to the public if released. Buck’s lawyers contest that this testimony–which was denounced in 2000 by then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn–played a role in Buck’s sentence, and asked Governor Rick Perry and the district attorney to grant Buck a retrial. Perry and the DA refused the request, but the US Supreme Court intervened today, issuing a stay in his execution just four hours before his execution was set to take place. The court has yet to rule on a request for a resentencing.

20 Dec 2010 22:43

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World: More horrific capital punishment, this time with a twist

  • terrible A 50-year old Bangladesh was sentenced to 40 lashes for an alleged affair with her stepson. She died of internal injuries following the beating.
  • strange Those responsible for the beating were subsequently arrested. Why? They weren’t supposed to kill her; that’s against the law. What a world. source

18 Jun 2010 11:27

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U.S.: Ronnie Lee Gardner execution: He clenched his fist before he died

  • Firing four bullets into a man’s chest is, by definition, violent. If it can also be clinical and sterile, then that also happened in this execution.
  • Salt Lake Tribune reporter Nate Carlisle • Describing what he saw as Ronnie Lee Gardner was killed by firing squad last night in Utah. The first-person account of the execution, which is the first Carlisle ever witnessed, is a gripping read. Instead of slumping over after being shot, like the guards expected he would, Gardner clenched his fist. Then de-clenched it. “At the time, I interpreted this as Gardner suffering — clenching his fist in an effort to fight the pain,” Carlisle wrote. “As I write this, I don’t know whether that’s true. It could have just been reflexes or some other process the body begins after a major trauma. Scientists do not know much about what a person shot through the heart feels.” No matter your thoughts on capital punishment, this is gripping. source