Ark. Governor Reverses Course on Death Penalty
SF Gate
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — After running for governor as a supporter of the death penalty, Gov. Mike Beebe
said Wednesday that the experience of signing a death warrant for the
first time caused his thinking on the issue to "evolve" and that he
would sign legislation outlawing the punishment if legislators were to
send him such a bill.
The
Democratic governor doesn't plan to make repealing the death penalty
part of his legislative agenda for this year's session, nor does he
intend to ask any lawmaker to introduce such legislation, Beebe's
spokesman, Matt DeCample, said. Several top lawmakers said it's unlikely
legislators would propose a death penalty repeal.
Beebe said he changed his mind about the death penalty after having to sign his first death warrant.
"The
awesome burden of being the last person to have to sign one of those
things sobers you differently than talking about it in the abstract,"
Beebe said.
His remarks came in response to an audience question during his appearance at the Political Animals Club meeting at the governor's mansion.
Since
taking office in 2007, Beebe has approved four executions, but none of
those have been carried out because of various court challenges.
In
signing the death warrants, Beebe said, he pored over "every word of
the testimony" in search of a "scintilla" of doubt about the conviction.
He said in all four cases, his review of the court papers convinced him
of the person's guilt but that the experience of having to sign the
order shifted his feelings about the death penalty.
No comments:
Post a Comment