New Jefferson County prosecutors 'personally opposed' to death penalty (al.com)
By Kent Faulk | kfaulk@al.com
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on November 15, 2016 at 6:00 AM, updated November 15, 2016 at 7:46 AM
Jefferson County leads the state in sending criminals to death row, but that could be about to change.
New top prosecutors are preparing to take over the Bessemer and Birmingham divisions and both have reservations about the death penalty.
Charles Todd Henderson, a Democrat, won election last week to become district attorney for the Birmingham division in Jefferson County.
In Bessemer, Lynneice Washington, also a Democrat, is leading Republican Bill Veitch in the race for district attorney in the Bessemer division. Washington is leading Veitch by 223 votes going into today when provisional ballots and overseas and military ballots will be counted. Because of the tight race (less than half of one percent difference), an automatic recount will be held Nov. 21.
If Washington wins she would become the first female and African American to become a District Attorney in Jefferson County. She also would be the first black woman to hold the position of district attorney in Alabama history.
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more: http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2016/11/new_jefferson_county_prosecuto.html
I realize this is a couple of months old, but thought the potential for progress on the DP might interest some here.
