2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forum250th Texas prisoner executed under Rick Perry
Perry has presided over more executions than any other governor in modern U.S. history
BY NATASHA LENNARD
When Donnie Roberts received a lethal injection Wednesday night from the state of Texas, he became the 250th prisoner to be executed during Rick Perrys tenure as governor. Roberts, a former crack addict who murdered his girlfriend in 2003, became another symbol among a list of striking statistics that evidence, as the Guardian put it, Perrys continued enthusiasm for punishing murder with death.
Perry has presided over more executions than any other governor in U.S. modern history (partly owing to his long tenure of 12 years).
George W. Bush, Perrys predecessor, oversaw 152 executions, breaking the record for the highest rate of executions while governor (from 1995 to 2000).
Perry has granted 31 death row commutations, 28 of them owing to a 2005 Supreme Court decision prohibiting the execution of minors.
In 2001, Perry vetoed a bill that banned the execution of the mentally disabled. Considerations in Texas of whether someone is incompetent for execution are based on inspiration from the fictional character Lennie from Steinbecks Of Mice and Men. On October 2012, 44-year-old Jonathan Green was given the lethal injection for murder, despite his attorneys protests that he was mentally ill and incompetent for execution. In August this year, Texas executed Marvin Wilson despite his having an IQ of 61 and being medically diagnosed as mentally retarded.
In 2011, Texas executed Mexican national Humberto Garcia, despite the fact that he had been denied his right to assistance from the Mexican consulatea move which many legal experts worried was a violation of international law. Texas is not bound by a foreign courts ruling, Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said when questioned about the matter.
In 1994, 17-year-old Napoleon Beazley shot John Luttig during an attempted carjacking. The New Republic reported, John Luttigs son, Michael Luttig, went on to become a U.S. District Judge. When the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, three justicesAntonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and David Souterhad to recuse themselves because they had relationships with Michael. The remaining six justices voted 3-3 on Beazleys appeal, with the tie resulting in a rejection. Beazley was executed in 2002. The Supreme Court later banned executions for offenders under 18 in 2005.
In 2004 in perhaps the Governors most controversial execution case Perry refused to grant a stay of execution to Cameron Todd Willingham, who was sentenced to death for murdering his three children with arson. Although the governor was sent a report by an arson expert casting serious doubt on the evidence against Todd Willingham, Perry allowed the execution to go ahead. (The case became the subject of David Granns famous New Yorker investigation.
There are approximately 285 offenders presently on Texas death row six of them since the 1970s.
Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.
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Rockyj
(538 posts)everynight for the rest of his life!
TroyD
(4,551 posts)When will this antiquated practice be abolished?
Dyedinthewoolliberal
(15,588 posts)I mean, since I live in a state that hasn't executed anyone (I don't think), Washington, 250 is massive! I wonder if he mocked any of them like GWB did to Carla Fay Thomas.........
hack89
(39,171 posts)they have executed 5 people since 1979. Still not good but much better than Texas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Washington_state#Executions_since_1976
Dyedinthewoolliberal
(15,588 posts)now that I look at the page I remember a few of those names............
Mnemosyne
(21,363 posts)libinnyandia
(1,374 posts)When he goes before his Judge he will have a lot of explaining to do.
Third Doctor
(1,574 posts)the applause at the Repub primary debate when the death penalty was brought up. That was sick.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Perry will enjoy its delights.
ladjf
(17,320 posts)Sugarcoated
(7,728 posts)that evil fuck will be held to account when his soul meets the maker.