Post by porky2017 on Apr 2, 2008 19:41:24 GMT -5
By Lee Logan
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/02/2008
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri would suspend executions until 2011 under a bill being pushed by a group of House lawmakers.
Besides the freeze, the measure also would create a 10-person commission to study a random sample of death penalty cases to judge the fairness of the process. The panel could look at topics such as possible racial disparities and the quality of evidence used to convict the person.
"We want to make sure that the person (on death row), regardless of their race, is the right person," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bill Deeken, R-Jefferson City.
During a hearing on the bill Tuesday, Dennis Fritz, one of the main characters in John Grisham's nonfiction book "The Innocent Man," spoke in favor of the bill.
Fritz, of Kansas City, and Ron Williamson were convicted of murdering Debbie Carter in Oklahoma and later exonerated by DNA evidence. Fritz was sentenced to life in prison, and Williamson was sentenced to death before they were cleared.
"I spent 12 hard years in a penitentiary for something I didn't even know about," Fritz said.
Ginger Masters of Columbia, Mo., also supported the bill. Her voice cracking at times, she said that even though her husband, David, was murdered three years ago, she is a "fence-sitter" on the death penalty.
Most of the time, she said, "I don't think this state should be in the business of killing its citizens."
Despite the emotional testimony, Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, said the death penalty process works.
"There's a lot of protections already built into the system," he said. "My sense is that this bill is a vehicle to totally do away with the death penalty."
Besides Deeken, 57 other House members are listed as co-sponsors, including 13 Republicans.
The committee's chairman, Rep. Mark Bruns, R-Jefferson City, said he would allow a vote on the bill if Deeken thinks he has the votes. Bruns is listed as a co-sponsor.
Rep. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, noted that blacks make up 40 percent of those sentenced to death.
"This is injustice at its core," she said. "Let's take this debate to the House floor."
The bill is HB1870.
Source stl today news.