Elijah Page

[pumpkinpie]

South Dakota's First Execution in 60 Years Involves Young "Volunteer"
7-12-2007

On July 11, South Dakota carried out its first execution in 60 years, marking only the 15th time the state has carried out a death sentence since 1877. The state executed 25-year old Elijah Page after he dropped all appeals and volunteered to die by lethal injection. Page was only 18 at the time of his crime and had a long history of being abused. During his trial, the presiding judge noted, "Most parents treated their pets better than your parents treated you." Page's decision to drop his appeals meant that his execution was carried out under new lethal injection protocols that have not been examined by courts.

www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

[banshee]

pumpkinpie said:

South Dakota's First Execution in 60 Years Involves Young "Volunteer"
7-12-2007

On July 11, South Dakota carried out its first execution in 60 years, marking only the 15th time the state has carried out a death sentence since 1877. The state executed 25-year old Elijah Page after he dropped all appeals and volunteered to die by lethal injection. Page was only 18 at the time of his crime and had a long history of being abused. During his trial, the presiding judge noted, "Most parents treated their pets better than your parents treated you." Page's decision to drop his appeals meant that his execution was carried out under new lethal injection protocols that have not been examined by courts.

www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

he was only 25 and these vengeful bastards killed him. R.I.P Elijah

[pumpkinpie]

banshee said:

pumpkinpie said:

South Dakota's First Execution in 60 Years Involves Young "Volunteer"
7-12-2007

On July 11, South Dakota carried out its first execution in 60 years, marking only the 15th time the state has carried out a death sentence since 1877. The state executed 25-year old Elijah Page after he dropped all appeals and volunteered to die by lethal injection. Page was only 18 at the time of his crime and had a long history of being abused. During his trial, the presiding judge noted, "Most parents treated their pets better than your parents treated you." Page's decision to drop his appeals meant that his execution was carried out under new lethal injection protocols that have not been examined by courts.

www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

he was only 25 and these vengeful bastards killed him. R.I.P Elijah

I agree. And the worst part of it was that he dropped all his appeals and asked to be executed. He could have lived much much longer, but wanted to die. From where I'm from, that's considered suicidal. I thought suicides were suppose to be prevented in prisons, not carried out as murders.

Despite the fact that Elijah Page committed some brutal crimes in his days, he clearly suffered much mental anguish. Hopefully he does rest in peace now.

[pumpkinpie]

An act of violence in which we all participate

(Excerpts from a June 30, 2007 statement by the bishops of South Dakota's two dioceses, Most Revs. Blase Cupich of Rapid City and Paul J. Swain of Sioux Falls.)

Elijah Page and his accomplices have inflicted a great deal of suffering and pain on Chester Poage's family and friends that will last a lifetime. The hearts of all South Dakotans grieve with those who loved this young man and share their outrage at this unspeakable crime. We pray that healing may come to them.

Clearly, the state has an obligation both to hold violent criminals accountable for their actions and to protect society from those who are a threat. We sincerely appreciate the burden our elected officials bear as they struggle to excercise their responsibilities in good conscience and according to law. The execution of Elijah Page ought to concern us all, however, for it is an act of violence which continues to erode respect for human life.

In addition, it terminates the possibility for conversion and rehabilitation, for which the state has an obligation to allow every opportunity.

Pope John Paul ll called for the abolition of capital punishment, arguing that when the protection of others is not an issue, the use of the death penalty cannot be morally defended. Undoubtedly the safety of society, which includes prison personnel and other inmates, is a grave obligation on the part of the state. However, with steady improvement in the organization of the penal system, threats to society and the prison population by convicted criminals are, as the Catechism of Catholic Church notes, "very rare, if not practically nonexistent."

But even if such circumstances were to arise, the first response should be to promote, as much as humanly possible, prison reform to protect all from danger, rather than to justify taking the life of any person. Thus, if there are weaknesses in the penal environment or legal system in South Dakota, such that our prisons are not safe and are a venue for more crime, then they ought to be alleviated. This could be done by drawing on the experiences of other states which house dangerous criminals without resorting to the death penalty, including our neighboring states of Iowa, North Dakota and Minnesota.

This is the moment for us as a state and for our leaders to affirm that those who commit horrific crimes will be held accountable for their actions, but in a way that teaches the sacredness of all persons gifted by God with life. We have had enough violence in our society. The death penalty only adds more.

We invite South Dakotans to prayerfully reflect on the implications of the use of the death penalty and its impact on our society not just in this difficult case, but in all such cases. We, citizens and leaders alike, must continue to work to assure that justice is sure, without state-sanctioned violence.

www.cacp.org
Volume 16, Number 3
September 5, 2007