Over in Lee County, Robert Dunn has been arrested for the crime of shooting and killing his wife, Christine Lozier-Dunn, inside of a Cape Coral, Florida, daycare center, Bobbie Noonan’s Child Care, on January 25, 2008. He’s facing trial for first-degree murder, first-degree armed burglary, and child abuse, and since Mr. Dunn couldn’t afford an attorney he’s been appointed
What Now for the Indigent Defense Crisis? US Supreme Court Denies Weis Petition Without Comment
Yesterday, without comment, the United States Supreme Court denied the petition filed by Georgia Death Row inmate Jamie Ryan Weis.
This is shocking.
This is very bad news. We’ve written about the Weis case before, including links to the amicus brief filed by a stellar list of Georgia legal scholars, fighting for
The Mentally Ill Are Executed in the United States – 1: Who is Legally Insane Under The Law?
Many people believe that if someone is mentally ill, then they cannot be executed for their crimes. This is not true; an individual suffering from a mental illness can be sentenced to death in the United States. In fact, the protections against someone being executed due to their psychological impairments is rather limited: many
Executions Across the Nation Halted Due to Shortage of Sodium Thiopental
Sodium thiopental is a critical component of the three-drug cocktail that makes up the lethal injection procedure for most executions in this country. It’s the drug that makes the person lose consciousness, before the other two drugs first cause paralysis and then stop the heart. (We’ve posted about the procedure in detail here.)
Virginia Will Execute Teresa Lewis Tonight Absent a Miracle, My Comments to the Palm Beach Post
Virginia Death Row inmate Teresa Lewis, 41, has ordered her Last Meal: fried chicken, sweet peas, and either German chocolate cake or apple pie for dessert, along with a Dr.Pepper. Despite the efforts of lots of folk – including author John Grisham, for example – Teresa Lewis will die by lethal injection at the
Attribution Policy for the Blog: Please Review if You Want to Quote from DPB
Awhile back, a reader wrote asking about the blog’s attribution policy. So better late than never, here it is, and thanks to Kathlb for helping us get this task done.
We will license the work shown on the Death Penalty Blog under the Creative Commons Public License as detailed below, the Attribution Without Derivatives license. You may download posts from the DPB and share them with others IF you mention the DPB/Terry Lenamon as the source and include a link back to DPB. The contents of the blog posts cannot be changed. They cannot be used commercially.
In other words, please feel free to quote from the DPB as long as you identify the content as a quote, include a hyperlink to the DPB, and don’t try and make money off of it.
THE WORK (AS DEFINED BELOW) IS PROVIDED UNDER THE TERMS OF THIS CREATIVE COMMONS PUBLIC LICENSE ("CCPL" OR "LICENSE"). THE WORK IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT AND/OR OTHER APPLICABLE LAW. ANY USE OF THE WORK OTHER THAN AS AUTHORIZED UNDER THIS LICENSE OR COPYRIGHT LAW IS PROHIBITED.
BY EXERCISING ANY RIGHTS TO THE WORK PROVIDED HERE, YOU ACCEPT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. TO THE EXTENT THIS LICENSE MAY BE CONSIDERED TO BE A CONTRACT, THE LICENSOR GRANTS YOU THE RIGHTS CONTAINED HERE IN CONSIDERATION OF YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF SUCH TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
(continued)Continue Reading Attribution Policy for the Blog: Please Review if You Want to Quote from DPB
Casey Anthony Has New Death-Qualified Attorney: Jacksonville’s Ann Finnell
This past week, it was announced to the public by Casey Anthony’s defense team that Florida’s Ann E. Finnell had joined them, the latest death-qualified defense attorney to represent the young woman accused of murdering her toddler-daughter, Caylee Marie.
This news comes on the heels of Professor Andrea Lyon withdrawing from the case in late
Connecticut Home Invasion Trial Spotlights Death Penalty Controversy
Connecticut is seeking the death penalty of two men who allegedly broke into the Cheshire home of a prominent doctor, Dr. William Petit, severely beating the doctor and killing his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and two daughters, Hayley,17, and Michaela, 11. You’ve probably read about this case, or heard about it on television.
And
U.S. Supreme Court Sets Oral Argument in Three Death Penalty Cases: Thompson, Skinner, Pinholster
In just a few weeks the new term for the U.S. Supreme Court will begin, and the High Court has already scheduled oral arguments in three pending death penalty-related cases: Connick v. Thompson, Skinner v. Switzer, and Cullen v. Pinholster.
1. Connick v. Thompson comes out of Louisiana. On October 6, 2010, argument will be
Kentucky Set to Execute Gregory Wilson on September 16: Wilson’s IQ is 62 and He Had Horribly Inadequate Defense Counsel
In Kentucky, over 22 years ago, Gregory L. Wilson was sentenced to death for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Deborah Pooley. A co-defendant is serving a life sentence.
Gregory Wilson should not be executed, many agree, but the grounds for stopping his execution are separate and strong: there are those arguing against Wilson’s execution because of his mental