Last night, Virginia Death Row inmate William Morva was executed by lethal injection. Morva was sentenced to death for the 2006 killing of a sheriff’s deputy and a hospital security guard while Morva was unsuccessfully trying to escape from a hospital.
Morva Suffered Severe Mental Impairment
Earlier on the day of the Morva execution
As we have discussed earlier, the SCOTUS ruling in Hurst means that almost 400 Florida Death Row inmates may need new sentencing hearings … and that’s happening now.
Hurst Impact on Current Florida Death Row Inmates — Manatee Example
For details, read the coverage of the recent developments for three Florida Death Row inmates
Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) published its decision in McWilliams v. Dunn, a capital case coming out of Alabama where Death Row Inmate James McWilliams argued and won that his sentencing was unconstitutional. He did not challenge his conviction.
Independent Mental Health Expert for Death Penalty Defendants in Capital
Here’s a great resource for a quick overview of the death penalty in the United States, state by state, including clemency granted and denied and various issues with execution methods.
Compiled by CNN, you can read it here as their Death Penalty Fast Facts.
Among the details found there:
1. Since 1973, there have
The thing about lethal injection is that it’s an execution method usually built around a combination of drugs. And those drugs might not be the same.
Indiana 3-Drug Combo Voided by Indiana Court
For example, in Indiana the drug combination protocol established by the Indiana Department of Corrections was: (1) methoexital; (2) pancuronium bromide; and
Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States opted not to review a case dealing with the Florida Supreme Court’s determination that there must be an unanimous jury for the death penalty.
Which means that it’s clear going forward that in Florida capital cases, the prosecution must convince all twelve jurors that capital punishment
Amnesty International has released its annual report on capital punishment around the world. How does the United States fare in comparison to countries like China, Iran, or Saudi Arabia?
Death Penalty in the USA Compared to Other Nations
From their report:
For the first time since 2006, and only the second time since 1991,
More on Florida Death Row Than Any Other State Except California
According to new research compilations by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, we know that Florida remains number two in the country for the number of people setting on its Death Row.
Only California has more Death Row residents. Source: Bureau
Over in Texas, the worst nightmare for any death penalty defense attorney is being played out in real life: the allegations that a prosecutor committed serious misconduct during the capital trial, which resulted not only in the conviction of an innocent man, but his execution.
Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in 2004 for the arson
The Death Penalty Info Center just updated its Death Penalty Fact Sheet. You can download the pdf by clicking on the image:
Lots of information here regarding capital punishment in the United States today. From the DPIC statistics, consider the following: