TheRepublic.com - Criminal punishment News

Court rejects appeal of Fla. mass killer Ferguson

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:35:03 -0400

MIAMI - A federal appeals court has rejected claims by convicted Florida killer John Errol Ferguson that he should not be executed because he is mentally incompetent.

5 things to know in Florida for May 22

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:42:09 -0400

Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

Fla. Supreme Court says execution can go forward

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:05:06 -0400

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - The Florida Supreme Court says the execution of a man who killed a prison guard in 1987 can go forward.

Ohio governor to alert families to execution mercy

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:20:45 -0400

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In the future Ohio Gov. John Kasich will call family members of murder victims when he decides to spare the lives of death row inmates, the governor's office said Friday.

Monroe prison guard killer moved to Walla Walla

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:07:10 -0400

EVERETT, Washington - Byron Scherf was sentenced to death for killing a corrections officer at the Washington State Reformatory, but he will face the same security measures as the other eight death row inmates at the state penitentiary at Walla Walla, a Department of Corrections spokesman said.

Indonesia executes 3 inmates on prison island

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:16:34 -0400

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia has executed three death row inmates who were convicted of mutilating a man and murdering a family.

Okla. death row inmate to ask board for clemency

Fri, 17 May 2013 05:07:25 -0400

OKLAHOMA CITY - An Oklahoma death row inmate scheduled to be executed next month plans to ask the state Pardon and Parole Board to commute his death sentence.

No spike in parolee arrests under new prison law

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:53:45 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - Corrections department researchers have found no spike in arrests of parolees since responsibility for many ex-convicts shifted to local authorities under the state's prison realignment law, according to a study released Thursday.

Ark. correction agency loses drug company account

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:23:19 -0400

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - Weeks after Arkansas acknowledged buying an anti-seizure drug to use in executions, the state correction department said Wednesday it's losing its account with the pharmaceutical company that supplied the chemical.

Texas executes man for fatal shooting of officer

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:22:45 -0400

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A Houston man condemned for the slaying of a police officer shot while trying to handcuff him during a car theft arrest 14 years ago was put to death Wednesday evening.

Ex-death row inmates: Veto Timely Justice Act

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:16:27 -0400

MIAMI - Two former death row inmates who have since been exonerated urged Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday to veto legislation that would expedite the state's capital punishment process, worrying it will condemn some innocent men to death.

State judge delays execution set for next week

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:12:27 -0400

BEEVILLE, Texas - A state district judge has put off next week's scheduled execution of a Texas inmate condemned for the slaying of a corrections officer at a South Texas prison in 1999.

Hearing for woman on death row for Amarillo murder

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:08:48 -0400

HOUSTON - The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has ordered a hearing to address allegations raised in an appeal from a woman sent to death row for the 1996 robbery and slaying of an 80-year-old Amarillo man at his apartment.

Vietnam changes law to get around EU execution ban

Wed, 15 May 2013 05:43:23 -0400

HANOI, Vietnam - Vietnam has issued a new law allowing domestically produced chemicals to be used in lethal injections, a change that should enable it to resume the currently stalled executions of more than 530 people on death row.

Man scheduled to die June 24 for killing women

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:33:47 -0400

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of killing two women and leaving a third woman for dead.

Calif. struggles with experiment to shift inmates

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:56:20 -0400

SACRAMENTO, California - In response to a federal court order, Gov. Jerry Brown pushed a novel approach through the Legislature two years ago to dramatically reduce California's prison population.

Lawmakers advance Neb. wrongful-conviction payout

Fri, 10 May 2013 21:34:22 -0400

LINCOLN, Nebraska - A man who spent nearly 14 years in a Nebraska prison after he was wrongly convicted of murdering his wife came one step closer Friday to a $500,000 settlement that will pay for his dream home.

Cheers, tears at Arias 1st-degree murder verdict

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:15:08 -0400

PHOENIX - The jury has found Jodi Arias guilty of first-degree murder in the death of her one-time boyfriend in Arizona. Arias initially denied involvement and later blamed the killing on masked intruders. Two years after her arrest, she said she killed Travis Alexander in self-defense.

Convicted killer of mom, child, loses appeal

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:58:25 -0400

HOUSTON - The state's highest criminal appeals court has upheld a lower court's ruling rejecting an appeal for a Fort Worth man sent to death row for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old son eight years ago.

Texas inmate executed for fatal drug-deal robbery

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:02:23 -0400

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - A Texas death row inmate convicted of killing a fellow drug dealer while robbing him outside of a Waco convenience store 10 years ago was executed Tuesday evening.

Miss. Supreme Court blocks Tuesday execution

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:48:27 -0400

PARCHMAN, Mississippi - The Mississippi Supreme Court indefinitely delayed Tuesday evening's planned execution of Willie Jerome Manning, who was condemned to die for the 1992 shooting deaths of two college students.

Miss. Supreme Court blocks scheduled execution

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:08:05 -0400

PARCHMAN, Mississippi - The Mississippi Supreme Court has indefinitely delayed Tuesday evening's scheduled execution of an inmate convicted of the 1992 slayings of two college students.

Florida editorial roundup

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:41:44 -0400

Recent editorials from Florida newspapers:

APNewsBreak: Ark. AG seeks executions for 7 felons

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:38:02 -0400

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - Arkansas' attorney general asked Gov. Mike Beebe to set execution dates for seven death row inmates, according to letters obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

Ark. Supreme Court issues order in capital case

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:26:44 -0400

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - The Arkansas Supreme Court is sending a death row inmate's case back to a circuit court because it says the lower court failed to make specific findings of written fact and conclusions of law.