[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----TEXAS, USA

[Rick Halperin]

Jan. 11



TEXAS----impending execution

Texas Killer Christopher Wilkins Tries to Stop Year's 1st Execution


A Texas man who claims his lawyers did a bad job of defending him against 
charges he callously murdered 2 men could become the 1st prisoner executed this 
year if the U.S. Supreme Court doesn't call off his Wednesday night lethal 
injection.

Christopher Wilkins, 48, is set to die for fatally shooting Willie Freeman, 40, 
and Mike Silva, 33, because he was angry that he was tricked into paying $20 
for a rock disguised as a chuck of crack cocaine.

Wilkins admitted to the 2005 double slaying - and claimed he had committed 
another murder and other crimes - during the sentencing phase of his trial.

"I tend to want to take the easy way out," the ex-con truck driver told the 
court. "I make bad decisions. I know they're bad decisions when I'm making 
them. I make them anyway.

"I think subconsciously, I've been trying to kill myself or get myself killed 
since I was probably 12 or 13 years old," he added.

In his appeals, Wilkins has argued that his attorney ignored his wish to plead 
guilty and did not put on a vigorous defense and that an appellate lawyer had a 
huge conflict of interest, having already accepted a job with the prosecutor's 
office.

Executions hit a 30-year low in the United States last year, in part because 
some states were unable to obtain the needed drugs or put lethal injections on 
hold after executions that did not go as planned.

Texas has a supply of drugs, but the number of lethal injections in the state 
fell by nearly 1/2 to to s7 last year. Georgia had the most executions - 9 - in 
2016.

(source: NBC news)






USA:

Charleston bishop opposes death sentence for man convicted of killing 
churchgoers


Jurors unanimously agreed to sentence Dylann Roof to death for killing 9 black 
churchgoers.

In closing statements before the deliberation Jan. 10, the unrepentant 
22-year-old told jurors that "I still feel like I had to do it," the Associated 
Press reported.

Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone said in a statement that the Catholic Church 
opposes capital punishment and reminded people that all life is sacred. "We are 
all sinners, but through the father's loving mercy and Jesus' redeeming 
sacrifice upon the cross, we have been offered the gift of eternal life. The 
Catholic opposition to the death penalty, therefore, is rooted in God's mercy. 
The church believes the right to life is paramount to every other right as it 
affords the opportunity for conversion, even of the hardened sinner," Bishop 
Guglielmone said.

"Sentencing Dylann Roof to death conflicts with the church's teaching that all 
human life is sacred, even for those who have committed the most heinous of 
crimes. Instead of pursuing death, we should be extending compassion and 
forgiveness to Mr. Roof, just as some of the victims' families did at his bond 
hearing in June 2015," the bishop added.

The jury had to reach a unanimous decision to sentence Roof to death. Had they 
disagreed, he would have been automatically sentenced to life in prison. He was 
convicted of 33 federal charges last month, including hate crimes. Roof acted 
as his own attorney and did not question any witnesses. In his FBI confession, 
he said he hoped the massacre would bring back segregation or start a race war, 
the Associated Press reported.

Bishop Guglielmone offered prayers of support for those who were killed and 
their families.

"Our Catholic faith sustains our solidarity with and support for the victims of 
the Emanuel AME Church massacre and their relatives. We commit ourselves to 
walk with these family members as well as the survivors as they continue to 
heal from the trial and this tragedy," he said.

The bishop asked people to continue to pray for the victims, survivors and 
families connected with the shooting. He also encouraged people to pray for 
Roof and his family.

"May he acknowledge his sins, convert to the Lord and experience his loving 
mercy," Bishop Guglielmone said.

The Rev. Clementa Pinckney, pastor of Emanuel AME Church, Tywanza Sanders, the 
Rev. Sharonda Singleton, the Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, the Rev. Daniel 
Simmons Sr., the Rev. Cynthia Hurd, Myra Thompson, Ethel Lance, and Susie 
Jackson were killed in the shooting.

(source: catholicregister.org)

***********************

U.S. Seeks Death Penalty for Fort Lauderdale Airport Gunman


The Iraq war veteran accused of killing 5 travelers and wounding 6 others at a 
busy international airport in Florida was charged Saturday and could face the 
death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a 
1-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. 
Authorities don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out 
terrorism.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport 
resulting in death - which carries a maximum punishment of execution - and 
weapons charges.

"Today's charges represent the gravity of the situation and reflect the 
commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel to continually 
protect the community and prosecute those who target our residents and 
visitors," U.S Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said.

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 
people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, a 
former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort 
Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting 
happened remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a 
Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a 
flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, 
firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

Americans are 15 pounds heavier, on average, then they were 20 years ago, which 
tells only part of the story. That increase in weight equates to 2/3 of people 
living in the U.S. designated as overweight and obese. What is that doing to 
EMS professionals?

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're 
pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," 
FBI Agent George Piro said.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to 
determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played 
a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in 
Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to 
watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

"He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices 
around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

U.S. Seeks Death Penalty for Fort Lauderdale Airport Gunman

On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his 
vehicle, authorities said. He bought his newborn child with him into the 
office. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental 
health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldn't say if it was 
the same gun used in the airport attack.

Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted 
alone, authorities said.

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling 
onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched 
behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in 
to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when 
he heard 3 quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and "I knew 
it was more than just a firecracker," he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had 
fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.

"He was just kind of randomly shooting people," he said. "If you were in his 
path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting."

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When 
he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, 
spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on 
the gun to secure it.

Lea went to help the injured and a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who 
she described. Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, 
motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said. The man, 
Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims on Saturday.

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being 
demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his 
brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. 
Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

"How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for 
only 4 days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the 
family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said 
was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb 
explode next to 2 of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving 
in Iraq.

Santiago will make his 1st court appearance Monday.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long 
as the firearms are put in a checked bag - not a carry-on - and are unloaded 
and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at 
check-in.

Despite his mental evaluation, U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would 
have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally 
ill, which is a high standard.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a 
Delta flight Thursday night, checking only 1 piece of luggage - his gun.

(source: Associated Press)