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

[Rick Halperin]

November 13




TEXAS----impending execution/foreign national

Texas Prepares for Execution of Mexican National Robert Ramos on November 14, 
2018

Robert Moreno Ramos is scheduled to be executed at 6 pm CST, on Wednesday, 
November 14, 2018, inside the Walls Unit execution chamber at the Huntsville 
State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. 60-year-old Robert is convicted of 
murdering his 42-year-old wife Leticia Ramos and their two children, 7-year-old 
Abigail and 3-year-old Jonathan, on February 7, 1992, in Progreso, Texas. 
Robert has spent the last 25 years on Texas’ death row.

Robert is a Mexican national and was born in Aquascalientes, Mexico.  He 
allegedly had a difficult childhood and was abused. He did not graduate from 
high school, dropping out prior to his senior year. Prior to his arrest, Robert 
worked as an aide for a disabled man and his family.

In November 1991, Robert Ramos began having an affair with Marisa Robledo. 
Marisa has stated that she did not know Ramos was married, as he had told her 
that his wife Leticia was a widow that he was helping to support, along with 
her children Jonathan and Abigail. In reality, Leticia was Robert’s wife and 
Jonathan and Abigail were their children.

The affair continued and eventually, Marisa wanted to get married. Ramos agreed 
and they set a date for February 10, 1992. On February 7, 1992, Ramos returned 
to the home he shared with his wife. A neighbor heard a female screaming and 
swearing from the house. When church members visited the family in the next 
couple of days, Ramos stated that they were moving to California and were too 
busy to say goodbye.

On February 10, 1992, Ramos and Marisa were married. Over the next 2 months, 
Ramos gave conflicting accounts of where his missing family had gone. 
Eventually the police were notified. Ramos was questioned by the police on 
March 30, 1992. He was then arrested for various traffic warrants.

On April 6, 1992, police searched Ramos’ home, discovering extensive blood 
evidence. Additionally, all toys and clothing belong to the missing family 
members had been placed in the attic. Police discovered the bodies of the 
Leticia, Abigail, and Jonathan, under the freshly tiled floor in the bathroom. 
It was determined that they had all be killed by blows to the head with a blunt 
object, such as a hammer.

Ramos initially told police officers that he had returned home and discovered 
the bodies, believing that his wife had killed the children and then herself 
with a hammer. Analysis of the injuries showed that it was very unlikely that 
any of the injuries were self-inflicted. Ramos was convicted and sentenced to 
death on May 6, 1993, for their murders.

As a Mexican national, Ramos’ case has sparked controversy since he was unaware 
of his right to contact the Mexican Consulate and seek assistance during his 
trial. In 2004, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands 
ruled that over four dozen Mexican citizens awaiting execution in the United 
States were not informed of their rights to seek consular assistance and should 
receive new hearings. Then President George Bush directed states to follow the 
ruling of the international court, however the Supreme Court of the United 
States overruled the president, noting that the Vienna Convention is only 
enforceable between countries. American courts are not required to enforce the 
application of international treaties in individual criminal cases.

Since the Supreme Court ruling, several Mexican nationals have been executed in 
the United States. Lawyers for Ramos are attempting to halt his execution, 
arguing that the state should follow the ruling of the international court. 
Additionally, lawyers are claiming that Ramos has brain damage and is not 
mentally competent to be executed.

Please pray for peace and healing for the family of Leticia, Abigail, and 
Jonathan. Please pray for strength for the family of Robert Ramos. Please pray 
that if Robert is innocent, lacks the competency to be executed, or should not 
be executed for any other reason, that evidence will be provided prior to his 
arrest. Please pray that Robert may come to find peace through a personal 
relationship with Jesus Christ, if he has not already.

(source: theforgivenessfoundation.org)

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


Denied to Mexico accused of killing his wife and child in the United States


Unanimously denied the Texas Board of Pardons and Liberal Liberty Approach to 
Roberto Moreno Ramos, one of the 51 Mexicans covered by the 2004 verdict by the 
International Court. (CIJ), whose implementation is scheduled for next 
Wednesday, November 14 at 6 pm

Moreno Ramos, 64 years old, from the community El Ciruelo, Pinotepa Nacional in 
Oaxaca, accused of a year later in March 1993, was sentenced to death.

Raymond M. Estrada, Director of Public Authority Information, stated that the 
Board rejected this Monday by 6 votes to 0 to recommend Texas Governor Greg 
Abbott to postpone 180 days in execution and also to be discarded to commute 
the sentence of the Mexican.

According to an informative dispatch by the Office Notimex the vote of junt 
reduced the opportunity to save Moreno Ramos's life even though governor Abbott 
would still have the power to stop execution for 30 days in an act of executive 
complaint.

A jury from Hidalgo County in South Texas, he found him guilty of killing his 
wife, Leticia Ramos, 42, his daughter Abigail, 3, and his son Jonathan, 3. The 
events occurred on February 7, 1992 in the Progreso border area.

The 3 bodies were found weeks later, buried in the bathroom of his house. 
Moreno Ramos was arrested after his wife's relatives began to worry about his 
absence.

The defendants' lawyers have not questioned their virginity or debt in fact, 
they have just requested a new process for their client, arguing that in his 
detention and trial he violated his rights as a foreigner.

Moreno Ramos is 1 of the 51 Mexicans covered by the 2004 International Court of 
Justice (ICJ), which orders the United States to review its case because their 
rights as foreign nationals are violated consular assistance under the 1963 
Vienna Convention.

Although ICJ ordered the United States to suspend the executions of Mexican 
prisoners until their cases were reviewed, Texas has ignored the ruling and has 
executed 5 Mexicans subject to the judgment of the International Court of 
Justice in The Hague.

Earlier this month, the Inter-American Commission Human Rights Agency (IACHR) 
urged the US and Texas federal government to suspend the execution of Moreno 
Ramos and grant him an effective remedy.

Moreno Ramos would be the 12th Mexican defendant executed in the United States 
and the 11th in Texas since the country re-activated the death penalty in 1976.

(source: vaaju.com)





MISSISSIPPI:

Havard: Being off death row not enough; new trial warranted


A man convicted of capital murder in the death of a 6-month-old girl in 2002 is 
not content with being taken off of death row, where he has resided for 16 
years.

Just days after the State of Mississippi decided to drop its pursuit of the 
death penalty in his case, Jeffrey Havard maintains his innocence and wants a 
new trial.

In a recording shared by Havard’s family, Havard questioned Sixth Circuit 
District Attorney Ronnie Harper’s decision not to pursue the death penalty 
again after a judge ruled earlier this month that Havard should receive a new 
sentence after a supreme court ruling that caused the judge to reconsider the 
case.

“Remember this DA told the media and jury back in 2002 that if any case 
deserved the death penalty it was this one,” Havard said. “Back then (the DA) 
also told the media and jury that the evidence against me was the most 
overwhelming he had seen.”

In the recording, Havard read from a statement he prepared after the state 
announced its decision to drop pursuit of the death penalty. Havard is 
currently housed in the Adams County Jail awaiting sentencing scheduled for 
Nov. 19.

Harper told the court on Nov. 6  that the passage of time has made it difficult 
to find out what evidence, if any, might be available and what witnesses might 
be available.

Havard said Harper’s statement was confusing to him in light of forensic 
evidence that was used in his trial.

“If any evidence, especially forensics is obtained it should hold forever, 
unless of course it never existed and/or has evolved in my favor,” Havard said. 
“As far as the witnesses go, to my knowledge, every one of the witnesses are in 
the area still. Therefore in the interest of justice, they all should be ready 
and willing to testify as before unless there is a problem.”

In September, Sixth District Circuit Court Judge Forrest “Al” Johnson ordered 
Havard’s death sentence vacated after the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered a 
hearing to determine if a new trial was needed due to changes in medical 
beliefs surrounding shaken baby syndrome.

Johnson declined to order a new trial for Havard but did order a new sentencing 
hearing for a jury to determine if Havard should receive the death penalty or 
life in prison without the chance of parole.

On Nov. 19, Johnson will sentence Havard for a second time in the case.

Havard said on the recording he believes much of the evidence has been 
“tainted” and “disproved” by forensic science and objective arguments.

Havard said the state got the jury to believe that there was an intentional and 
abusive death that occurred while committing sexual battery on his girlfriend’s 
6-month-old daughter Chloe Britt.

“During the discovery process material facts came to light by my experts and 
the state’s experts that in fact the sexual battery never occurred, thus 
proving my innocence there,” Havard said. “But the state fought to keep this 
issue closed and the trial court agreed to close this issue and kept these 
material facts from being considered.”

“This was highly unfair, because this was the difference between guilty and not 
guilty in my case. The state argued it was the motive why the death occurred at 
all,” Havard said.

The court closed the very thing that will determine his innocence or guilt, 
Havard said.

“After considering all of this, I know I have shown that I deserve a new 
trial,” Havard said. “The fact that the DA has essentially said he doesn’t 
believe he could present this case again, that in and of itself shows there 
would be a different outcome by a new jury.

“How could anyone be alright with someone being incarcerated when so-called 
overwhelming evidence from before doesn’t exist anymore?”

When asked about Havard’s criticisms of the DA’s office and the court, Harper 
said it would not be appropriate to talk about a pending case awaiting 
sentencing.

Attempts to reach Havard’s lawyers were unsuccessful.

(source: Natchez Democrat)




USA:

How Capital Influences Attitudes toward Capital Punishment----When people think 
the economy is poor, support for the death penalty rises


In August 2018, the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index broke records as the 
longest recorded bull market. 2 months later, a precipitous sell-off erased all 
gains for the year. Turbulence in the economy makes for wary investors and 
consumers, but there’s a less obvious group whose fates may also be tied to the 
market: criminal defendants facing the possibility of a death sentence.

In a recently published article, my collaborators and I explored how economic 
resources influence punishment preferences - specifically, support for the 
death penalty. Although capital punishment is an issue that evokes strong 
feelings and heated debate, our research suggests that feelings about the death 
penalty are not immutable. Rather, features of our broader environment - like 
whether the stock market is soaring or plunging - influence our psychology and 
incline us toward or away from different decisions and behaviors. With respect 
to capital punishment, believing that resources are scarce leads people to view 
the death penalty in a more favorable light.

To understand why resource availability influences decisions about whether or 
not to end lives, consider the role resources can play in decisions about 
creating new lives. Deciding when to have children involves weighing the risks 
and benefits of haste versus delay. Waiting to have children might mean you’re 
better equipped to care for your future offspring, but also runs the risk of 
missing the opportunity altogether. Resource scarcity, as one major source of 
future uncertainty, can tip the scales in favor of speeding up the reproductive 
clock. For example, in a study of low-income black teenagers, Arline Geronimus 
concluded that high pregnancy rates in her sample were not driven by an absence 
of family planning but by concerns of early “weathering” and poor future 
health.

As this example illustrates, the “safer” choice in times of prosperity might be 
a relatively risky choice in times of paucity. This same logic can also be 
applied to deciding what to do with someone who has committed a serious crime 
(e.g., murder): do you permanently remove the threat (by executing them) or do 
you leave open the possibility of rehabilitation?

Each choice carries a trade-off: If you remove the threat, you also preclude 
the possibility that the person might contribute positively to society in the 
future. If you give them a second chance, you leave yourself open to the 
possibility of repeat offending. As in the previous example, the amount of 
resources at your disposal influences the riskiness of the choice. If resources 
are scarce, and the future seems precarious, the potential costs of keeping a 
serious offender around may be seen as prohibitively large.

We therefore hypothesized that perceptions of resource scarcity would incline 
people towards elimination-focused punishment, increasing their favorability 
toward the death penalty. To test our prediction, in two experimental studies 
we presented participants with photographs and a story about the state of the 
economy. Half of our participants read information suggesting that the economy 
was on the verge of collapse, with both unemployment and home foreclosures on 
the rise.

The other participants read information suggesting that the economy was on an 
upswing with high job growth and an increasing number of new home purchases. We 
then measured participants’ attitudes toward the death penalty. In both 
studies, we found that participants who had read about the bad economy were 
more favorable toward the death penalty than those who read about the good 
economy.

Importantly, our effects weren’t explained by other variables that have been 
shown to predict death penalty attitudes in the past; whether male or female, 
conservative or liberal, those exposed to scarcity concerns became more 
favorable toward the death penalty. We also tested against the possibility that 
resource scarcity was leading to an increase in general negativity (i.e., 
overall callousness) and found that this was not the case.

Our participants weren’t becoming indiscriminately coldhearted; scarcity was 
specifically shaping preferences for capital punishment, and this was happening 
because participants were becoming less tolerant of possible repeat offending. 
In other words, when resources seemed to be scarce, giving offenders a 2nd 
chance just didn’t seem worth the risk.

Despite the overall strength of the current economy, the Federal Reserve 
chairman has urged caution. The threat of another recession looms in the back 
of many Americans’ minds. And for jurors evaluating death-row defendants, their 
beliefs about capital punishment may, in fact, hinge on their perceptions of 
capital.

(source: Keelah Williams, JD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at 
Hamilton College; Scientific American)