[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----FLORIDA

Tue Dec 2 16:28:18 CST 2014

Dec. 2

FLORIDA:

FLORIDA GOVERNOR SIGNS NEW DEATH WARRANT Florida’s Governor has signed a 
death warrant in the case
of Shane Kormondy, whose execution has been scheduled for 15 January. This 
would be the 21st
execution under Rick Scott’s governorship, equaling the record for any 
Florida governor since 1976.

View the full Urgent Action, including case information, addresses and 
sample messages, here.

On 24 November, Governor Rick Scott signed the death warrant for Johnny 
Shane Kormondy for the
murder of Gary McAdams in July 1993. The death warrant states that “it has 
been determined that
executive clemency is not appropriate”, and that Governor Scott designated 
the week beginning 12
January 2015 for the execution. A letter to the Warden of Florida State 
Prison accompanying the
death warrant notes that the Warden has set the date and time of the 
execution for 15 January at
6pm.

There have been 20 executions in Rick Scott’s first term as Florida 
Governor, which began in January
2011, more than during the first term of any Florida governor since the US 
Supreme Court approved
new state capital laws in 1976, and only one fewer than occurred under 
Governor Jeb Bush over two
terms (1999-2007). Rick Scott was elected to a second term in November 
2014. His re-inauguration is
due to take place on or around 6 January, about a week before Shane 
Kormondy is scheduled to become
the next inmate killed in Florida’s execution chamber.

The USA’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and 
Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1992
placed an expectation on officials in the USA at all levels – local, state 
and federal – to work
toward abolition of the death penalty. In April 2014, after its latest 
scrutiny of US compliance
with the ICCPR, the UN Human Rights Committee expressed its concern at the 
continuing use of the
death penalty and called on the federal authorities to “engage with 
retentionist states with a view
to achieving a nationwide moratorium” on executions. On 28 November, the 
UN Committee Against
Torture urged the USA to establish a moratorium on executions with a view 
to abolition.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases, 
unconditionally. Today, 140 countries
are abolitionist in law or practice. Eighteen US states have abolished the 
death penalty, four of
them since 2009.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  Gary McAdams was shot dead and Cecilia McAdams was 
raped, but survived,
during a robbery of their Pensacola home on 11 July 1993. Three men were 
charged, with the state
intending to seek the death penalty against all three. They were tried 
separately in 1994. Curtis
Buffkin was brought to trial first, with the prosecutor describing him as 
“the ringleader” who “got
to carry the gun” and “took total command of his cohorts”. However, during 
jury deliberations when
it looked like a first-degree murder verdict might not emerge, the state 
agreed to a plea bargain
under which Buffkin avoided the death penalty in return for testimony 
against his two co-defendants.
James Hazen was sentenced to death. This was reduced to life by the state 
Supreme Court on the
grounds that he was less culpable than Buffkin, who received a life 
sentence.

View the full Urgent Action here.

Name: Johnny Shane Kormondy (m)
Issues: Death penalty, Imminent execution, Legal concern
Further information on UA: 162/14 (23 June 2014)
Issue Date: 2 December 2014
Country: USA

Please let us know if you took action so that we can track our impact!

EITHER send a short email to uan at aiusa.org with "UA 162/14" in the subject 
line, and include in the
body of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent.

OR fill out this short online form to let us know how you took action.

Thank you for taking action! Please check with your section office if 
sending appeals after the
above date. If you receive a response from a government official, please 
forward it to us at
uan at aiusa.org or to the Urgent Action Office address below. This is the 
first update of UA 162/14.
Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/039/2014/en

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Please write immediately in English or your own language:
  *  Expressing deep regret that clemency has been denied to Johnny Shane 
Kormondy, noting that the
     other two defendants received life sentences;
  *  Noting developments against the death penalty in other US states, and 
in the rest of the world;
  *  Calling on this and all executions in Florida to be halted, and for 
the authorities to work for
     abolition;
  *  To the US Attorney General: Noting the UN Human Rights Committee’s 
recommendation and calling on
     the US government to do all it can to engage with the Florida 
authorities to stop this and all
     other executions in the state

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 15 JANUARY 2015 TO:

Governor Rick Scott
Office of the Governor
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
USA
Email: Rick.scott at eog.myflorida.com
Salutation: Dear Governor

And copies to:
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Tom Malinowski
US Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20520
USA

The Honorable Eric H. Holder
Attorney General
US Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20530 0001
USA
Fax: 011 1 202 514 4507
Email: AskDOJ at usdoj.gov
Salutation: Dear Attorney General

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"Forward this email to a friend"
link found at the very bottom of this email. Thank you for your activism!

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