[Deathpenalty] death penalty news----FLA., OKLA., NEB.

[Rick Halperin]

Oct. 1



FLORIDA:

State Attorney's Office to seek death penalty in double-fatal home invasion


The State Attorney's Office plans to seek the death penalty for 3 men charged 
in a Bradenton home invasion that left a couple dead with their five children 
in the home, according to partner newspaper the Bradenton Herald.

Bradenton police say the 3 men broke into the couple's home in the 3900 block 
of Southern Parkway West just after 4 a.m. on July 9. The men threw a brick 
threw a window in the front door, entered the home and shot Deneus and Brooks, 
authorities said.

The couple's children, ranging in ages from 1 to 11, were in the home at the 
time and at least one may have witnessed the shootings.

The suspects were apprehended a few days later.

Prosecutors say they had a deadline to file their intent in the case, and they 
decided the death penalty was an option they wanted on the table.

The suspects are being held without bond at the Manatee County Jail.

(source: baynews9.com)






OKLAHOMA:

Is death penalty worth it?


The last-minute stay of execution by Gov. Mary Fallin of convict Richard 
Glossip Wednesday was just the latest drama in the highly visible death penalty 
case here in Oklahoma.

The execution had already been delayed once in the last month and has become a 
cause among anti-death penalty activists.

While the merits of whether the death penalty is justified in this case can be 
argued - Glossip wasn't the actual killer, but was convicted of hiring a 
conspirator, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole, to do the 
actual killing.

But putting that debate aside, Wednesday's last-minute stay amplifies other 
reasons why capital punishment is outdated, inefficient and should be 
abolished.

(We didn't even mention inhumane; that's an entirely different debate).

Since the Supreme Court legalized the death penalty in 1976, there have been 
1,415 people executed in the United States. There is no evidence that has acted 
as a deterrent. While 15 states have abolished the death penalty, the states 
with it have the highest murder rates in the country.

In fact, often, such as in this case, the prisoner becomes a celebrity and the 
object of adulation from hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people 
around the globe. If Glossip would have been sentenced to life in prison 
without parole, he would be forgotten to everyone but his own cellmates.

But the most pragmatic reason for ending the death penalty is the length and 
costs of trying to prosecute and execute such cases. Glossip has been convicted 
of killing his victim in January 1997, more than 18 years ago, all that time 
the case continuing in court - appeal after appeal - at a cost of millions to 
taxpayers, and without closure for the victim's family and friends.

Numerous recent studies show states spend up to 10 times more on death penalty 
cases compared to life sentence cases. The costs far outweigh the costs of 
incarcerating a prisoner, even for a lifetime.

Nobody has researched the total costs in Oklahoma yet, but in Maryland, it is 
$3 million per death penalty case. In California, it's $137 million per year in 
death penalty cases, compared to just $11.5 million in life sentence cases. A 
Duke study found North Carolina could save $11 million per year by substituting 
life in prison for death.

Oklahoma, on the verge of more budget cuts, should follow other states who have 
abolished the death penalty and save millions of dollars in taxpayer funds, get 
more immediate resolution to cases and prevent making the perpetrator into a 
sympathetic figure. Justice is better served if they quietly languish the rest 
of their lives in prison.

(source: Stillwater News Press)






NEVADA:

Man Takes Plea Deal for Life to Avoid Death Penalty in Paet Murder Case


On the verge of facing a possible death sentence in the state of Nevada, the 
man who gunned down Nathan Paet back in December 2010 took a last minute plea 
deal for a sentence of life without parole instead, according to the Air Force 
Times.

Michael Rodriguez was found guilty last week of murder in the death of Paet in 
Las Vegas Nevada. Paet was a staff sergeant in the US Air Force and was 
stationed in Las Vegas but is originally from Guam.

Rodriguez, along with 3 others were charged in Paet's death. Corry Hawkins, 
prosecutors believe, was with Rodriguez when he shot Paet to death as Paet was 
getting ready to go to work. Jessica Austin is accused of helping get rid of 
evidence.

Paet's wife, Michelle Paet, meanwhile, is next to go on trial, which is 
scheduled for next Monday, October 5th. She's accused of plotting her husband's 
murder and hiring Rodriguez, the man she was allegedly having an affair with, 
to kill her husband.

Michelle is also facing charges of murder and is also eligible for the death 
penalty if found guilty.

(source: pacificnewscenter.com)