A child killer with more decency than his attorneys

In 2002, Marco Allen Chapman killed two small children. His lawyers, whom he dismissed in 2004 when he entered a guilty plea, questioned his competence over that decision. However, Chapman sounded remarkably coherent when he told a judge, “I say we should go ahead and get it over with and done. … I should be …

Not too big to execute

Richard Cooey’s argument that he was too obese to safely execute has been proven wrong. Cooey’s life was terminated today at 10 o’clock in Ohio, USA. 41-year-old Cooey was 5-foot-7 and weighed 267 pounds at the time of his execution, having gained 70 pounds since his incarceration at the age of 19. He and his …

Cutting it close

Troy Anthony Davis was scheduled to be executed yesterday at 7:00 PM Eastern Time, in Jackson, Georgia, USA. Shortly after 5:00 PM, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a reprieve to Davis. Davis had been convicted for the 1989 murder of an off-duty police officer, Mark MacPhail, who was shot while trying to break up a …

There’s something wrong with these terms

In 1986 Robert Chambers killed 18-year-old Jennifer Levin during an episode of rough sex in Central Park. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 15 years in prison. Now he’s been convicted of dealing cocaine and assaulting a police officer, and has been sentenced to 19 years. He could have faced a life term had …

No DNA evidence for Tommy

Now we know why Alabama Governor Bob Riley refused to issue DNA testing orders for death-row inmate Thomas Arthur, even though he had granted a stay of execution: They can’t find the DNA to test. Alabama’s Attorney General claims the evidence that could have exonerated Arthur is missing. Of course, missing doesn’t mean non-existent. The …