This Wednesday, 8 June 2022, Frank Atwood was executed in Arizona by lethal injection. His original death penalty was issued in 1987 for the 1984 murder of 8 year old Vicki Lynne Hoskinson. He was the second person executed by the state of Arizona so far in 2022 after an 8 year old interruption in executions due to a legal dispute over the method of execution for the state to use and other logistical issues associated with the administration of death penalty.
A few weeks prior to Atwood's execution, on 11 May 2022, Clarence Dixon, 66, was executed for the 1978 rape and murder of 21 year old student named Deana Bowdoin. However, Dixon spent less time than Atwood on death row as his sentence was issued in 2008.
The evidence against Atwood was not bulletproof. There was physical evidence connecting his vehicle to the victim's bicycle but no direct evidence tying him to her death. So in my opinion sentencing him to death was questionable in that regard. The evidence against Dixon was more solid as not only was there DNA evidence tying him to the victim, but he also had a history of severe violence as by the time he was tied to the crime for which he was sentenced to death he was serving a life sentence for sexual assault.
I guess full disclosure is in order here: I am a solid abolitionist as I oppose death penalty as a matter of principle. I am, at the same time, a solid supporter of citizens' right to self defense, including self defense (and defense of others) involving deadly force. But I think even if you support death penalty you should not wish to execute anybody in whose case the evidence is the least bit lacking because, if nothing else, should it ever turn out they were not the culprit, it is mighty difficult to undo an execution.
But what these two stories speak to is the nonsensically long delays associated with the administration of death penalty. If anything, subjecting somebody to decades of life on death row is utterly inhumane. So I am fully convinced - if nothing else, we've got to either make the whole death penalty system more efficient, or do away with it. The latter would obviously be my preference.
References
Frank Atwood executed in Arizona for 1984 murder of 8-year-old girl
CBS News, 8 June 2022
Murder of Vicki Lynne Hoskinson (wiki)
Arizona executes man convicted in 1978 killing of college student
Associated Press/Guardian, 11 May 2022
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I didn't know that there is still death penalty and how to sentence someone to death if the proofs are not certain.
I think there is still death penalty in Turkey too, no?
I guess different people may have different definitions of certainty. To me, the fact that a person was tied to a crime in some way does not translate to that person being a participant, or the principal participant.
No, life sentence. However, most of them leave jail after 20 years.
I endorse your sentiments wholeheartedly. There are some who wish to have capital punishment reinstated here. I cannot agree. Not that our system (or society) is perfect. Far from it.
What are those death penalty advocates in South Africa mostly presenting as argument?
In my opinion, the primary driver of crime in South Africa is tribal mentality and resultant corruption.
It's much more complicated than that. One of the legacies of apartheid which was violently opressive is a violent - often gratuitously so - society. One of its successes was keeping different cultures and races apart and creating chasms of fear based on differences rather than our common humanity. The recent rise of nationalism and populism - not just here - undermines the good that had been achieved and foments division. Having walked the path into democracy, it's tragic.
This is coupled with (often) white paranoia. My observations. The advocates of the death penalty are often in the latter group and see it as vengeance rather than punishment. IMO it's all a lot more nuanced than you suggest.
But aren't various tribal cultures no less violent than the Boer extremists at the root of the Apartheid?
That remains a simplistic approach. The factional politcal (and other) violence are generally about power, resources and turf. You might find this an insightful read.
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