Daytime and night will be of equal length tomorrow, for latitude 40° north. Why does this happen later than the equinox, Sep. 22? It has to do with the Sun’s brilliance: day begins when the merest speck of direct sunlight shows at the horizon. More in our page on “Seasons.”
“Evidence of innocence is irrelevant”
Britain ended the death penalty in 1965 after outcry at the unfairness of the last execution. America should catch up, after one of the most outrageous of its miscarriages of justice.
Marcellus Williams was put to death yesterday by the state of Missouri. A Black man, he was convicted by 11 White jurors and one Black, the prosecutor having dismissed 6 who were Black. The only evidence against Marcellus was that another man charged with a crime, and led to expect leniency in his own case and a $10,000 cash reward, testified that he had heard Marcellus admit to the crime. (Marcellus always maintained his innocence.) There was plenty of physical evidence at the scene; none of it was linked to Marcellus. DNA was contaminated by the DNA of the prosecuting officers, thus useless for exonerating Marcellus or identifying the real culprit.
In January 2024 the current county prosecutor, realizing the injustice of this, tried to get the conviction overturned, because this “new evidence suggests that Mr Williams is actually innocent.”
The state attorney general objected, and the Supreme Court blocked the judge from re-sentencing Marcellus, and the governor rejected appeals for clemency, the last resort. Their reason? Courts had found Marcellus guilty, no court had ruled otherwise, so there was no basis for considering new evidence.
International law: Do not inflict the irreversible punishment on anyone not guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Higher law: Thou shalt not kill.
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This weblog maintains its right to be about astronomy or anything under the sun.
“A Black man convicted of killing a white woman, Mr Williams maintained his innocence until the very end.”
I heard that it is cheaper to imprison a person for life rather than seek the death penalty, considering the court costs for appeals, the state appointed defense attorney fees, and the costs of the execution itself. I would assume that the reason some states keep the death penalty is to deter other potential criminals.
That being said, I don’t agree with the death penalty. It breaks the 5th commandment, and I feel that life is precious.
The execution of Marcellus Williams, when even the district attorney wanted him to be exonerated based on the evidence, is an extreme example of the cruel injustice of the death penalty.
Public support for the death penalty in the United States has fallen dramatically over recent decades. Increasing numbers of people are convinced that innocent people have been executed, and that people of color are disproportionately sentenced to death in circumstances where white people receive lesser sentences. In polls where people are asked which penalty is better for the most heinous murders, two out of three people choose life imprisonment without possibility of parole over the death penalty.
23 of 50 states, and five territories, have abolished capital punishment, or never had it. The Federal government, the military, and eight states have formal moratoriums on capital punishment by executive order, and Ohio has an informal pause until the state legislature can agree on a less barbaric means than lethal injection. Six states and one territory have capital punishment on the books, but have not carried out any executions for ten or more years. Only twelve states — Utah, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina — continue to practice capital punishment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States
The tide has turned against capital punishment in the United States, but it remains a profound shame against our nation.
Thank you for that summary.
Also, there is a growing list (it was 25 in the study by a group of lawyers that I first learned of, research now makes it “at least” 190) of people in the US who have been exonerated and released from death row. This means the state acknowledged that they were wrongly convicted. They could have been executed. These are the cases that came to light in time to save them. There could well be a larger number who have actually been executed in error. And these are only the numbers since 1973. Picture earlier times.
Very well put. I live in North Georgia, & belong to an abolish the death penalty ministry. It’s a hard sell here in the South, unfortunately. Being Catholic, I constantly hear about Right to Life, etc. my group is constantly trying to convince others that ALL LIFE is sacred whether unborn or born !
I’ll close out with a quote from Bryan Stephenson ( may have misspelled )
“ Each of us are more than the worst thing we ‘ve done.”
From the Governor of Missouri regarding Marcellus Williams … https://governor.mo.gov/press-releases/archive/state-carry-out-sentence-mr-marcellus-williams-according-supreme-court … and evidences.
“The State proved that Williams is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt due to a litany of factors listed below:
“DNA technology and testing before trial did not examine “touch DNA,” based on standard techniques and practices at the time. Additionally, subsequent DNA testing has never exonerated Williams.
“Williams has a robust criminal history, including 15 felony convictions in addition to offenses related to Ms. Gayle’s murder: robbery (2), armed criminal action (2), assault (2), burglary (4), stealing (3), stealing a motor vehicle, and unlawful use of a weapon, which is all consistent with entering the home, attacking Ms. Gayle, and taking her items.
“Williams confessed the murder to his girlfriend soon after committing his horrific crime once his girlfriend found Ms. Gayle’s purse in Williams’ car, but he also threatened to kill her and her family if she told anyone, readily explaining why his girlfriend did not approach law enforcement until Williams was in custody.
“The girlfriend never requested the reward for information about Ms. Gayle’s murder, despite claims that she was only interested in money.
“When speaking with law enforcement, the jailhouse informant provided information about the crime that was not publicly available, yet consistent with crime scene evidence and Williams’ involvement.
“Other individuals were present when Williams bragged about this murder, and they were disclosed to Williams’ team before trial and have been discussed in subsequent proceedings.
“Gayle’s personal items were found in the trunk of Williams’ car.
“Williams sold Ms. Gayle’s husband’s laptop to another individual who later identified Williams as the seller. ”
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Terrible injustice yesterday in Missouri and TX, and more coming this Thursday from AL and OKlahoma. And SC just killed another black man, after an 11-yer hiatus on executions. Everywhere one looks in the US today there is such cruelty.