Daryl Atkins: A Virginia circuit judge, who had previously commuted the death sentence of murderer Daryl Atkins, has announced that he will stay his order while the state's appeal is pending. A story by AP writer Sonja Barisic reports that in the appeal, the state contends that a local trial judge lacked the authority to commute Atkins' sentence. As posted on January 21, Atkins was the subject of the Supreme Court's June 2002 ruling in Atkins v. Virginia, which held that the Constitution prohibited the execution of mentally retarded defendants. A jury later restored Atkins death sentence after finding that he was not mentally retarded.

Maryland's Death Penalty has been targeted for repeal by anti-death penalty advocates in recent years. A story by Andrew Schotz in today's Herald Mail reports that the families of murder victims are now uniting to oppose these efforts. The aunt of a murdered police officer, the sister of a murdered mother of two and the wife of a murdered corrections officer are writing letters to legislators and speaking out in favor of keeping capital punishment as an option for the state's worst murderers.