Welcomed Endorsement? In Wisconsin, members of the Supreme Court are elected by the the voting public. This year, trial judge and former public defender Randy Koschnick is challenging Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson in an election that will be held on April 7th. While Koschnick is running as the law and order candidate, this AP story by Ryan J. Foley reports that he has been publicly endorsed by convicted cop killer Ted Oswald, who is serving a life term for what one federal judge called the most notorious crime in Waukesha County history. Even though he was convicted of the murder, Oswald based his endorsement on the good job Koschnick did in his case. Critics might be reminded that often the best advocates are those who have argued both sides
LWOP Sought For Sex Offenders: The Missouri state senator who argued last year that the death penalty should be available for those convicted of forcible sex crimes against children, is now sponsoring legislation to allow a life-without-possibility-of-parole sentence for such offenders. An editorial in the St. Joseph News Press reports that following last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana, Senator Jack Goodman focused on the LWOP option.
Virginia Cop Killer Seeks Clemency: Winchester Star writer Drew Houff reports that attorneys for Edward Bell, who is scheduled for execution this Thursday, are seeking clemency from Virginia Governor Tim Kane, arguing that Bell is mentally incompetent. Last year Governor Kane commuted murderer Percy Walton's sentence to LWOP based upon the same claim. The story notes that, while some courts had doubts about Walton's mental state, in Bell's case, no court has formally raised such doubts. For the record, Bell, an illegal immigrant and known drug dealer, was convicted in 2001 on strong evidence of murdering Winchester Police Officer Ricky Timbrook, shooting him in the face. Prior to the murder, Bell told witnesses that Officer Timbrook was out to get him, and that killing him would require a head shot, because the officer wore a bullet-proof vest. The Supreme Court granted certiorari and heard argument in Bell's case but then dumped it after discovering his lawyer had misrepresented the issues actually presented. The CJLF brief in the case is here. Here are links to our prior posts before argument, after argument, and upon dismissal.
LWOP Sought For Sex Offenders: The Missouri state senator who argued last year that the death penalty should be available for those convicted of forcible sex crimes against children, is now sponsoring legislation to allow a life-without-possibility-of-parole sentence for such offenders. An editorial in the St. Joseph News Press reports that following last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana, Senator Jack Goodman focused on the LWOP option.
Virginia Cop Killer Seeks Clemency: Winchester Star writer Drew Houff reports that attorneys for Edward Bell, who is scheduled for execution this Thursday, are seeking clemency from Virginia Governor Tim Kane, arguing that Bell is mentally incompetent. Last year Governor Kane commuted murderer Percy Walton's sentence to LWOP based upon the same claim. The story notes that, while some courts had doubts about Walton's mental state, in Bell's case, no court has formally raised such doubts. For the record, Bell, an illegal immigrant and known drug dealer, was convicted in 2001 on strong evidence of murdering Winchester Police Officer Ricky Timbrook, shooting him in the face. Prior to the murder, Bell told witnesses that Officer Timbrook was out to get him, and that killing him would require a head shot, because the officer wore a bullet-proof vest. The Supreme Court granted certiorari and heard argument in Bell's case but then dumped it after discovering his lawyer had misrepresented the issues actually presented. The CJLF brief in the case is here. Here are links to our prior posts before argument, after argument, and upon dismissal.
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