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Waiting for Governor's Decision on Stanley Tookie Williams

By Jeralyn, Section Death Penalty
Posted on Fri Dec 09, 2005 at 06:00:39 PM EST
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Update: South Central LA hopes for clemency.

Update: At HuffPo, Bianca Jagger writes about her meeting with Tookie Williams last week and why Gov. Schwarzenegger should give him clemency. No decision yet.

Los Angeles leaders are pleading for calm if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger decides against clemency for Stanley "Tookie" Williams. The Governor could decide as early as tonight. LA media outlets are preparing for an announcement this evening.

Cheers for California Assemblyman Joe Nation (D-San Rafael) who urged Arnold to grant clemency.

"The upcoming execution offers the state of California an opportunity to take an internationally recognized leadership role by calling for a moratorium on the death penalty," Nation wrote in a letter to Schwarzenegger sent Thursday. "It is a bold step that is fiscally responsible, judicially prudent and morally right."

"Our current system is plagued with mistakes, resulting in the wrongful conviction and execution of innocent persons," Nation wrote. "Statistics indicate that it (death penalty) is administered arbitrarily and unfairly, and has not been proven to deter crime or improve public safety."

According to the anti-death penalty group, Death Penalty Focus, 119 men and women have been released from death row after being exonerated - some only minutes away from execution - since the death penalty was reinstated in the United States.

.... Nation also appealed to Schwarzenegger's stated desire to cut wasteful government spending. According to estimates by Attorney General Bill Lockyer, it costs the state $12.5 million to execute a murderer and just $1.5 million to imprison them for life.

We will soon know if Gov. Schwarzenegger believes in redemption, compassion, grace and mercy.

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    Waiting for Governor's Decision on Stanley Tookie Williams | 3 comments (3 topical)
    Re: Waiting for Governor's Decision on Stanley Too (none / 0) (#1)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:50 PM EST
    Physical evidence such as fingerprints and a bloody boot-print could not be traced to Stanley Williams. Only one shotgun shell was found at the motel. It ostensibly came from a shotgun purchased legally five years before by Mr. Williams, but the gun itself was actually found under the bed of informants James Garrett and his wife Ester. The Browning shotgun shell was sold at only two local stores, one of which, a Big Five, had been robbed of guns and ammunition by Mr. Garrett the year before. The Garretts were both being investigated for the murder of their crime partner, Gregory Wilbon. This investigation was dropped, according to Atty. Wefald, after they testified that Mr. Williams "volunteered" a confession to them. [Some] Evidence points to frame-up
    Too many mistakes get made with the death penalty. This may be one of them. This may not be one of them. But, too many get made, and too many innocent people are executed, as well as the innocent people who are killed by real murderers. With proper and robust security, life without parole would remove any future danger to society, and at the same time allow for opportunity for review and release of persons found to be convicted in error. The only justification for thE death penalty is revenge. Are we, as a society better than the killers, OR NOT?

    Re: Waiting for Governor's Decision on Stanley Too (none / 0) (#2)
    by demohypocrates on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:50 PM EST
    And the people he said he did it to, and the feller who saw his car there... blah blah blah. Nice Martyr to take.

    Re: Waiting for Governor's Decision on Stanley Too (none / 0) (#3)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:51 PM EST
    There is no way...no effing WAY a Christian can be pro-death penalty. Jesus was very clear on who is in charge of vengeance and retribution and it was NOT us mortals. You know, just once I would like to hear a self-described Christian talk about the teachings of Jesus Christ on this issue the same way they do about Socialism: "It's a nice theory and it looks good on paper, but it could never work in the real world".

    Waiting for Governor's Decision on Stanley Tookie Williams | 3 comments (3 topical)