Talk about COLD!!!!
When it comes to Texas justice, 20 minutes could mean the difference between life and death. The Austin-American Statesman newspaper reported this week that the state executed death row inmate Michael Richard on Sept. 25 -- because bureaucrats couldn't be bothered to wait 20 minutes to receive his lawyers' appeal for a stay.
According to the newspaper, when the lawyers explained to Texas Court of Criminal Appeals at 4:50 p.m. that their computer had crashed and they needed extra time, they were told: "We're closing at 5."
The case has sparked outrage in the United States and is providing fodder for opponents of capital punishment. In an editorial, the Dallas Morning News described the action as "unconscionable." The paper wrote: "Hastening the death of a man, even a bad one, because office personnel couldn't be bothered to bend bureaucratic procedure was a breathtakingly petty act and evinced a relish for death that makes the blood of decent people run cold."
Earlier on the day of Michael Richard's scheduled execution, the US Supreme Court had agreed to review the constitutionality of death by legal injection in the spring of 2008. The decision was in response to the appeals of two death row inmates from Kentucky, who argued that this was a form of "cruel and unusual punishment." It's the first time since 1879 that the Supreme Court has accepted an appeal against a method of execution.
According to the newspaper, when the lawyers explained to Texas Court of Criminal Appeals at 4:50 p.m. that their computer had crashed and they needed extra time, they were told: "We're closing at 5."
The case has sparked outrage in the United States and is providing fodder for opponents of capital punishment. In an editorial, the Dallas Morning News described the action as "unconscionable." The paper wrote: "Hastening the death of a man, even a bad one, because office personnel couldn't be bothered to bend bureaucratic procedure was a breathtakingly petty act and evinced a relish for death that makes the blood of decent people run cold."
Earlier on the day of Michael Richard's scheduled execution, the US Supreme Court had agreed to review the constitutionality of death by legal injection in the spring of 2008. The decision was in response to the appeals of two death row inmates from Kentucky, who argued that this was a form of "cruel and unusual punishment." It's the first time since 1879 that the Supreme Court has accepted an appeal against a method of execution.
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sorry, i feel no regret...how long was he on death row 15-20 years? talk about waiting until the last minute to do something. the poster child for NOT procrastinating. 0 -
How long did the lawyers know the execution date? I can understand a kid waiting until the last day to type his paper, but we are talking about grown-up here.
Or are we?
Don0 -
While I may agree with the apparent coldness of the bureaucracy in this case, if the appeal was so important to the lawyers why were they waiting until the last minute? The answer is because that is a game they play with the system, but in this case their stretched out last minute appeals cost them their client's life. 0 -
Dang - Michael Richards got the death penalty for calling a spade a spade? That's rough! [:D] 0 -
A couple notes:
This is the first time I've EVER heard of bureaucracy being too fast!
quote:the death of a man, even a bad one, because office personnel couldn't be bothered to bend bureaucratic procedure was a breathtakingly petty act and evinced a relish for death that makes the blood of decent people run cold.
How irresponsible of him to wait until the last minute. Oh yeah, if he were responsible, he wouldn't have been a murderer.0 -
What if on the off chance the lawyers found something in the last few hours to prove the guy innocent???? It has happened ya know.. 0 -
That's the one thing I love about Texas the most. We use the death penatly often compared to other states. We just need to make it cheaper and more efficient.
You can get whacked in Texas now for molestation charges now also. [^]0
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