Newsletter: October 2019

Death row inmate executed by lethal injection despite fears of painful death

Missouri’s first execution in almost three years occurred last month, on 1st October 2019. Russel Bucklew, convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder, kidnapping and first-degree burglary, was executed at the state prison in Bonne Terre, more than two decades since his crimes were committed...Read more by becoming an Amicus Member

US state of Oregon takes a step in the right direction
Senate Bill 1013 came into effect in the US state of Oregon on Sunday 29th September 2019, a product of a Democratic supermajority in the Oregon Legislature. This new law narrows the definition of aggravated murder, the only criminal offence in Oregon eligible for the death penalty. Under the new legislation, a charge of aggravated murder is now only applicable to defendants who kill two or more people as an act of organised terrorism, kill a child younger than 14 intentionally and with premeditation, kill another person while in prison for a previous murder, or kill a police, correctional or probation officer...Read more by becoming an Amicus Member

Markeith Loyd: A complicated jury selection
Markeith Loyd is on trial for the December 2016 1 murder of his ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon and her unborn child. Loyd is also separately on trial for an unrelated 2017 killing of Orlando Police Lt. Debera Clayton. Loyd’s involvement in both cases has made jury selection difficult. Strong opinions on capital punishment and prior knowledge of the unconnected murder cases are examples of the issues amongst the possible jurers...Read more by becoming an Amicus Member

Indiana bishops fighting federal executions
Is the Pope catholic? Yes. Is the death penalty? No. Not according to Pope Francis who declared in 2018 that capital punishment was unacceptable in all circumstances. As the federal death penalty returns after a 16-year moratorium – or prohibition – in America, four Roman Catholic bishops in Indiana are providing one of the clearest voices against the return of the federal death penalty in Southern Indiana’s Terre Haute penitentiary...Read more by becoming an Amicus Member

A taste of freedom: Julie Green turns exonerees first meals into art.
There is a strange fascination behind a prisoner’s last meal on death row. However, surely more captivating than that is a prisoner’s first meal as they are released from prison after being wrongfully convicted. Artist Julie Green, who is known for The Last Supper, an artwork series on final meals requested by death row inmates, is now painting the first meals exonerees eat upon release...Read more by becoming an Amicus Member

‘Forensic hypnosis’- the junk science method being used to send individuals to death row
Forensic hypnotism is often used when questioning defendants, witnesses and victims to assist with their recall of events and details of crimes. Hypnotically induced testimony is based upon junk science and inaccurate assumptions about the capabilities of human memory 1 . The practice is believed to encourage individuals to relax with the intention that this should assist with the retrieval of information from witnesses with limited recall...Read more by becoming an Amicus Member

Criminals given death sentence in Taiwan will be executed: Premier Su
The question of the legitimacy of the death penalty in Taiwan has brought to the fore various aspects of the law and customs and beliefs which generally govern how criminal conduct is handled in Taiwan. Even though the death penalty is enshrined in Taiwanese criminal code and has continued to be handed down by courts of law in the country, it had not been executed for about two year...Read more by becoming an Amicus Member