A bill to abolish the death penalty in Kansas was introduced in the Kansas House of Representatives on Friday, February 11, 2011. The bill, HB 2323, was sponsored by the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee. HB 2323 will replace the Kansas death penalty with life in prison without parole as the sentence for the crime of aggravated murder. "This legislation will … [Read more...] about Abolition Bill Introduced in Kansas House
Archives for February 2011
Famed anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean to visit Kansas!
Famed anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean will be in Kansas on Thursday, March 3. Prejean is the author of the book Dead Man Walking, on which the film of the same name was based. The program will include a staged reading from the book and a discussion led by Sister Helen herself. The event will be held at the Andrew J. and Georgia Neese Gray Theatre in the … [Read more...] about Famed anti-death penalty activist Sister Helen Prejean to visit Kansas!
Voices of Innocence: Beatrice Six
Plea Deals Risking Innocent Lives Less than 30 miles north of the Kansas border, a 68 year-old woman named Helen Wilson was raped and murdered during the winter of 1985. The heinous crime rocked the small town of Beatrice, Nebraska, and put into motion a series of events that would put not one, but six innocent people behind bars. The FBI’s initial investigation, which … [Read more...] about Voices of Innocence: Beatrice Six
Victim Voices: Celeste Dixon
"In 1986 my mother was raped and murdered in her rural home outside Houston. The murderer was eventually convicted and sentenced to death, an outcome I was initially happy with. Eventually I realized killing him was not going to bring her back. I forgave this man for what he had done—not for him, but for me. I realized supporting the death penalty meant that I was actively … [Read more...] about Victim Voices: Celeste Dixon
DNA Test Casts Doubt on Texas Execution
In 1990, a Texas jury convicted Claude Jones of murder, and he was executed in 2000. Jones and another ex-convict, Danny Dixon, had stopped at a convenience store. One of the men entered the store and shot a man inside, while the other remained outside in the car. Jones and Dixon argued about which was the shooter, but Jones was eventually convicted of pulling the trigger on … [Read more...] about DNA Test Casts Doubt on Texas Execution
Gavin Scott Moves off Death Row
Gavin Scott, sentenced to death in a 1996 double homicide, has reached a plea agreement that drops the death penalty and sentences him instead to two consecutive life sentences. His original sentence was overturned by the Kansas Supreme Court in May 2008 and he has been awaiting re-sentencing since that date. Scott will not be eligible for parole for at least 85 years. … [Read more...] about Gavin Scott Moves off Death Row