Category Archives: Death Penalty
The Death Penalty in Virginia
A Virginia man awaiting his day of execution recently asked a federal court to thwart state plans of execution by lethal injection, claiming that that form of death was less humane than even a firing squad. The inmate’s lawyers claim that the lethal mix of rocuronium bromide, the sedative midazolam, and potassium chloride carry… Read More »
Virginia Prosecutor to Seek Death Penalty in Murder of State Trooper
The Roanoke Times recently reported on the verdict that a Dinwiddie County jury reached. After eight hours of deliberation, the jury voted unanimously to find Russell Brown III guilty of capital murder. Brown was charged with the murder of Virginia State Police Master Trooper Junius Walker in March 2013. Brown’s defense centered on whether… Read More »
Other States Brace for Change Following Supreme Court Ruling
Capital punishment has a long and controversial history in America. Today, 31 states allow the death penalty, while just 19 do not. Each state, however, varies in how sentences are determined and carried out. Interestingly, the first recognized judicially ordered execution in America took place in 1608 in what is now modern day Virginia…. Read More »