New Mexico Repeals Death Penalty

(CNN) -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed a bill Wednesday repealing the death penalty in his state, his office confirmed.

"Regardless of my personal opinion about the death penalty, I do not have confidence in the criminal justice system as it currently operates to be the final arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime," Richardson said in a statement Wednesday.

He noted that more than 130 death row inmates have been exonerated in the past 10 years, including four in New Mexico.

"Faced with the reality that our system for imposing the death penalty can never be perfect, my conscience compels me to replace the death penalty with a solution that keeps society safe," he said.

Good job, Billy.

Texas Murderer Welcomes Execution

LIVINGSTON, Texas — Michael Rodriguez remembers the exhilaration of newfound freedom when he hid in the back of a stolen truck as he and six of his buddy convicts staged one of Texas' most notorious prison breaks.

Then he recalls seeing his photo on national TV and grasping the reality that their Hollywood-style plan to rob a Nevada casino had gone terribly awry. He and his fellow fugitives were being hunted everywhere as the killers of a police officer, Aubrey Hawkins, at a store they robbed outside Dallas.

This week, Rodriguez is set to become the first of the six surviving members of the infamous "Texas 7" — all of them now on death row — to go to the death chamber.

"I'm glad we got caught, so no one else would get hurt," Rodriguez said, discussing with a reporter for the first time his involvement in the crime spree eight years ago.

At what point does this become some wacky form of euthanasia?

"I'm just moving forward," Rodriguez said from a small visiting cage at the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, site of the state's death row. "Look. I'm guilty of what they said — everything."

And he said he wants the family of his former wife, Theresa, and the relatives the slain police officer "to know how truly sorry I am and I am willing to pay."

"I think it's a fair sentence," he added. "I need to pay back. I can't pay back monetarily. This is the way." - Fox News

Kudos to Rodriguez for admitting he's fully accountable.

Texas Executes Mexican Rapist/Murderer

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A Mexican-born condemned prisoner was executed Tuesday night for the rape and murder of two teenage girls 15 years ago after a divided U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request for a reprieve.

"I'm sorry my actions caused you pain. I hope this brings you the closure that you seek. Never harbor hate," Jose Medellin said to those gathered to watch him die. Nine minutes later, at 9:57 p.m., he was pronounced dead.

Medellin's execution, the fifth this year in the nation's busiest capital punishment state, attracted international attention after he raised claims he wasn't allowed to consult the Mexican consulate for legal help following his arrest. State officials say he didn't ask to do so until well after he was convicted of capital murder. - Associated Press

That man did not deserve to die. I definitely acknowledge that the families of those dead have good reason to be mad at the guy, but they must learn forgiveness.

Bush Approves Execution

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush has approved the Army's request to execute a soldier convicted of rape and murder, the White House announced Monday evening.

Pvt. Ronald Gray, seen here in 1988, has been on the military's death row for 20 years.

Pvt. Ronald Gray has been on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since 1988. His execution would be the first for the U.S. military since 1961, but the White House said it expects further appeals before the sentence is carried out.

"While approving a sentence of death for a member of our armed services is a serious and difficult decision for a commander-in-chief, the president believes the facts of this case leave no doubt that the sentence is just and warranted," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Gray was convicted of raping and killing a female Army private and a civilian near his post at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was also convicted of the rape and attempted murder of another fellow soldier in her barracks at Fort Bragg.

Does he deserve to die? Probably not.

Sizing Up The Presidential Candidates (Part 3)

The Death Penalty/Punishment
• The Church teaches that the death penalty is acceptable
in principle but should be avoided in practice.
• The responsibility of elected officials is to ensure that penal
systems and sentencing policies do in fact protect society
from known aggressors.
• The practical elimination of the death penalty is based
upon the strength of the penal system and the commensurateness
of the sentencing procedures.

Mike Huckabee - Republican - 60%
Duncan Hunter - Republican - 30% - Disqualified
John McCain - Republican - 40% - Disqualified
Ron Paul - Republican - 60%
Fred Thompson - Republican - 10% - Disqualified
Alan Keyes - Republican - 30% - Disqualified
William Koenig - Republican - Unknown
Don Grundmann - Constitution Party - Unknown
Dan Imperato - Libertarian Party - 30% - Disqualified