The Shameful Spectacle Of Georgia’s Death Penalty

February 20, 2013 at 2:56 PM
warren hill

Warren Hill

Less than half an hour before he was to be put to death, and after he had taken a sedative to prepare for his execution, Warren Hill was granted two simultaneous stays of execution – by a state court on a challenge to the method of his execution, and by the federal 11th circuit court of appeals on the substantive issue of his “mental retardation.”

Warren Hill has an IQ of 70 and has been declared by a state judge to be “mentally retarded” by a preponderance of the evidence. In other states, that would mean his execution would be an unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.  But not in Georgia, where a prisoner must prove his “mental retardation” beyond a reasonable doubt, a virtual impossibility given the inexact science of measuring mental disability.

Add to this the fact that the victim’s family and several of the jurors from his trial now oppose his execution, and one wonders: why is the state of Georgia – which is seeking to lift the stays – trying so hard to kill Warren Hill?  Who is this execution for?

Capital punishment is a degrading and shameful spectacle. The Warren Hill case, including the cruelty of Hill’s being brought to the brink of execution only to be pulled back at the last minute, has made this crystal clear. The people of Maryland should be glad they are on the verge of opting out of this ugly and demeaning ritual. The people of Georgia will have more work to do, as their state plans to execute Andrew Cook on Thursday.

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6 thoughts on “The Shameful Spectacle Of Georgia’s Death Penalty”

  1. So why should someone that is mentally retarded be exempt from execution? The engineering of their brain is what lead to the horrific act. They are less likely to be rehabilitated? What makes it more cruel for someone who is capable of themselves committing inhumane acts but who happens to be less intelligent to be executed? Why would it be more cruel for this person to be executed than say a super genius?

  4. Well, I have an update: Andrew Cook's execution was stayed yesterday on lethal injection grounds by the Georgia Court of Appeals.

  5. Sad news! Yesterday Georgia lifted the stay of execution and killed Andrew Cook for murder in spite of his mental illness that went totally ignored by the courts! Also, Texas killed Carl Blue for killing Carmen-Richards Sanders in spite of his unfair trial! I just bet that the families of the victims have satisfied their revenge by killing both Cook and Blue and claiming that "justice is served in the death of those lying, murderous monsters so we can all get closure" while unknowingly causing both inmates' families more grief in the loss of their loved ones to state-sponsored murder! My heart breaks for all of the families, and I hope they can find comfort and forgiveness for what they've done against each other. May Cook, Blue and the victims all R.I.P.

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