Warren Hill
Georgia will not be able to execute Warren Hill on Monday. He has been granted a temporary stay so the state of Georgia can sort out whether the sudden switch to a one-drug lethal injection protocol last week violated state laws guaranteeing public input on important administrative procedures (like killing people).
This is good news, in that Hill will not immediately be put to death, but there is no question that Georgia fully intends to execute a man with an IQ of 70 whom state judges have declared to be “mentally retarded” by all legal standards except the “beyond a reasonable doubt” bar used only by Georgia.
That the stay was granted on the lethal injection question allows the state of Georgia to evade further scrutiny of the way it handles capital punishment for the mentally disabled. For now, the Supreme Court, which banned executions of those with intellectual disabilities ten years ago, will not be reviewing Warren Hill’s case or the unique Georgia law upon which the state bases its right to kill him.
Kill them all, they are in jail for serious offenses. Its quite obvious its not the writer's family who are victims.
Did you know the victim's family spoke on HIS behalf in court, asking to the state to grant clemency?
When you're mentally handicapped you don't understand the difference between right and wrong………..
That's a pretty harsh thing to say, don't you think? i know this is the way most arguments go via internet, but we're all educated people here and should respect each other.
"KILL THEM ALL" Are you a closet murderer by any chance? Fantasizing about it yet hiding behind capital punishment and letting others do your work for you? If it's wrong it's wrong, there should be no twisting it to make it right.
Human rights do not count for these sort of people who intentionally hurt people. I am very appalled to read these sort of stories. Waste of time, waste of money and plus they are all faking some sort of illness to hide behind their true colors.
You are a sick, sick person. How can the state ration HUMAN rights. Please continue to live in your undereducated bubble and skip all jury duties!
I understand your point Cee, but this is hardly faking illness – a judge in Georgia ruled Warren Hill “mentally retarded” by a “preponderance of the evidence”.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that executing people who are mentally retarded violates the US constitution – it constitutes “cruel and unusual punishments” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment.
(http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/00-8452.ZS.html)
Do you disagree with the US Constitution?
According to CNN, "the Supreme Court halted Monday evening's scheduled execution of a convicted murderer on procedural grounds, but rejected a plea to spare him due to mental retardation.Hill's lawyers also argue that the condemned convict should be spared because he has an IQ of 70. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2002 struck down the death penalty for convicts with mental retardation, but Georgia law says an inmate has to prove mental retardation beyond a reasonable doubt, and a state court ruled earlier this month that Hill's lawyers had failed to do that. All justices except Robert Benham refused to review Hill's appeal of that case."
Dan, get your information right, please! No judge in Georgia ruled any such nonsense as per the info cited above and the reprieve is only issued to air the challenge to the one-drug protocol. I respetcfully ask that you become an educated death-penalty opponent…
I think human rights actually DO count for these people! They are HUMANS afterall! Don´t you understand, that this person is oing to DIE if we don´t take action?! LET HIM LIVE!
Let the two victims live! Oh, I forgot, Warren Hill murdered both of them in a premeditated manner. His girlfriend was only 18 and wanted to live but unfortunately got in the way of a domestic violence perpetrator who had no regard for her (and while in prison, no regard for a fellow inmate).
Yeah, your right I think you did forget, their gone NOTHING will bring them back and I hate to sound callous but HE chose to take those lives do we really need to now do the same and take another life? And wouldn't that be premeditated?
You can justify his actions anyway you desire Amy, however the facts speak for themselves: 1) Mr. Hill functions w/in the borderline intellectual range but in no way was judged insane nor meets the definition of mental retardation by any stretch, 2) he has not acknowledged the crime nor the victims to date and 3) has not showed any rehabilitative potential while in prison (his disciplinary record stands for that). The State of Georgia spent millions to accomodate his incarceration: first life in prison (he murders another) and more millions to allow for appeals which have been rejected all the way to the state's Supreme Court, and now granting a stay to air the challenge to the one drug protocol. Mark my words that the SCOTUS will not touch this case and will defer it down if Hill's attorneys appeal there.
Part II AMy:
Does AIUSA offer any solutions to dealing with the murder rate/violent crimes? Does AIUSA offer any solutions to funding incarceration and other monetary issues related to prison rehabilitation. My taxes are sky high and AIUSA wants me to throw more at someone who does not even acknowledge his victims? Yokamon Hearn, who was judged sane and not mnetally retarded, even though AIUSA put forth all this incorrect information about his culpability, did not even acknowledge his victim in his final statement. I have a problem with exerting energy on those who are unwilling to work on themselves. Wecan throw all the resources and money in that direction but a bona fide murderer who does not want to work on himself and his crime – will not benefit the taxpayers in the final analysis…
And when you choose to support capital punishment aren't you doing the same thing? Intentionally hurting someone. And then when you try to hide behind "well it's legal" aren't you in effect hiding your true colors?
God Bless Amnesty for saving his life, at least until another solution can be found. State sanctioned murder is not ever an acceptable punishment, no matter what the offense.
I just noticed this comment and it strikes me that you Sir, attribute the temporary stay to AmnestyUSA, when factually this organization had nothing to do with it. There are other forces at play here and AmnestyUSA does not have any standing to "save" anyone by interfering with them. Indirectly, this organization can possibly accomplish the mobilization of citizens to introduce referendums in their states and change laws through lobying their elected officials. I am surpirsed that AmnestyUSA did not correct this comment…
It amazes me that I would get a thumbs down for pointing out a fact that AmnestyUSA had nothing to do with the stay and the actual role AmnestyUSA engages in to further their cause. This shows that there are individuals out there who will defend twisting the facts and feeding the public with misinformation, and most important – who have no clue whatsoever about anything related to the functioning of AmnestyUSA.
Whoever you are, do your homework on AmnestyUSA (grass roots organizing). I honestly do no think that AmnestyUSA would want a "supporter" whose credibility is nonexistent…
God bless YOU for making that statement. Murder should never be sanctioned by a court of law in any case.
He did not make the statement in regard to murder Amy. He mistakenly attributed the stay to AIUSA when infact AIUSA had nothing to do with it. Its obvious you cannot read…
so what did he do? What do the parents of the victims think about this? I have not heard of his crime yet? Osama bin Laden type or what?
It doesn't matter. A murderer is still a murderer.
2 wrongs never make a right. I think it is WRONG to execute people! Even if they are murdereres! This should be FORBIDDEN!
Do you think that murder "should be forbidden?" Oh, it is against the law and yet people commit it . Defend murderers, do you! But nowhere do I read about victims and things to do for them. Where are your priorities? Oh, yes – you prefer to plead mercy for bona fide murderer regardless of circumstances and than maybe experience this feel good phenomenon. Some just are not rehabilitatable, Do you know that murdered Warren Hill (the one AmnestyUSA Brian Evans and many using this platform want to "save"), has not even once acknowledged his crimes nor the victims! …
It sickens me to no end of all the uneducated people that live in this country. You read what the news papers and other articles say and you actually believe it. I will tell right now, If someone murdered my mother, my son or anyone in my family I would want them to pay. This man you are trying to save from being executed didn't JUST murder another inmate, He got off easy the first time when he killed his own girlfriend and what did he get????? A slap on the wrist Life WITH parole and what does he do????? Kills somebody else. How many people does this man have to kill before it's ok to execute him???? A murderer is a murderer is a murderer! He will always be a murderer regardless if he is "mentally disabled" or not. I know plenty of mentally handicapped people and none of them have went out and killed people.
But he is mentally retarded, cases have shown that mentally retarded people have acted violent in cases of pressure or uncomfortable suituations so he did not mean to kill his prison mate. I dont excuse his actions but he doesnt deserve execution but he does deserve life in prison without parole.
May I respectfully ask where did you get this information that Mr. Hill suffers from mental retardation. His record prior to and during prison does not support your claim. This individual was fully aware and in total control of his premeditated murders. Please, with all do respect, do your homework…
I CONCUR!!!
What good people Americans are! Jesus said 'Love your enemies,' 'Forgive those who persecute you,' 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'. Killing a killer makes you a murderer too.
i totally agree to ula elliot!
Uneducated? Do I really have to be uneducated to believe that two wrongs do not make a right? To believe that if one is not allowed to take another life than none should. How lucky for you that you have the backing of the government to act out your murderous urges. (I have to admit though the life WITH parole shouldn't have been there)
"A murderer is a murderer is a murderer". Agreed.
So when the State of Georgia forcibly straps someone to a chair and injects them with lethal drugs, what does that make the State exactly?
I think I have the answer Sir – it makes them accountable to the victims and also ensures that a bona fide murderer receives the punsihment rendered by the jury per US law. The Supreme Court of the land, SIr, has not intervened here. The SCOTUS is made up of very well reasoned individuals who are capable of analyzing cases beyond you and me. They have determined that the State of Georgia is fully within its rights to have the death penalt in its criminal code. The only question that remains is the one-drug protocol. Other US states saw challneges to it and these challenges failed. I give you three guesses on how this challenge in Georgia will play out..
It makes the state a murderer.
And your point is? There are these bona fide murderers who do not consider anything beyond their own instant gratification. The State is accountable to all its inhabitants and the State afforded an opportunity to Mr. Hill by seeking life in prison for the first murder of his 18-YEAR OLD GIRLFRIEND. Mr. Hill did not seize this opportunity to turn his life around but commited another murder. What is the State to do? By your reasoning, the State needs to discount the two victims and work with this remorseless individual, heh? I disagree! there is a sentence in place that a jury handed down and the State is now obligated to be fully consequential because Mr,. Hill did not abide by the end of his bargain. Please lay off this tune of the State being the murderer because to well reasoned people it is not a well stated argument…
And what are YOU considering? Wouldn't be your own instant gratification at having all these bona fide murderers put to DEATH now would it? "The State is accountable"? I see how you slyly shifted the responsibility onto them. Wouldn't "we" have been more accurate? You seem to repeatedly revert back to the law as if to distance yourself from any responsibility.
My responsibility is evidenced in the enormous tax burden, all that money that comes out of my pocket to pave the way for those who have not taken ANY personal responsibility for themselves… I will support a criminal who exhibits rehabilitative potential when and not one who commits a murder while in prison….
It makes them a punisher. The State has to do it so the community does not feel the need to go out and lynch people because the state wont.
In a civilized country mentally retarded individuals that commit crimes do not belong in prison. They should be treated in a hospital and only released if their is a cure in their illness or an improvement in their behaviour. The fact that Warren Hill has been sent to prison previously demonstrates the inappropriate function of the American Justice System. Their is no use and no benefit in society in keeping an individual in an inappropriate place. What he requires is treatment and medication in order to stabilize him and training him how to react in difficult and uncomfortable situations.
It is appropriate for those who meet the definition of mental retardation but Mr. Hill has only a borderline IQ and not adaptive functioning issues that truly define mental retardation. How many time do I have to request that you DO YOUR HOMEWORK on mental retardation and diminshed capacity before naking statements totally unsupported by factual information. Your credibility is at stake and it maks your cause laughable…
Again I have to repeat myself about those who give thumbs down without having a clue about what is being discussed. the person who gave this statement a thumbs down needs to read the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAID) definition of what constitutes mental retardation. AAID is the standard used by all the Courts and the Supreme Court in death penalty cases. Evidently the person who gave me a thumbs down is an uneducated death penalty opponent…
Society has not protected Warren Hill's victims – or Hill himself. Vulnerable and potentially dangerous individuals need to be supported, treated and maybe even put in protective care so that these terrible things don't happen.
Testing of intelligence of prisoners facing execution is not done after conviction; it's based on records of prior testing, school records, medical reports etc. There is no question of a prisoner faking a low IQ to avoid execution.
No society that executes people deserves to call itself civilised. I'm glad that my country abolished the death penalty decades ago.
I am not sure whether you know that low IQ alone does not equate with mental disability; rather it only shows a person's aptitude. An IQ of 70 you may reason, makes a person unappreciative or unaware of consequences related to the crime they commit. I disagree. Based on years of research we now know that in addition to low IQ, other indicators such as difficulties in adaptive functioning prior to the age of 18, have to be present to classify someone as mentally disabled. Intellectual disability has no bearing on premeditation in Hill's case and thus cannot be used to determine a lessened culpability as he planned and executed the demise of two individuals based on nothing related to diminished capacity but rather a calculated "revenge."
I am always amazed at the length death-penalty opponents will go to in order to fight for a bona fide murderer, when there is no evidence to support any claims. Those who argue mental disability or retardation here, PLEASE do your homework on how it works and its implication on daily functioning and then we can have an informed polemic…
2 wrongs NEVER make a right! Murderer or not, every one has the right to live. We death-penalty opposed fight for the LIVES of these people! I dont understand why some states are too oldfashioned to make death-penalty illeagal.
I sincereley hope no one in your family gets raped or murdered. Infact I will pray for you in this regard…
Murdering someone is barbaric no matter what the person's IQ, and certainly the state should not be participating in killing anyone, if that person is not an immediate threat. Law enforcement should only be to protect, not to punish. We can never fully understand a person's situation and motives and history for crimes they commit. If a person has a low IQ and doesn't understand the consequences of his actions, then we should be restraining that person, not punishing him.
In the United States, the per capital expenditure to educate someone is much less that to house an individual in prison. These stats are easily availble. Also, an IQ of 70 does not mean a person does not understand the consequences of their actions. It is only relevant to aptitude. Mr. Hill was aware and understood that killing results in death. And yes, Mr. Hill proved himself to be an immediate threat who is not even capbale of living in the general population…
He his not mentally retarded – soon he will not be alive.
I live in Europe (Netherlands). The death penalty is abolished in Europe and thank God forbidden in the Constitution and the European Convention of human rights. The death penalty is a crime against humanity. Ordinary people or a State do not have the right to decide about someone’s death or life. The execution of people is a sign of lack of civilization.
You must understand the each country devices its own strategies how to manage crime based on what occurs within and not some Convention protocol. The crime rate in the US is what it is relevant to many factors. The realities are (as I pointed out above) that in general we spent more money per capita on prisoners (even those on death row) than we do on educating our children. This should inform you that we are not as barbaric as you think. Our constitution also has many safeguards (as in appeals) for those on death row, and many see exonerations. As someone who lives here and pays taxes here, I can tell you that the US is, infact, civilized – but it is forced to deal with realities as they present themselves and some imagined ideal.
I would hope that instead of critizing the US, you would examine our realities and perhaps assist in presenting solutions. Note that the blank statement that we are not civilized does not change our crime rate and all the internal problems this crime rate causes… VANITAS PECCATA MUNDI…
Thumbs down lunatic on the prowl again, haha? I stated that we in the USA want to come up with solutions to dealing with violent crime being faced with the realities as they are instead of pure criticism, and this person gives me a thumbs down? So, I assume this person does not want to engage in constructive dialogue but is rather bent on continuing down the path of uninformed "advocacy." If you have no idea what VANITAS PECCATA MUNDI means, now would be a great time to look it up…
AmnestyUSA – where do you find these uneducated and unwilling to discuss solutions so called "supporters?"
Death penalty is a crime against humanity, but killing men, women and children in drone attacks is not. Invading independent countries on the allegation of existence of weapons of mass destruction and killing lakhs of people including the President of that country in a Kangaroo trial is not. Many of the European countries are partners of US which has tasted the blood of lakhs of people in its so-called counter-terrorism campaigns and what all they do is not. Organized mass murder is not death penalty only society's reaction and demand of death of dirty anti-social scoundrels is death penalty and that alone is against human rights!
Tjark,
If it weren't for the USA you would be speaking German right now.We had lots of American blood spilled on your ground for your freedom.I will exercise a little of mine now we in the USA don't care what y'all do in Europe.
I agree but do not be so harsh on him because everyone's reality is different and he most likely cannot relate to history (may be too young). It is ironic though, that Europeans cite the Convention in all arguments made against the United States laws, although all Europena nations that are members to that protocol including Holland, DO NOT CONSIDER IT BINDING on their legal systems. Infact, may reent decicions in Eurpoe totally ignored the protocol. Tjark, it may be beneficial for you to do some research.
Dammit, Georgia, not again. First, you killed a man for murder despite lack of evidence and now you want to kill someone with a low IQ even though you know it's against the law to do so.
Stories like this have not only made me lose faith in my state's justice system but prove to me that the system's too flawed to be having the death penalty anyway.
Please, Don't Ignore this man's constitutional rights! Georgia, you are NOT above the constitution! Please show respect on this issue! Rena