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Post by wankinginthebushes on Dec 13, 2005 6:52:25 GMT -5
Former gang leader Stanley "Tookie" Williams has been executed by lethal injection, 24 years after he was convicted of killing four people.
Several hundred of his supporters gathered outside San Quentin prison, north of San Francisco, where he was declared dead at 0035 (0835GMT).
He denied the murders and, while in jail, campaigned against gang violence.
California Governor Schwarzenegger questioned his claims of redemption and refused to grant clemency.
Journalists who witnessed the execution said the mood in the execution chamber was sombre. Williams exchanged many glances with his supporters before his death, they said.
They said he became frustrated at a delay of several minutes as prison staff struggled to insert the needle. They saw him talking to his guards throughout the process.
After his death, his supporters declared: "The State of California has killed an innocent man," said MSNBC anchor Rita Cosby.
Family members of one of the victims, Albert Owens, also witnessed the execution. They, and in particular his stepmother Lora Owens, appeared very upset, Ms Cosby added.
After his death, Williams' foremost supporter and editor of his books, Barbara Becnel, said they would continue to fight to clear his name.
'No redemption'
Williams spent the hours before his death receiving friends and reading letters from his supporters, said prison officials. He refused a last meal and a meeting with a spiritual adviser.
Terry Thornton, a Corrections Department spokeswoman, described him as "quiet and thoughtful".
On Monday evening, the US Supreme Court refused a stay of execution, as had California's Supreme Court and a federal appeals court.
With the rejection of his appeal by the US Supreme Court, Williams exhausted all legal avenues.
Earlier on Monday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger denied clemency after "studying the evidence, searching the history, listening to the arguments and wrestling with the profound consequences".
"The facts do not justify overturning the jury's verdict or the decisions of the courts in this case," said Mr Schwarzenegger, who could have commuted the death sentence to life in prison without parole.
'Evidence decision'
Williams co-founded Crips, one of the world's biggest and deadliest gangs, in Los Angeles in 1971.
He always denied the 1979 murders of Albert Owens in a convenience store hold-up, and an elderly Taiwanese immigrant couple and their daughter at a motel they ran.
Stanley 'Tookie' Williams aged 29 in the exercise yard at St Quentin prison Williams' supporters say he became a reformed character in prison
During his 24 years in jail, Williams denounced gang violence and won praise for his anti-gang books, earning Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his teachings.
A high-profile campaign to save him was backed by celebrities including Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx, rap star Snoop Dogg - himself a former Crips gang member - Bishop Desmond Tutu and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
However, the relatives of some of his victims insisted he did not deserve clemency because he had not owned up to his crimes and refused to inform on fellow gang members.
Lora Owens said before the execution she felt "justice is going to be done tonight".
"I don't like it being said it's a political decision. It was an evidence decision," she was quoted on the CNN website as saying.
From BBC.CO.UK
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Post by Poshbird05 on Dec 13, 2005 16:35:36 GMT -5
I'm glad they killed him the man is no better alive then he is dead. He clames that he was a reformed man, but he still was a killer. He was convicted of killing four people and all through prison he denied doing it. If you're wondering why he didn't get cleminsy for what he did that's just it. He wouldn't confess to what he did he maintained that he didn't do it. This to me just shows that he wasn't sorry for what he did do. When he talked to the mother of one of his victums he told her that he didn't do it right to her face. And maybe the man did some good things while in jail, so what, he did a lot of bad things too. While behind bars he still ran the Crips and even palnned out gang violence while in jail. I don't think you can just stop the death penalty, there are some people who deserve to die. Take for instence in the 70's when Calafornia stopped the death penalty. All the prisoners on death row were taken off and can no longer be put back on. You know who was on death row at the time? Charles Manson and the whole Manson family. A convicted physco path who knows what he did and is proud of it. Personally some crimes are so hanis that they should be killed for them. I think killing four people and starting a gang that has killed thousands more should die
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Post by Moorish on Dec 14, 2005 5:55:11 GMT -5
Can't agree. Not to say he wasn't guilty or whatever but I don't think the state has a right to kill it's citizens. Was a great thing when we got rid of the death penalty in England.
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Post by shadowboxer on Dec 14, 2005 12:37:04 GMT -5
This quote pretty much sums up my feelings: "If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call." John McAdams - Marquette University/Department of Political Science, on deterrence I don't care if these people claim to be reformed. They took away innocent lives. They did not care so much about others when they killed them, why should we show any remorse for them.
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Post by Poshbird05 on Dec 14, 2005 21:56:12 GMT -5
totaly agree Concerning lisamoorish, I think that some people do deserve to die, for instance Charles Manson. The man brainwashed a buch of kids and had them kill a lot of innocent people I think it was like 8 one of which was Roman Polanski's wife who was pregnet at the time and these people killed her and then ripped out the babby and smashed it's head in. Tell me that they shouldn't be killed
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Post by wankinginthebushes on Dec 15, 2005 3:09:10 GMT -5
totaly agree Concerning lisamoorish, I think that some people do deserve to die, for instance Charles Manson. The man brainwashed a buch of kids and had them kill a lot of innocent people I think it was like 8 one of which was Roman Polanski's wife who was pregnet at the time and these people killed her and then ripped out the babby and smashed it's head in. Tell me that they shouldn't be killed Ill disagree with you posh. As the old saying goes, you cant fight fire with fire. How can you expect to be a civilised society and show a good example if the state kills people? to me it just doesnt make sense. And what about those who claim they are innocent? There have been numerous accounts where people have been realeased from death row after new evidence has been submitted? What happend if that evidence never saw the light of day? You would be killing an innocent man. "There's no question, in my mind, that someone has slipped through the cracks and that an innocent person has been executed." Former Harris County criminal court judge Jay BurnetYou should also rent and watch the film 'The life of David Gale'. Then tell me if you still believe there should be a death penatly. I know its fiction but fuck, it puts over a good point.
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Post by Moorish on Dec 15, 2005 11:26:57 GMT -5
totaly agree Concerning lisamoorish, I think that some people do deserve to die, for instance Charles Manson. The man brainwashed a buch of kids and had them kill a lot of innocent people I think it was like 8 one of which was Roman Polanski's wife who was pregnet at the time and these people killed her and then ripped out the babby and smashed it's head in. Tell me that they shouldn't be killed Not saying there aren't bad people in the world who terrible things. Just don't think lowering ourselves to their level is the answer. They get off easy, IMO. I'd sooner they rotted in a cell.
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Post by Dominic on Dec 15, 2005 11:29:08 GMT -5
life of david gale is such an amazing film
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Post by Poshbird05 on Dec 15, 2005 14:18:09 GMT -5
For some people jail might be a bad place where you don't want to be, but for some people cable TV and 3 straight meals and not having to fear for your life is a very disirable thing. I honestly don't have that much faith in the US's prison system because jail time doesn't seem to dicourage people from commiting crimes. I mean there have always been jails, but yet people still commit crimes. I'm not too sure how the death penalty has effected crime. All I know is that when you see the family of the victums get interviewed they always say that they feel that the person should be put to death, now I can't put my self in those shouse, but I imagin that I would feel the same way and that if someone killed a person I love I wouldn't want them living it up in a cell because offten prison is a much better place then where the person came from.
I don't know I don't think that everyone who murders should be killed, I just think it should be those who comit the most hayness of crimes and are not sympathetic for what they've done.
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Post by halftheworld on Dec 16, 2005 21:52:36 GMT -5
This quote pretty much sums up my feelings: "If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call." John McAdams - Marquette University/Department of Political Science, on deterrence Well but consider that a court is not an unfailing institution. Would you agree aswell to execute a certain amount of innocent people just to maintain possible deterrent effect? And keep in mind: How many lifes do you safe when you kill somebody instead of put him into jail for a life-long term? It's exactly 0. But the one difference is that the state avoids to KILL innocent people.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2005 17:03:12 GMT -5
Killing is wrong no matter what the crime committed. I don't believe that capital punishment is acceptable. I can’t see how it can be accepted in civilised society.
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Post by nyr401994 on Dec 17, 2005 18:35:23 GMT -5
this man shouldn't have died. yes, he killed these men, but to be good "christians", you must forgive. he should have been given a life sentence instead of death.
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