Posted on 12/09/2005 7:30:04 AM PST by SmithL
Sacramento -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spent more than an hour with lawyers for Stanley Tookie Williams and prosecutors pushing for his death sentence Thursday, hearing final arguments before he makes a decision on Williams' bid to avoid lethal injection.
Schwarzenegger now has fewer than four days to weigh Williams' past as a convicted four-time murderer and gang leader against his present work as an anti-gang crusader. Williams, who has written eight children's books from his Death Row cell, is pleading for clemency based on his value as "a unique voice'' against street violence, one of his attorneys said.
The hearing, in which both sides made their case to Schwarzenegger and four lawyers who work for the governor, took place in private. The governor was handed a letter from Williams during the meeting.
Schwarzenegger made no public appearances Thursday, and while attorneys held press conferences in front of more than 25 television cameras and dozens of reporters, no one would divulge details of the meeting held in the Ronald Reagan Cabinet Room inside the governor's suite of Capitol offices.
Williams' case has received worldwide attention and his notoriety and scheduled execution at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday has California prison officials preparing for potential violence inside facilities. Celebrities have been drawn to Williams' cause -- he met privately with rapper Snoop Dogg Wednesday and with actor Jamie Foxx Thursday at San Quentin State Prison.
In the Capitol, a deputy district attorney from Los Angeles made the case against clemency, declaring that Williams was guilty of "extremely brutal crimes against people who were defenseless.''
"Very simply, in our opinion, there are certain murders -- not every murder -- where an individual's conduct is just so abhorrent, where the crime is so brutal, it simply justifies the ultimate punishment,''
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
The people who think Tookie should be executed won't riot if he's pardoned, but they will remember during next year's election.
The people that think Tookie is some kind of hero may or may not riot, but they will never support Arnold under any circumstances.
If Arnold wanted to play hero to the left, he would have done it yesterday, as soon as the hearing was over. No, he's going to let the execution go forward. However, he won't announce it until the last possible minute, in order to minimize the disruption between the announcement and the execution.
the violence isn't going to be perpetrated by the anti-death penalty crowd..this is gonna be from "all black men on death row are innocent pawns in whitie's game" group..
I would be very surprised if Arnold signed off on the execution of this scumbag. He has some Kennedy in him and he
will be listening to the moaning over poor Tookie at
Christmas dinner. He will not sign off on it. He made his money pretending to kill hundreds of bad guys but I do not think he has the stones to put this cur down.
If Arnold wanted to play hero to the left, he would have done it yesterday, as soon as the hearing was over. No, he's going to let the execution go forward. However, he won't announce it until the last possible minute, in order to minimize the disruption between the announcement and the execution.You could be right, I hope you're right, and your reasoning makes sense. But I am nervous. If he gives that son-of-a-bitch clemency, it will be a sickening thing indeed.
I don't like your thought. The guy's a murdering pig. He's been sentenced to death by a jury. If threats of riots by a certain group of people can turn the law on its head, then the law means nothing and no one should ever be punished for any crime. If enforcing the law makes lawkeepers pariahs in the liberal press it says much more about liberals than lawkeepers. Rioting is a crime against society too and should be dealt with harshly as such.
The notion that a piece of human filth who's left a legacy of lawlessness and murder after murder is above the law -- and has even been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize! -- is beyond belief. Anyone who advocates that does not deserve to live in a free society.
Yep, I wonder how many people would get killed in a riot to protest the death penalty. None of this, of course, makes any sense.
Fry the bastard ... and respond to rioters with overwhelming firepower.
I didn't know that the Nobel Peace Prize had been further devalued. Maybe Tookie and Osama can share the winnings
Tookie is definately as expendendable as his victems were and a thousand times more deserving of being expended. Let the expending commence as scheduled on 12-13-05.
It's past time for Tookie to taste in unfortunately a more gentle and punk ass form, the violent and unprovoced deaths he inflicted upon his innocent victems.
Terminate this sonovabitch, termanator.
I must have misread your meaning. Yes, the Left's position is perverse -- and Orwellian.
The violence already occured. 4 executed by Tookie, Crips gang started. Greatly contributed to the Rodney King riots! What more violence could occur.
Also heard that he refuses to this day to debrief various agencies on the Crips inner workings. Now that alone is execution material.
BUMP!
It has been even though it's hard to imagine how it could be after being presented to Jimmah Carter and Yasser Arafat.
only black gangsters will riot... NOT the majority of honest black citizens.
You are absolutely right. Arnold has been dealing with the Democrats in CA. The first part of this deal was the hiring of his new Chief of Staff. The second will be clemency for Tookie. It will be interesting to see what he has traded his soul for.
dado del tookie del dado!
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