Posted on 01/15/2006 9:51:34 AM PST by SmithL
Clarence Ray Allen stands to be the first in a long procession of geriatric patients to be ushered into San Quentin State Prison's death chamber just ahead of the grim reaper.
Allen, who is legally blind, sick and uses a wheelchair, will turn 76 on Monday, the day before he is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection. He would be the oldest person ever put to death in California.
Those on both sides of the debate over what should happen to Allen agree on one thing -- trundling a feeble old man from his sick bed to the death chamber is not how the system should work. But what is at this point a peculiar predicament could soon become standard procedure.
There are four condemned inmates older than 70 queued up behind Allen, including 75-year-old David Carpenter, the notorious Trailside Killer, who is next in line to become California's oldest Death Row resident. Eleven other inmates on the row have reached age 65.
In all, 199 inmates 50 and older are awaiting a date with the needle in California, according to corrections officials. That's 30.8 percent of the Death Row population of 646 inmates. In 1988, the comparable figure was 5.4 percent.
"It could happen a lot more," Sgt. Eric Messick, a San Quentin spokesman, said of senior citizen executions. "When you have a legal process that's taking as long as it is taking, anyone who is convicted in his 40s is going to be elderly when his execution comes."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Let's just call it a 'death with dignity.' The Lefties will be too confused to know what side to take.
I LOVE it!
His victims are unchanged at 100% murdered.
Clarence Ray allen was convicted and sentenced to death in 1980. David Carpenter was convicted and sentenced to death in 1984. Why is it taking over 20 years for the appeals process in CA? We don't have that issue in TX.
Go figure.
The libs do have a point about the wrongness of executing old, sick people.
But the solution is to execute them while they are younger and healthier.
You have to be seriously sick to get ONTO Death Row. And given the 30 years of appeals... well, aging goes with the territory.
Fire up old Sparky and have done with them.
Just disconnect his feeding tube, and let him die in peaceful, euphoric dignity.
Oh, please.
Cry me a river.
To the standard recipe of sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride, add Geritol.
I actually heard the guys attorney on the radio yesterday say that you can't execute him because he's been on death row too long.
Awww...
They werent sick and old when they committed murder. They wouldnt be sick and old now if the penalty was properly enforced.
We must kill them all quickly!
To delay and expose these poor bastards to continued suffering and mental anguish worrying about their fate - would be cruel and unusual punishment...
The ONLY sensitive decision, would be to kill them all QUICKLY and without notice....
Surprise them!
Semper Fi
"Those on both sides of the debate over what should happen to Allen agree on one thing -- trundling a feeble old man from his sick bed to the death chamber is not how the system should wor"
Yes, it is DISUGUSTING that this vile piece of crap has been allowed to avoid his sentence for so long.
Get rid of him.
For sure. . .LOL
This is like the kid who shoots his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the Court because he's an orphan: Get convicted of murder, sentenced to death, and jerk the case around for 20+ years in the neverending world of appeals, and then bleat you shouldn't be executed because you're old and infirm. What a country!
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