You can call me J. Ray, or
You can call me John Ray, or
You can call me Johnny, or
You can call me Conner, or
You can call me Goner.
But you doesn't hafta call me anymore.
Posted on 08/22/2007 3:30:45 PM PDT by mdittmar
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to block tonight's scheduled execution of Texas death row inmate Johnny Ray Conner.
Conner was condemned over the 1998 killing of a Houston convenience store clerk during a failed robbery.
The shooting victim was 49-year-old Kathyanna Nguyen.
Conner is slated to be the 400th convicted killer put to death in Texas since the state resumed executions in 1982. The 32-year-old inmate also would be the 21st condemned killer to have his execution carried out this year in Texas.
The Austin-based Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty says Conner's pending execution represents, quote: "400 instances of failed public policy for Texans."
Times up johnny.
Darn. I was hoping it was the 400th this year.
That’s really pathetic. Just 400 in 25 years. That’s just an average of 16 per year. We’d all be better off if it were closer to 4,000 that had been executed.
They should put a party hat on the guy to celebrate the occasion.
Johnny’s on the Superhighway to Hell tonight.
Good riddance.
They’re right it is a failure of public policy that it takes nine years to execute a convicted murder.
We’re doing better than any other state in the union. And we’re accelerating the executions.
Here in Liberal Merryland we have one every twenty years!
Still better than your state, please come back and criticize Texas when you can exceed our execution speed.
But more crimes should be subject to the death penalty, and Congress should restrict the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to hear cases involving the death penalty.
What's even worse is the fact that there's a guy who has been on death row since 1980!
Been watching our legislature lately? We’ve been adding offenses to the capital punishment list. :)
As for Congress? Good luck there.
Um, Congress doesn't have that power under the constitution. Congress can only grant the Supreme Court original jurisdiction for types of cases it wants to. It cannot restrict the Court's power.
You're scary.
But you doesn't hafta call me anymore.
He should be on the gurney right about now...
This ain’t no party,
This ani’t no disco,
This ain’t no foolin’ around...
Texas Inmate Set to Die
A Louisiana man who shot a Houston, Texas convenience store clerk to death May 17, 1998, even though she was behind a bullet-proof enclosure, is set to become the 400th inmate executed in Texas since the state resumed capital punishment in 1982. Johnny Ray Conner, 32, was convicted in 1999 of the murder of Kathyanna Nguyen, 49.
Nguyen, who was known as “Miss Lee” by her customers at the store, was being robbed at gunpoint when Julian Gutierrez, a customer, walked into the store. Gutierrez tried to flee and was shot in the shoulder, according to testimony at the trial.
Conner managed to get his hand and gun through the small slot in the bullet-proof enclosure and shoot Nguyen, who apparently had tried to cooperate with the robber, giving him cash. Nguyen died, but Gutierrez survived and testified against Conner, along with other eye witnesses who saw him running from the store.
In his appeals, Conner argued that he had a leg injury that would have made it impossible for him to run quickly from the store as witnesses described. He argued that his attorneys should have raised the issue at his trial.
The appeals court ruled there was no testimony at his trial about his limp and none of his lawyers ever noticed a limp.
You are correct. My criticism was directed at the US system of justice in general.
My state takes on average sixteen years (my best recollection) to execute a murderer.
All of the states need to do better.
My goal would be that all appeals would be exhausted with in three years of conviction.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
Under Article III of the Constitution, Congress can create the "lower federal courts" and with those, all of the certiorari jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Furthermore, the SC has repeatedly recognized that Congress can regulate or eliminate any aspects of the federal courts except the OJ of the SC.
I'm right on this. I didn't practice a third of a century in the SC for nothing,
Congressman Billybob
And I bet all the anti-death penalty wackos will be out in full force tonite.
Death Penalty opponents are the biggest reason why the death penalty is so slow in being carried out. They value the rights of the criminals over the rights of the victims
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.