3 years later, state executions still on hold [Kalifornia]

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | February 23, 2009 | Bob Egelko

[KingofZion]

It's been three years since the night a federal judge blocked an execution at San Quentin State Prison because of concerns that the state's haphazard lethal injection methods could inflict prolonged and excruciating pain on a condemned inmate, violating the U.S. Constitution.

Today, the state is no closer to executing the Stockton murderer-rapist who was to have died that night, Michael Morales, or any of the other 679 prisoners on the nation's largest death row. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration says it's trying to break the logjam by agreeing to let the public comment on proposed new procedures for executing convicts, a concession that it opposed in court for more than two years. *** Even if the state now moves quickly to evaluate public comment on the revamped injections, and rapidly persuades the federal courts that it's solved the previous problems, executions are unlikely to resume in California for at least another year.

Surveys have consistently shown that most Californians support the death penalty, although that majority has been shrinking. The last statewide Field Poll in February 2006, the month Morales was to have been executed, found that 63 percent favored keeping the death penalty, 32 percent opposed it and 5 percent had no opinion. Twenty years earlier, the same polling organization found 83 percent support. *** Morales, now 49, raped and murdered 17-year-old Terri Winchell of Lodi (San Joaquin County) in 1981, choking, hammering and stabbing her at the behest of his jealous cousin. He was scheduled to die at San Quentin on Feb. 21, 2006, five weeks after 76-year-old triple murderer Clarence Ray Allen, the last man to be executed in California, was rolled to the death chamber in a wheelchair.

Morales' last hope was a challenge to lethal injection, *** MORE***

[KingofZion]

I don't understand why we don't simply erect a hang-noose in the prison yard (which clearly was constitutional for some 100+ years) and set up pay-per-view to offset death row costs. Oh that's right, 'rats control the budget...

[pikachu]

It's been three years since the night a federal judge blocked an execution at San Quentin State Prison because of concerns that the state's haphazard lethal injection methods could inflict prolonged and excruciating pain on a condemned inmate'

And

Morales, now 49, raped and murdered 17-year-old Terri Winchell of Lodi (San Joaquin County) in 1981, choking, hammering and stabbing her at the behest of his jealous cousin.

Anyone see any lawyers speaking up for the victim's prolonged and excruciating pain?

[taxcontrol]

Introduce Nitrogen Asphyxiation as a means of execution.

[al baby]

just give me a nice big gun 650 rounds and let me just walk though death row and plug away

[al baby]

700 rounds

[OafOfOffice]

Send ‘em to Pakistans Swat valley to handle the Taliban takeover. If they live then they can enjoy living there.

If they get beheaded then...

Scott Peterson must be relieved by the stopping of executions. He is probably saying, how many before me?!?

Isn’t it interesting, Oregon will pay for assisted suicide rather than medical treatment for someone who did nothing wrong but is extremely ill. But we cannot execute someone who killed another intentionally and with no remorse in the same manner?

WTH is going on!

[OrangeHoof]

Justice delayed is justice denied.