Controversial execution in Va. scheduled for Thurs.

The Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is urging Virginis residents to call the office of Gov. Tim Kaine (D) to prevent the execution of Brandon Hedrick on July 20. Hedrick has requested to be executed in the electric chair instead of death by lethal injection. Hedrick confessed to the Appamottox County killing of Lisa Crider. The crime involved another person Trevor Jones, who according to the VADP masterminded the robbery and gave the gun to Hedrick, who has been labeled as 'slow.'

Gov. Kaine said on the WVTF radio program "Evening Edition" that there was no question of Hedrick's guilt, but there is a question regarding his IQ level. Kaine won the race to the Governor's mansion over Republican Jerry Kilgore, the state's former attorney general. Kaine won the election even though he opposes capital punishment, which at least 60 % of all Virginians support. During the campaign, Kilgore's campaign evoked the name of Adolph Hitler in order to smear Kaine for his personal beliefes regarding the death penalty. The tactic backfired as many Jewish residents of Virginia chastised Kilgore's campaign in response to their efforts. Kaine has overseen one exectuion since being elected in November of 2005. The VADP said that Hedrick was an indigent defendant and did not recieve appropriate counsel. Gov. Kaine said he still personally opposes capital punishment on "Evening Edition," but the fact that the General Assembly always strikes down moratorium measures puts Virginians sharing his view in a political bind.The jurisdiction of the crime is 30 miles east of Lynchburg. The United States is one of the few Westernized countries that imposes capital punishment.

Though I have been outraged by a number of recent heinous crimes, including the murder of an El Salvadoran immigrant in Charlotte, NC, I personally oppose capital punishment. I do not however contact people who are on death row out of respect to victims' families, though I do not dispute the rights of other people who oppose capital punishment to communicate with such individuals. I do believe there are individual who are wrongfully sentenced to death, but I personally prefer distance until an individual has been cleared of the crime.In Virginia, Culpeper resident Earl Washington Jr. is one such person who was cleared from death row due to DNA evidence. He is now a free man.

The office of Gov. Kaine is 804-786-2211 ext. 6 (public policy).

The North Carolinians for a Moratorium, another death penalty opposition group, is scheduled to hold a meeting in Durham, NC, on Aug. 8. Email me at tango74@aol.com for details.

In other news regarding Gov. Tim Kaine, his office announced that Pres. George W. Bush (R) has granted Kaine's request for federal assistance to nine Virginia localities, including Rockbridge, Highland and Bath County in the wake of severe weather that began on June 23. The federal funds will be used to cover damage to infrastructure and debris removal. Gov. Kaine has also reached a budget accord with the General Assembly. And, he is planning to hold six regional meetings to develop his Economic and Workforce Development Strtegic Plans. There is a schedule of the meetings at Gov. Kaine's web site (listed bellow).

For more info:

Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty web site:

http://www.vadp.org

Gov. Tim Kaine

http://www.governor.virignia.gov/

 

Update: The state of Virginia is scheduling another execution for Michael Lenz on July 27, a week after the scheduled execution of Brandon Hedrick.

The VADP is holding protests on both July 20 and 27 from 4-6 p.m. at the Broad Street entrance to the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond. Additional vigils will be held at the Greenville Correctional Center, in Jarratt where executions take place and other locations throughout Virginia.

The VADP is based in Charlottesville. They can be reached at 1-888-567-VADP.

Update on July 21: Another form of what I view to be an archaic form of justice was carried out as Hedrick was executed in the one stoplight town of Jarratt, Va. According to cnn.com, Hedrick's last words were: "I pray for the unsaved. I'm ready to go free." Hedrick chose to be killed by the electric chair as opposed to a lethal injection because he feared the later. The murder of Lisa Crider in Appamattox County that we was convicted for occured in 1997. Next week, Michael Lenz is scheduled to be the next person scheduled for a state execution. He was sentenced for the murder of a fellow prison inmate.