When Death Row Inmates Request to Die
Do the Courts Have the Right to Assist in Their Self Assisted Suicide?
According to Associated Press and court testimony, "Hoadley said Page and Piper planned to steal a stereo, a television and other property from Poage's mother's house in Spearfish. A prosecutor said Poage was killed so there would be no witness.
Hoadley said Piper stabbed Poage three times in the head and neck, and Page kicked Poage 30 to 40 times in the head, tearing his ears off, then hit him on the head with large rocks.
Hoadley said he hit Poage with two large rocks near the end of the attack, which lasted at least two hours. He said he was afraid Piper and Page would kill him if he interfered or tried to leave."
Elijah Page had a long history of abuse as a child, and was often molested as a child for drug money. Neighbors of the family testified in court on his behalf, and at one point were gathering together to get the Page children removed from the house.Warren Johnson, the judge who presided over Page's punishment trial, stated, "Most parents treated their pets better than your parents treated you." The millions of dollars spent on the death penalty system could be much better spent on treating and preventing drug use, which may have spared Page a twisted childhood and saved the life of Allan Poage.
Page did not ask for a stay of execution, instead he informed the courts in writing that he wished to drop all appeals, and dismiss his attorneys. He in short wanted the state of South Dakota to execute him. His attorneys asked to have him evaluated. There were problems with using the lethal injection method that had to be resolved and Page eventually got a stay of execution until July 1, 2007.
Recently a Kentucky inmate, Marco Allen Chapman stated he wanted to die by lethal injection, and waive all his rights, to a trial and jury. While Chapman's defense lawyers try to defend him, this puts Chapman on the same side of the prosecutors which is disturbing to the lawyers. They call this "suicide by court." Chapman has stated several times that he wants to be executed.
Chapman was convicted in December 2004 for the double murder of 7 year old and 6 year old girls in their home in Kentucky. A third girl 10 years old was stabbed several times, but escaped death by "playing dead." He then raped and tried to murder the mother of the girls.
A second inmate on Kentucky death row, Shawn Windsor, is planning on dropping his appeals and asking for the state to execute him. Windsor pleaded guilty and was convicted of murdering his wife and son in 2006.
The Kentucky Supreme Court is to hear arguments on this case Thursday, April 12, 2007. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1977, 124 inmates in 26 different states have dropped all appeals and asked to be executed.
Associated Press reported Michael Hoffheimer, a criminal law professor at the University of Mississippi said "a ruling giving deference to a client's decision to seek a death sentence could be troubling because it would take away multiple legal safeguards to ensure that a competent, guilty person is put to death."
Sources, Associated Press, Louisville Courier
Published by Dee
I am a prison activist/advocate writing about prison issues, hoping to make awareness, and bring reform. One out of every thirty-two people in the USA are currently on parole, probation or in prison. I am ow... View profile
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22 Comments
Post a CommentOh my!! Look to those cruel, selfish and ignorant comments!! Well, that's American people...
Great article! They deserve what they get
Deez, what about the innocent?
I generally just don't believe in the death penalty but I suppose I'd better never say never.
First, it's way cheaper to house a death row inmate for life. Now when someone is in extreme pain, and there is no hope for them, we don't allow them to die, do we? So this would be the same thing,assissting a human being in his own death, one who is not in pysical pain.
i for one think if that if they want to die they should be evaluated and if found to be competent in their decision granted the request. not only would it save money for the government, but that may be the only way they feel they can come close to paying for their crimes against humanity. To me it almost seems like the last human thing to do.
"As soon as they say they want to die, light the fuse." - I just do not understand how people can just bluntly say things like this. What if it was someone close to you that was on death row, would you be so quick to say "light the fuse"?
Great article!
As soon as they say they want to die, light the fuse.
how ironic that if they want to die, they cannot.