January Execution Alert

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

e - @ b o l i t i o n i s t

January 2006

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Ringing in 2006 with 8 Scheduled Executions

The new year is starting with eight executions scheduled for the month of January. The first execution takes us back to California with Clarence Ray Allen, who is scheduled for execution on January 17th. If executed, Allen--a Choctaw Indian who is 75 years old--would be the oldest inmate ever executed in California and the 2nd-oldest since the 1940s. And Allen's case is likely to foreshadow an increasingly common occurrence for California, where more and more people in their 60s and 70s on the nation's largest death row could be executed decades after their crimes.

Another familiar name is Ohio's John Spirko, who is scheduled for execution on January 19th. Spirko received a lot of press in the fall, when he was originally up for execution in November 2005. After receiving a stay from Governor Taft, his cause will once again reexamined this month, along with six other death row inmates.



Governor Schwarzenegger faces another clemency decision in California

If his execution proceeds, 75-year-old Clarence Ray Allen will be rolled in a wheelchair to the door of San Quentin State Prison's execution chamber, where prison guards will essentially have to lift him onto a gurney. Allen, legally blind, is unlikely to be able to make out much of what will be happening around him as he receives a lethal dose of drugs, according to court documents.

Furthermore, Allen received inadequate representation at trial. Reviewing Allen’s case, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2005 found that Allen’s trial counsel had been inadequate. However, his sentence was not reversed and no retrial called for.

The execution of this sick, feeble old man would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Considering his age and health in addition to his inadequate trial representation, it is unacceptable for Clarence Ray Allen to be executed.

Act now by contacting Governor Schwarzenegger and asking that Allen's execution be halted!

Read More and Take Action at: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1735



Execution Day Returns in 2006 for Ohio's John Spirko

John Spirko denies carrying out the murder and no physical or forensic evidence links him to the crime. Concerns about Spirko's guilt have been raised by the courts considering his case and by members of the Ohio Parole Board considering a clemency petition.

Spirko had 2 execution dates postponed by Governor Taft in 2005, each time only days before he was due to be put to death. The 1st time was in September at the request of the Ohio Parole Board, which wanted more time to consider a clemency petition; the 2nd was in November, to allow time for DNA testing of evidence from the crime scene, after the Board had voted against a clemency recommendation.

The DNA testing is now in progress, and Spirko's attorneys are attempting to get more information on this. The state has now found fingerprint evidence from the crime scene, which it had lost, and Spirko's attorneys are urging the authorities to check these prints against the national database of criminal suspects' fingerprints.

Act now by contacting Governor Taft and asking that Spirko's execution be halted!

Read More and Take Action at: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1734

See and act on all current Execution Alerts at

http://www.ncadp.org/execution_alerts.html



January 17: Clarence Ray Allen, CA
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1735

January 19: John Spirko, OH
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1734

January 19: Julius Murphy, TX
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1738

January 20: Perrie Simpson, NC
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1739

January 24: Clarence Hill, FL
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1740

January 25: Marion Dudley, TX
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1736

January 31: Jaime Elizalde Jr., TX
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1737

January 31: Arthur Rutherford, FL
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1741



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