Should the death penalty be imposed in all cases of people convicted of murder?

Question

Ohio Inmate Says He's Too Fat to ExecuteANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS, APposted: 1 HOUR 17 MINUTES AGOcomments: 57PrintSharefiled under: Crime News, Law NewsText SizeAAACOLUMBUS, Ohio (Aug. 4) - A death row inmate scheduled for execution says he's too fat to be put to death, claiming executioners would have trouble finding his veins and that his weight could diminish the effectiveness of one of the lethal injection drugs.

Lawyers for Richard Cooey argue in a federal lawsuit that Cooey -- 5-feet-7 and 267 pounds -- had poor veins when he faced execution five years ago and the problem has been worsened by weight gain.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, also says prison officials have had difficulty drawing blood from Cooey for medical procedures.

Cooey, 41, is sentenced to die for raping and murdering two young women in 1986. His execution is scheduled for Oct. 14.

His attorneys say a drug he is taking for migraine headaches could affect the execution process. The drug Topamax, a type of seizure medication, may have created a resistance to thiopental, the drug used to put inmates to sleep before two other lethal drugs are administered, Dr. Mark Heath, a physician hired by the Ohio Public Defender's Office, said in documents filed with the court.

Heath says Cooey's weight, combined with the potential drug resistance, increases the risk he would not be properly anesthetized.

"All of the experts agree if the first drug doesn't work, the execution is going to be excruciating," Cooey's public defender, Kelly Culshaw Schneider, said Monday.

Answer 1

He is a smart one.  He is definetly using this against the system.  Though it is a winning argument cause if it is done incorrectly, the legal system is going to have problems in the future; they wont take that chance.  He'll probably end up doing life with no paroll in solitary confinement.

Answer 2

yes only if the person is guilty and there are reliable witnesses

Answer 3

I don't believe in the death penalty, there are way to many innocent people on death row some of which have been found innocent after it was to late and they had already been put to death, some police cover up mistakes they have made in cases that they worked on, check out this website for one of the biggest police cover up's ever.

http://www.wm3.org

Answer 4

What a society we create. trainining executioners. Christian Politians NEVER ever speak of mercy even for the retarded and children. The deathpenalty is mere vengance. Reap what you sow...mary.

Answer 5

No.  When you look at the death penalty system in action, you realize that the only purpose it serves is retribution or revenge and that there is a serious and continuing risk of executing innocent people.

129 people on death rows have been released with proof that they were wrongfully convicted. DNA, available in less than 10% of all homicides, can’t guarantee we won’t execute innocent people.

The death penalty doesn't prevent others from committing murder. No reliable study shows the death penalty deters others. Homicide rates are higher in states and regions that have it than in those that don’t.

Life without parole, on the books in 48 states, also prevents  reoffending. It means what it says, and spending 23 of 24 hours a day locked in a tiny cell is not a picnic. Life without parole costs less than the death penalty.

The death penalty is much more expensive than life in prison, mostly because of the upfront costs of legal process which is supposed to prevent executions of innocent people. (upfront=before and during the initial trial)

The death penalty isn't reserved for the worst crimes, but for defendants with the worst lawyers. It doesn't apply to people with money. When is the last time a wealthy person was on death row, let alone executed?

The death penalty doesn't necessarily help families of murder victims. Murder victim family members have testified that the drawn-out death penalty process is painful for them and that life without parole is an appropriate alternative.

Problems with speeding up the process. Over 50 of the innocent people released from death row had already served over a decade. Speed up the process and we will execute innocent people.

Sources:

Death Penalty Information Center, www.deathpenaltyinfo.org,  for stats on executions, reports on costs, deterrence studies, links to FBI crime stats and links to testimony (at state legislatures) of victims' family members.

FBI   http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/tab...  

The Innocence Project, www.innocenceproject.org

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/COcostte... page 3 and 4 on why the death penalty is so expensive

http://www.njadp.org/forms/signon-surviv... for statements of victims’ families

Answer 6

just give them a life sentence until they die from natural causes

Answer 7

I think we should execute everyone in prison and start over.This time prison should be the worst place on earth.

Answer 8

In his case, yes, I do believe that he should still receive the death** penalty.  It's pretty obvious that he didn't pause to consider the pain that he put those two women, not to mention their families, through.  Besides, the injection isn't the only way.  Several states still use the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, etc.  Several options :).

Mark S- If it was accidental then it would be considered manslaughter, not murder.

Answer 9

what happens if after a few years the person put to death is found innocent?   too many miscarriages of justice for the death penalty to work.   what would you think if your dad was charged with murder he always said he never did it the courts found him guilty and hung him only for years later the real killer was discovered?  would you still be in favour of capital punishment?

Answer 10

I'm not a big fan of the death penalty, but the rapist/murderer certainly shouldn't be let off just because he's fat!  How stupid is that?  People on death row would just baloon up to 350 pounds.

Answer 11

I think it depends on the situation. If someone starts a fight with you and you hit the guy and he falls down and hits his head and dies, I don't think you should get the death penalty. But is someone walks into a convenience store and shoots and kills the worker to get the money, or if someone kidnaps and kills a kid, I think they should get the death penalty.  

Answer 12

Too fat? Well lets just shoot him.  

Answer 13

Simple answer . Starve him to death. That way he will lose weight but die a little later

Answer 14

I don't trust the corrupt cops and justice system enough to allow them to just kill people willy nilly. To many innocent people are rail roaded in America.

Answer 15

This man should not be given any more topamax for his migraines.  If he really suffers from migraines he will be crying for his own death.  This may be cruel but he could always try a different preventative migraine medicine that would allow the execution to take place like it should.   He should be executed, he was found guilty and give his sentence.

Answer 16

No.  I don't support the death penalty for a variety of reasons which I won't get into.  However, I'm not one of these people who holds midnight, candle-lit vigils outside of the prison on the eve of the execution of a serial killer.  For first-degree murders courts are able to sentence people to life without parole or to set parole eligibility far beyond a person's life expectancy.  This guy and his lawyers are simply grabbing at straws using these "I'm too fat" and "the medication I'm on will make the execution too painful" excuses.  He should have thought about this before he murdered those two women.  I'm sure their deaths weren't merciful and painless.

Answer 17

execute them all!!