In 10 min, Texas will kill an innocent woman. Please light a candle

[Horse with no Name]

and send prayers or thoughts her way that Gov. Perry will issue a stay and a new trial for this woman.

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm

[Pithlet]

1. I don't think it will happen :(

This is a travesty. I hope people who are pro-death penatly will rethink their position after this, and it will finally be abolished for good one day.

[B Calm]

2. 8 minutes to live... We are a sick society...

[Horse with no Name]

3. Indeed we are.

:cry:

[phusion]

4. sigh

horrible, horrible, horrible...

[helderheid]

5. I'm lighting a candle. I'm sorry there isn't more to do. :(

horrific.

[Zynx]

6. I wish I had a real candle, but I will give a moment of silence.

The death penalty is a gross institution that belongs to an earlier age.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

18. You can borrow my digital candle.

[fooj]

7. My candle is lit. God have mercy on us all.

Peace.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mass]

9. Lighting a candle and hoping against all hope.

When will we understand death penalty is wrong.

[Poppyseedman]

10. Who is Texas going to kill

and for what reason???

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bunny planet]

11. candle lit now. Will they really do this?

How utterly tragic.

[coffeenap]

13. Laura Flanders says the Supreme Ct. is not issuing a stay. Saddest.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

14. My candle is lit and my thoughts are France's way. nt

[Rainscents]

15. Here is my link to candle

http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/view.cfm?id=891546

This is terrible... I want my country back from these evil basters!

My thoughts and prayer to her family and our country. :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[brettdale]

16. so much

for the culture of life.

[pitohui]

19. done

i'm sorry

we've lost too many

[merh]

20. ...

:cry:

[Horse with no Name]

22. Merhhhhhhh

:hug::hug::hug::cry::cry::cry:

[merh]

Hugs back

((((((((((((((( :hug: :hug: :hug: ))))))))))))))))))

:cry: We do not live in a civilized society. :cry:

[GreenPartyVoter]

48. *hugs*

:cry: :hug:

[merh]

50. (((hug)))))

:hug:

:cry:

[Ioo]

21. :cry:

:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

[phusion]

23. RIP Frances

Damnit all.

http://lawprofessors.typepad.com.nyud.net:8090/photos/uncategorized/txwoman.JPG

[greyl]

24. Where is the evidence that she is innocent? nt

[Horse with no Name]

26. This details it

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2005-09-09/pols_feature3.html
www.freefrances.org

[Rainscents]

27. Link... read it and you be the judge!

http://www.freefrances.org/

[Poppyseedman]

30. Based on my quick review of the information available

she certainly doesn't look innocent. I'm not sure this amount of evidence merits the death penalty, though

If she confessed and said she did it, I have no real problem with meeting her maker ASAP

[Horse with no Name]

31. What did you look at?

The State of Texas's side?
:eyes:

[Poppyseedman]

37. Both sides of this issue obviously can't be both right

The fact she was convicted by 12 of her peers is pretty strong evidence. We don't a perfect system, but one that works about 98 % of the time

Again, I will state she doesn't look innocent, but certainly putting her to death based on what evidence I read looks like a injustice.

[Pithlet]

46. And there were other threads on this subject

for you to do this in. I think choosing the candle light vigil thread for those of us who are saddened and sickened by this is highly inappropriate. And that is putting it kindly as I don't want to break the rules of DU.

[liberalhistorian]

52. As a paralegal, I can tell

you for certain that the fact that she was convicted by a jury means NOTHING! It is BULLSHIT! I know this may be hard for you to understand, but our justice and jury system does NOT work the way everyone seems to think it does; I've seen that system up close for too long now and anyone in the legal field, particularly in the areas of criminal law and domestic relations, will tell you the same thing.

You NEVER EVER know what juries will do, EVER. Prosecutors lie or hide or fudge evidence, defense attorneys can be incompetent and/or sloppy, public defenders are overwhelmed and underpaid, etc., etc. And you NEVER EVER know what juries will do. You can have a slam-dunk case against someone and juries will find them innocent and let them walk, and you can have solid evidence proving someone is innocent and juries will convict them nonetheless. The fact that someone's been convicted by a jury means NOTHING.

The Scottsboro boys were convicted by a "jury", the men who murdered Emmett Till were found innocent by a "jury", countless blacks in the south were convicted by juries prior to the civil rights movement for no other reason than that they were black, etc., etc. Again, it cannot be emphasized enough, conviction by a jury means NOTHING. And as a long-time paralegal, I know what the hell I'm talking about and any attorney who's even slightly honest will say the same thing.

[Rainscents]

32. What the hell were you looking at???

[liberalhistorian]

38. WTF are you talking about?

Jesus H. Christ, there was NO gunshot residue on her hands, not a single trace, NO blood or other gore on her or any of the clothes she'd worn that day, the drug dealer not even interviewed, evidence of two guns found not given to the defense, etc., etc. The fact that there was no nitrate residue at all on her hands alone speaks volumes. So, I repeat, WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

[Poppyseedman]

42. There was nitrate residue on her dress, but it was compromised

The fact that there was no nitrate residue at all on her hands alone speaks volumes. So, I repeat, WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

I know it is difficult to understand, but not everyone on this board falls into monolith lockstep with the current idealogical template that says the death penalty is evil.

I personally would not have any problem at all, plunging the needle into the person who murdered someone in premeditated cold blood, who confessed, with solid un-compromised evidence and there was no reasonable doubt whatsoever

This recent execution does not meet that standard even remotely

[liberalhistorian]

47. And how the hell could there

have been nitrate residue on her dress and none on her hands? Did her DRESS shoot the gun? In order to shoot a gun, you usually have to use at least one hand. There's no physical evidence linking her to this at all. But then again, this is Harris County, Texas, so what the fuck else would you expect. They'd gladly execute Jesus Christ.

[Poppyseedman]

49. So you are telling me you were the 13th juror

and the other 12 were wrong............

and the appeals court............were wrong

and the supreme court............were wrong

and the half a dozen other courts in between..........were wrong

Did she deserve to die? I don't think so, but I wasn't there

[liberalhistorian]

53. See my reply below on juries,

but yes, courts and juries can and often have been wrong. As a paralegal, I guaran-damn-tee that. And again, I ask you how someone can fire a gun and not get nitrate residue on their hands? And, again, WHERE IS THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE?

[I Have A Dream]

58. STOP THIS! DO THIS IN ANOTHER THREAD IF YOU HAVE TO - BUT NOT HERE!

:cry:

[Poppyseedman]

59. Just ask. you don't have to shout

No problem.

[I Have A Dream]

60. I apologize. I let my emotions get in the way.

Thank you for your sensitivity.

[Horse with no Name]

54. I wonder if the fact that they stored HER clothes in with the VICTIM'S

clothes could have something to do with that?

[RepublicanElephant]

33. the burden of proof is on the state...

...and they did not prove guilt beyond a reasonble doubt.

[Pithlet]

35. Yep

And that's enough for me. The state did not have a case worthy of conviction, let alone death. There is no bringing her back. This is a travesty.

[Walt Starr]

36. IF they did not prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt

she would not have been on death row.

Once convicted by a jury, the burden of demonstrating unfair trial practices or some other problem in the right to a fair trial shifts to the defense.

[Pithlet]

41. In fantasy land, maybe.

In a perfect world where human beings never made mistakes, maybe.

[Walt Starr]

51. In our system of justice.

Sorry, but that's how it works. It's damned difficult to get a jury conviction. Once convicted, the burden of proof shifts to the defense for the appeals.

[Pithlet]

56. I understand how the justice system works

And I'm not advocating that it be completely overhauled. It's not perfect, and I do not demand that it be perfect, because that is an unreasonable demand. It is not an unreasonable demand, however, to ammend the justice system to make it as good as it can be. To insist that, in cases of the death penatly, the burden of proof has to remain with the prosecution at every step is not unreasonable. To insist that a case be looked at again in light of new evidence is not unreasonable. To just throw your hands in the air and say "Oh well, that's the justice system. Too bad for her" is reprehsnsible. I'm sorry.

Your belief in the justice system is admirable, and, believe it or not in most cases I share it. I think it works for the most part, warts and all. I do not demand perfection. With one exception. The death penalty. If you're going to get your precious death penalty, then you have to concede that error is possible, and you have to allow for every measure that will ensure that no one innocent dies. Those in the Pro DP crowd who can't or won't concede that point are scary, and another big reason why I fight against the death penalty.

Those who can look at this case and say with a straight face that this was right and just are the number one reason why we should not have the death penalty.

[Walt Starr]

61. I disagree entirely. Once a conviction has been assigned by a jury

the burden of proof CANNOT remain with the prosecution. Ever.

[Book Lover]

25. This small thing I do

in the hope that it will bring us peace.

[Pithlet]

28. I'm sick about it.

How awful. I keep hoping that maybe it was stopped in time...

Edit: For Frances http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/view.cfm?id=891592&p=4873&l=ENG&s=f&cid=891592

[elehhhhna]

29. Excellent observation by Steve Earles @ Camp Casey:

A country without this death penalty would have been much more disinclined to wage a war of aggression.

[Bluerthanblue]

34. in an odd way...

perhaps she is far more fortunate than those of us who still breathe.
The hell for her is over- never again will she know the cruelty of humans.

we are a fucked up, farce of a society- calling ourselves the civilized ones- lie of lies.

[Synnical]

39. Stream live now from Houston

http://kpftx.org/

[AlwaysDemocrat]

40. I lit a candle to wish Frances peace and an end to her suffering

The death penalty taints us all

[Synnical]

43. AP: Woman executed for killing husband, children

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/stories/091405kvueNewton-cb.5a1f67b0.html

06:30 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE -- A woman sentenced to die for the fatal shootings of her husband and their two children some 18-years ago was executed Wednesday evening.




Frances Newton

:cry:

[Rhiannon12866]

44. Done. This is so sad and will accomplish nothing...

;(

[tnlefty]

55. It is sad, and I can only hope that it will force us to look at the death

penalty again, and to realize that juries and people do make mistakes and as long as there are mistakes this practice needs to be abolished. Was it in IL that a repug governor stopped the death penalty because of so many mistakes in crime labs, and too many people who were on death row were actually proven to be innocent?

[Catherine Vincent]

45. :-(

[Maestro]

57. So why do you care?

We all know that by executing her we will put an end to all killings. :sarcasm: