Killer spared from death hours before execution in Georgia

[apples and oranges]

(Reuters) - The parole board in the state of Georgia spared a convicted killer from execution hours before he was due to die by lethal injection on Thursday and commuted his sentence to life in prison.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles made its decision less than three hours before Samuel David Crowe, 47, was to be executed, according to a spokeswoman for the state's prisons.

"After careful and exhaustive consideration of the requests, the board voted to grant clemency. The board voted to commute the sentence to life without parole," the parole board said.

Crowe's death would have marked the third execution since the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty last month.

Crowe was not present at the parole board hearing in Atlanta. He had already eaten his last meal and was preparing to enter the execution chamber at the prison in Jackson, Georgia, Mallie McCord of the Georgia Department of Corrections said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/22/us-usa-execution-idUSN2250765020080522

:wow: :wow:

[enough]

1. One obvious difference. (nt)

[ixion]

2. exactly...and even further

there was no question of his guilt.

[MADem]

5. Three, actually. This guy is caucasian, first.

Second, he confessed to the crime and entered a guilty plea.

Third, he's not accused of cop killing. His victim was a lumber store manager.

In March 1988, Crowe killed store manager Joseph Pala during a robbery at the lumber company in Douglas County, west of Atlanta. Crowe, who had previously worked at the store, shot Pala three times with a pistol, beat him with a crowbar and a pot of paint.

Crowe pleaded guilty to armed robbery and murder and was sentenced to death the following year.

[valerief]

18. Well, then it all makes sense as to why he was got life and Davis got death.

:sarcasm:

[MADem]

21. I realize your sarcasm is sincere, but there are cadres who consider "cop killing" to be a bit of a

third rail--an "Unforgiven" type of crime.

Also, down in Xtian GA, there's the whole "redemption" culture going on--the whole "Confess, and JEEESUS will wash away your sin." Of course, redemption starts with CONFESSION, and Davis never did that (yes, I "get" that he maintained his innocence--I am breaking this down from the POV of the pardon board).

And finally, there is the overlay of race. I don't think it was the sole determiner. It may well have helped to tip the scales, though.

I'd appreciate no shooting of the messenger. What I've said has factual basis in the culture of the community in that state, even if it isn't well received on this forum.

[valerief]

22. Sorry you took it that way. I didn't mean it. My sarcasm was a comment on the govt, not you. nt

[SCantiGOP]

7. don't want to make light of it

but Davis's mistake was in being black. It is so obvious that the death penalty is racist, arbitrary and ineffective, it's hard not to think that the fact that it disproportionately kills blacks is a positive for many people in this country. I have heard people say about these kind of cases, "Well, if he didn't do this he probably did something else he never got caught for." Really makes you sick to your stomach.

[closeupready]

13. A fellow juror said something similar on a federal criminal trial I served on.

She said, "They may not have any evidence, but I'm sure a grand jury wouldn't have indicted him if he were innocent. So I think we should find him guilty." :eyes:

[patrick t. cakes]

16. yikes, that just made me ill

[SCantiGOP]

23. I had a similar experience

I served on a 6 person municipal jury once. We hung 5-1 to acquit the guy. The one holdout's reasoning: the police are out there every day risking their lives for us, so it is our responsibility to back them up in court. I sarcastically asked him why we didn't just skip the court phase and let the police take them straight to prison, and he really didn't have a problem with that. You just hope somebody like that ends up in a Hitchcock type situation one day where he is innocent but everyone knows he's guilty.

[closeupready]

24. Oy vey - come back with s.th. like, "let's get Rodney King's input, and carry on from there."

People can be so mindless. :mad:

[hack89]

17. Two members of the board, including the president, are AA

I doubt their motivation was racism.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. You noticed that too?

I didn't bother to read the details. Did it involve the death of a policeman? I wonder if these things are expeditiously taken care of it involves a policeman because it's possible that someone in the force was behind it?

[RandySF]

3. I cannot believe how flagrant.

I remember years ago my cousin from GA telling me that race dictates everything in the state.

[truebrit71]

4. I wonder why....??

What could it possibly be...they are so much ali....oh...never mind...

The problem is THIS guy admitted he was guilty whereas Troy said he was innocent....NOW i get it....:banghead:

[Lucian]

6. ...and the black guy doesn't get spared.

Racism abound. Plus there was a question of his guilt.

I hate our system in this country.

[Cid_B]

15. The internets seem to think that the jury had 7 black members of 12...

Also the clemency board photos, which were provided in another thread, showed two black members as well.

Just sayin...

[RandySF]

8. I hope Al Sharpton blows the roof off tonight.

[Parker CA]

10. I hope so too. This is despicable in so many ways. Truly shameful.

[MineralMan]

11. Yah. There it is. And it's not just in the South

either. It's the norm, really.

[sharp_stick]

12. 2008 case for clarity

I don't know if the board was the same at that point or really anything more about this guys case.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. He admited to the crime

and he is white.

Good that they commuted it... but it is kind of blatant.

[Iggo]

19. It's alright if you're...

[TBF]

20. The fact that Davis was accused of killing a cop is key -

but man it's hard not to see the racism in this as well.