Twice-convicted murderer Warren Lee Hill was executed in Georgia on January 27, 2015, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections, reported CNN.
Despite pleas by human rights groups and legal representatives who have argued that Hill's intellectual disability should have made him ineligible for the death penalty, Hill died by injection at the prison in Jackson, Georgia.
His time of death was 7:55 p.m. ET, said spokeswoman Gwendolyn Hogan. Hill declined to make a final statement, but requested a final prayer, Hogan said.
Hill's attorney slammed the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to step in and grant a stay of execution.
"Today, the court has unconscionably allowed a grotesque miscarriage of justice to occur in Georgia," said Brian Kammer, Hill's lawyer.
"The intellectual disability community, which has strongly supported Mr. Hill's case for many years, joined his legal team in the belief that the Supreme Court would step in and prevent Georgia's flagrant disregard of the Constitution on behalf of the rights of people with disabilities," said Kammer.
He described the execution as "an abomination."
Federal law -- stemming from a 2002 Virginia case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court -- says executing intellectually disabled individuals violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. But the ruling also allows states to define intellectual disability. In Georgia, that means attorneys for death row inmates have to prove mental impairment "beyond a reasonable doubt."
"This is the strictest standard in any jurisdiction in the nation," Kammer said.
Hill declined to request a special last meal, the Department of Corrections said. He was offered the institutional meal tray, consisting of shepherd's pie, mashed potatoes, red beans, cabbage relish salad, cornbread, sugar cookies and fruit punch.
To read more CLICK HERE
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment