Death penalty in Utah: A brief history as state plans next execution
As Utah plans for its first execution since 2010, here is everything to know about the state’s death penalty. Taberon Honie, the eighth person executed in Utah since 1972, is set to be executed on Aug. 8 after his previous appeals were denied. Honie was convicted of aggravated murder in 1999 after sexually assaulting and killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother in the presence of three grandchildren. This will be the eighth execution since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) reports that approximately 600 death row inmates across the country had their sentences commuted in 1972 before it was reinstated four years later in Gregg v. Georgia. While several states allow firing squads in their constitutions, Utah is the only state to have executed an inmate by firing squad. The most recent execution in Utah took place in 2010 when Ronnie Lee Gardner became the third person executed by a firing squad since the 1970s.
Опубликовано : 10 месяцев назад от Aubree B. Jennings в General
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Taberon Honie is scheduled to be executed shortly after midnight on Aug. 8, which will make him the eighth person in the state of Utah to be executed since 1972.
On Monday, Senior Judge Jeffrey C. Wilcox signed a warrant of execution for Honie after his previous appeals had been denied. Honie was convicted of aggravated murder in 1999 after sexually assaulting and killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother in the presence of three of her grandchildren.
According to the Utah Department of Corrections, Honie will be the eighth person executed in Utah since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 following a brief suspension due to the monumental case of Furman v. Georgia.
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) says approximately 600 death row inmates across the country had their sentences commuted in 1972 before the death penalty was reinstated four years later in Gregg v. Georgia.
In 1977, Gary Gilmore became the first person not only in Utah but in the nation to be executed following the Supreme Court decision. Gilmore had said he accepted his death penalty sentence and refused to appeal it.
The most recent execution in Utah took place in 2010 when Ronnie Lee Gardner became the third person to be executed by firing squad since the 1970s.
While several states allow firing squads in their constitutions, Utah is the only state to have actually executed an inmate by firing squad, according to DPIC.
The UDC says seven people are currently on Utah’s death row: Taberon Honie, Ralph Menzies, Troy Kell, Douglas Lovell, Douglas Carter, Michael Archuleta, and Von Taylor.
Menzies and Kell both selected their method of execution to be a firing squad before the Utah State Legislature eliminated it as an available method in 2004. The law will allow them to keep their selection.
While Utah death row inmates are no longer allowed to request death by firing squad, should lethal injection be unavailable or deemed unconstitutional, the firing squad would be the state’s backup option.
Over the past several years, this seemed like a greater possibility as drug companies began refusing to provide the lethal drugs, saying they were meant for saving lives not taking them, according to the Associated Press.
However, last week the UDC said it made arrangements to secure the lethal drug combination necessary for the upcoming execution of Honie, meaning he will not have to face a firing squad.
Honie will have a few choices for his last day. First, he will get to choose what he eats for his last meal. Next, he can request up to five people to be there during the execution, such as religious representatives or family and friends. Last, he will be given the opportunity to say his last words.
Executions take place in the Utah State Correctional Facility’s execution chamber in Salt Lake City. This will be the first execution to take place in the facility as it was opened in 2022, according to the UDC.
Witnesses requested by the inmate, related to the victim(s), or brought by the state will sit in the witness rooms and watch through bulletproof, reflective windows. Honie will be secured to a gurney and executed using ketamine, fentanyl, and potassium chloride.
According to DPIC, more than 1,500 people have been executed across the United States since the 1970s. There are a total of 2,262 people currently on death row, including the seven in Utah.
Темы: Crime