Page 5 - ATD 31OCT2015
P. 5
U.S. NEWS A5
Saturday 31 October 2015
Judge denies appeal from
inmate facing firing squad
LINDSAY WHITEHURST ing squad if lethal injec- n this Oct. 6, 2005 file photo, convicted murderer and death row inmate Ron Lafferty is handcuffed
Associated Press tion drugs aren’t available. after his court hearing in a courtroom in Provo, Utah.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A State lawmakers said the
judge denied an appeal approval was a practical Associated Press
Friday from a Utah death matter of choosing a back-
row inmate who argued up plan to the drugs that
that his sentence of death have come under increas-
by firing squad is cruel and ing scrutiny.
unusual punishment. Opponents, however, say
U.S. District Judge Dee Ben- firing squads are barbaric.
son wrote in his ruling that Lafferty is the longest-
the U.S. Supreme Court has serving death row inmate
never overturned a state’s in Utah and one of the in-
chosen method of execu- mates who is closest to a
tion as cruel and unusual, possible execution date.
though he said inmate Ron He was convicted in the
Lafferty can still press his 1984 deaths of his sister-in-
claims in Utah state court. law, Brenda Lafferty, and
Utah recently approved her baby daughter. He
the use of a firing squad as claimed the killings were
a backup if lethal injection directed by God because
drugs are unavailable. of the woman’s resistance
Lafferty, 74, had argued to his beliefs in polygamy.
that the firing squad would Ron Lafferty’s firing squad
cause a lingering, un- arguments came in a fed-
necessarily painful death. eral court motion asking
He chose to die that way a judge to put his case
when he was sentenced on hold so he could pur-
30 years ago and such a sue complaints about evi-
choice was available, but dence handling and testi-
his lawyers now argue that mony. Arguments against
he wasn’t legally compe- capital punishment are
tent to do so. common in death penalty
Attorneys for Lafferty did appeals, but Utah’s move
not immediately return a to bring it back as a back-
message seeking com- up method could bring
ment. He is likely still years new scrutiny.
away from a possible ex- While Benson declined to
ecution date. halt the federal case, he
Utah is the only state that said Lafferty is still free to
allows executions by fir- pursue his other claims.q
