Death Penalty for Maryland Murders

> Statement of Senate Minority Leader Allan Kittleman
> Maryland State Senate
>
> Our neighboring state of Virginia offers a stark contrast to Maryland in
> its
> criminal justice policy that provides for swift punishment of those who
> commit the most heinous crimes.
>
> No one relishes the finality of a death sentence. However, many
> representatives of Maryland's police agencies, corrections officers and
> criminal justice organizations testified during the last legislative
> session
> that the death penalty has been effective as a crime deterrent in our
> state.
>
> In advocating for the repeal of the death penalty last session, Governor
> Martin O'Malley responded to a question from Baltimore Examiner reporter
> Len Lazarick by saying that supporters of the death penalty "stand with
> North Korea, Iran and China." (Baltimore Examiner, February 15, 2009)
>
> Thus it is no surprise that under Governor O'Malley, Maryland's death
> penalty has been watered down with so many loopholes that it would take a
> prosecutorial contortionist to successfully seek a death penalty for even
> the worst crimes, including the murder of a law enforcement officer. By
> all
> standards, the death penalty in Maryland is extinct.
>
> Wisely, Virginia prosecutors demanded and gained the right to prosecute
> John
> Allen Muhammad even though the majority of his murders were committed in
> Maryland. The Beltway sniper attacks still haunt suburban Marylanders who
> recall the fear and chaos during those three weeks in October 2002.
>
> Today, we believe that Virginia did the right thing and that justice has
> prevailed from these terrifying acts of murder in Maryland.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> This e-mail was sent to jbrandes@dmv.com because you are subscribed to at
> least one of our mailing lists. If at any time you would like to remove
> yourself from our mailing list, please feel free to do so by visiting:
> http://www.mdsenategop.com/index.php?option=com_mailinglist&task=unsubscribe&g=1&addr=jbrandes@dmv.com
>