Execution Approaches in a Most Rare Murder Case: ... With Mr. Beazley now scheduled to be executed on Aug. 15, his case is attracting international pleas for clemency because he was only 17 at the time of the slaying and because his co-defendants have since recanted parts of their testimony. His supporters also question whether prosecutors sought the death penalty simply to placate Judge Luttig, who moved his office to Tyler for the trial and apparently consulted with prosecutors on jury selection.
You'd think that alone would be enough to have the sentencing phase of the trial overturned. Victims aren't normally allowed to consult about jury selection. To be sure, most victims don't have the legal expertise that would make prosecutors think that it was even possible, but just because the victim's son was a federal judge shouldn't make this happen. Never mind that the codefendants have recanted part of their testimony.
This being Texas, the chances of the death sentence being overturned are remote, to say the least. There's no time for the federal courts to do anything if the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals doesn't (and it won't) -- and I can't imagine that the federal courts would be inclined to spare Beasley, either, given the circumstances.
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
[Archives: 2001 and after]
Archives before February 5, 2001
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12/19/2001: vive la france
12/19/2001: princess, redux
12/19/2001: yemen and rumsfeld
12/18/2001: you're NOT in the army now
12/18/2001: interesting donation
12/18/2001: shame on winn dixie, indeed
12/18/2001: saudi princess
12/17/2001: new resolve
12/17/2001: a victim of the attack ... yeah, right
12/17/2001: polluters ho!