Capital punishment has been the revenge favored by tyrants throughout history. Donald Trump promises retribution if he is re-elected.
death penalty
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Federal prosecutors won’t seek death penalty for Planned Parenthood gunman
By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they will not seek the death penalty against a man accused of killing three people and injuring nine others at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado in 2015. U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn submitted a one-sentence notice of the decision concerning Robert Dear that did not […]
Posted inBook Excerpts, SunLit
A genre-defying memoir calls on history, science and gripping narrative in a meditation on grief
Sarah Adleman was born and raised between the bayous of Houston, the swamps of Louisiana, and the desert of El Paso. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bangladesh, studied yoga in India, and taught English in China. Sarah earned her MFA from the University of Texas at El Paso and works as a Yoga […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Silverman: Plea bargaining with capital punishment as leverage is over now
Colorado’s death penalty died quietly last Monday. Public defenders, Pope Francis, progressive prosecutors and John Hickenlooper paved the way. But it was Jared Polis who got it done. Gov. Polis made the abolition official amidst our COVID-19 crisis. Paradoxically, one day after clearing Colorado’s death row — and commuting those sentences to life in prison […]
Posted inNews
Governor signs bill abolishing Colorado’s death penalty, commutes sentences of state’s 3 death row inmates
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed into law a bill abolishing Colorado’s death penalty, simultaneously commuting the sentences of the three men on the state’s death row. Polis converted the death sentences of Nathan Dunlap, Robert Ray and Sir Mario Owens to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The governor’s decision marks one […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Hickenlooper’s indecision could sink the Democrats’ ship in Colorado
Coloradans are waking up in each corner of the state wondering where John Hickenlooper is. As the Colorado Springs Gazette editorialized, the former governor’s primary campaign for U.S. Senate is floundering, with little momentum. Hickenlooper may not be quite as gaffe-prone as Joe Biden, but he’s within scoring distance. The former governor isn’t exactly in […]
Posted inCOVID, Crime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Jared Polis can commute the sentences of Colorado’s three death row inmates at any time
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis could use his broad powers to commute the sentences of the three men on the state’s death row today. In fact, he could have converted their death sentences to life-in-prison immediately after taking office in January 2019. But Polis has sidestepped questions about how he will handle their cases, which became […]
Posted inUncategorized
Colorado lawmakers have passed a death penalty repeal. What will Gov. Polis do with the men on death row?
The Colorado General Assembly on Wednesday sent a bill to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk eliminating the state’s death penalty, forcing him to decide what comes next for the three men who are on death row and make the most consequential choice he’s faced since taking office last year. Polis has said he will sign the […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers move closer to repealing death penalty after emotional debate
The deep and emotional tension surrounding a bill to repeal the death penalty in Colorado came alive on the Senate floor in a six-hour debate Thursday. “By having the death penalty in Colorado, we are saying to the people that murdering is wrong –– unless the state does it,” said Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Six big takeaways from The Colorado Sun’s forum with Gov. Jared Polis and top state lawmakers
Gov. Jared Polis and four top state lawmakers gathered at a forum hosted by The Colorado Sun on Monday evening to talk about the 2019 legislative session. But they also dove into current events, including last week’s deadly shooting at the STEM School Highlands Ranch and the resignation Sunday of state Rep. Rochelle Galindo. The […]