Legal killings resume in US
8/5/08
Authorities in the state of Georgia yesterday ended a seven-month hiatus on executions in the US, putting to death convicted murderer William Lynd for killing his girlfriend in 1988. Lynd, 53, became the first person executed in the US since September 25. He was put to death at the Jackson state prison in Georgia, a prison spokeswoman said. The hiatus in executions followed several challenges in the US Supreme Court on the constitutionality of lethal injections, the method used to execute most death-row inmates. But on April 16 the judges ruled 7-2 that the risk of suffering to those executed by lethal injection did not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment”, which is barred under the US constitution. The seven judges, however, were split in their reasons for accepting lethal injections, all but ensuring more legal challenges to the death penalty.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23661415-2703,00.html
Tags: Capital Punishment, USA