About ND ASK

Notre Dame Against State Killing (ND ASK) is a campaign for a moratorium on executions in Indiana. We work to inspire discussion and action on the death penalty on the Notre Dame campus and across Indiana.

For more information or to join ND ASK, please fill out the form above or e-mail us at NotreDameASK@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Iraq's Death Penalty


Found this article about Iraq's death penalty and unfair trial system to be interesting, particularly as their execution rate has risen dramatically since the new government was formed.

From CNN:

Sitting on Iraq's death row is a 25-year-old woman convicted in the slayings of three relatives. She says her husband carried out the killings and fled. She confessed to being an accomplice, she says, only after being tortured in police custody...

She was tried and convicted in a single day, August 15, 2005...

The U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority abolished capital punishment in Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. But shortly after the government was handed over to Iraqis, the death penalty was reinstated in August 2004.

Since that time, more than 270 people have been sentenced to death, and at least 100 people -- including Hussein -- have been executed, according to Amnesty. Four women are currently on death row. Two of the women have their young children, ages 1 and 3, with them on death row, Amnesty says.
You can read an April 20th press release from Amnesty about Iraqi trials and confessions in regards to the death penalty here.

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Monday, May 7, 2007

David Woods' Final Statement

Below is a copy of David Leon Woods' final written statement before his execution. Click on the image to enlarge it in order to read it. This post will likely be updated later with a text transcription of the statement included.


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Sunday, May 6, 2007

Vigil Pictures and Article

You can read more about the vigil in this article published on May 4th in the Michigan City News Dispatch. Additionally, ND ASK Co-Director Andrea Laidman was interviewed by Fort Wayne's WANE TV. A transcript and video of the coverage can be found here.

Pictures below:


Members of ND ASK pause for a picture with Father Doyle, Chairman of the Duneland Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty



Joe Baker from the University of Illinois drove several hours to the vigil with three other U of I students.


Marty Pizzini, Education Coordinator for the Dunaland Coalition, lead a drum litany about the death penalty.


We thought we would be the youngest people at the vigil but 20-month old Gerald Hayes quickly proved us wrong.


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Impending Tennessee execution of Workman

This documentary on YouTube raises some serious doubts about Philip Workman's guilt. Watch it for yourself and see what you think.



If you think this case merits clemency for Workman and/or investigation by Governor Bredesen, please send him an e-mail.

Workman's execution has been put on hold by a federal judge due to potential issues with the state's revised execution protocols. Hopefully this temporary hold will give the Governor enough time to review the case and realize that there's not much holding it together, let alone enough to be certain of Workman's guilt.

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Friday, May 4, 2007

Execution Vigil

Getting off our bus at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, our collection of students from Notre Dame, St. Mary's, and Holy Cross were greeted with the tail end of a beautifully sung "Ave Maria." The smiles and warm greetings from the veterans of execution vigils that we met there briefly veiled the reason why we had all gathered together outside of the prison on a chilly night. We were there because a man was about to be killed.

It was an eclectic mix of ages and backgrounds. Former inmates stood alongside former prison employees and priests. Soon-to-be octogenarian Father Doyle mingled with students 60 years younger than he. It was a truly wonderful cross-section of Indiana. The thing that we all held in common was our belief that the execution that was about to occur was unjust and would not solve anything. As the other death row inmates put it in their letter to the Governor and the parole board, David's execution "diminishes us all."

A variety of testimonials and readings were given, ranging from religious to personal stories about David and other experiences with the prison system. People marched around with a variety of signs in opposition to the death penalty while guards paced with their dogs just inside the gates.


As the midnight hour of execution neared, we all gathered together directly in front of the gates and tried our best to light candles despite the harsh gusts of wind. We said some prayers and began our silent vigil while the final steps of the system of capital punishment were taken inside the prison in front of us. We waited for what seemed like an eternity in silence. Each time a guard passed by the entrance of the prison, I held my breath, anticipating that we were about to be hit with the tragic report of execution. However, no answer came.

At about 30 minutes past midnight, a hearse pulled around the side of the prison. Everyone's eyes followed it as it disappeared from sight. Several minutes later, we heard a door slam shut. An unspoken truth settled over our group. After 50 minutes of silence and no sign of movement from the prison, Michael Griffin from Holy Cross led us in offering prayers and petitions for the Placencia family, David Woods and his family, and the prison employees.

At about 1 am, we could see members of the Placencia family filed into a white van and were whisked away while Wanda Callahan, David’s spiritual advisor of 23 years, slowly made her way out the front and into her car. The lack of information compounded the chill of the wind and the exhaustion of the group. Wanda was the first to reach us, driving through the gate and getting out of her car to deliver her account of the execution and talk about her friend David.

David went peacefully, she said, smiling and nodding as the lethal drugs were delivered into his body. He was at peace with God, she said, and knew that he was going to a better place. She mentioned how sad it was that the first time he felt safe in his entire life was when he was sent to death row. Everyone was gathered around, listening to her shaky voice deliver such powerful words. After she had finished her account of the situation, she hugged several of us, thanking us for our prayers and thoughts. She told us that she could certainly feel our presence during the execution.

Officials from the prison approached next and told us that David Leon Woods had been executed at 12:35 am.

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David Leon Woods, 1964-2007

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Thursday, May 3, 2007

Minute of Silence at Midnight

This will likely be the last post before our group heads off to the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. There will certainly be a large discussion tomorrow about what happened and plenty of information posted here.

For those of you who are up at midnight, please observe a minute of silence and reflect on the pain that David's crime caused to Juan Placencia's family and the pain that this execution will cause David's family. More victims of David's crime will be created tonight by Indiana.

Also, let us hope that this execution will in fact bring healing to the Placencia family. God knows that healing will be the only good thing to result from this, if indeed even that happens.

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Governor Daniels Denies David Woods Clemency

Despite the heroic efforts of David Woods' attorneys and the calls for clemency by all those who signed our petition and contacted the Governor, David Woods' request for clemency has officially been denied by the Governor. According to the Indy Star article, Governor Daniels based his decision primarily on the unanimous recommendation against clemency made by the parole board. Their letters to the Governor can be found here.

This means that, barring a U.S. Supreme Court intervention, David Woods will be executed shortly after midnight tonight.

While it may be too late for David, a call to the Governor voicing your opposition to his decision may help down the road. The Governor can be reached at 317-232-4567.

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Letter from Inmates to Indiana Parole Board


This post is long overdue but is certainly still relevant as tonight, David Woods will be executed. The following is a letter written and signed by twenty death row inmates at Michigan City. Bear in mind that they are talking about a man who was 19 at the time of the crime and clearly poses no threat to society from within prison and hasn't given any evidence in his 23 years on death row that he is a danger to the guards or other inmates.

This is who Indiana is executing tonight.

Dear Parole Board Members:

This letter is in support of clemency for our friend and brother David (Dave) L. Woods, who has been a part of the Indiana State Prison Death Row Unit for twenty-two years now. Dave's presence on the Death Row Unit has had a stabilizing effect on us all because of his peaceful and accommodating nature. Dave has never refused to assist any of us in a time of distress or need, and has gone out of his way to be a friend to all. Dave has been a Range Porter several times over the years, a job that requires patience, kindness, and an attitude of caring for others. This is a position of trust amongst staff and prisoners alike. Dave is a man whose conduct conforms to a high standard of propriety and correct behavior. Dave has never, in his 22 years on the Death Row Unit, demonstrated any violent side to his decent character. We, the men that have been touched by Dave's friendship on a daily basis during these past 22 years, beseech and implore you to set a precedent in logic and mercy based on the objectives of the Indiana Department of Corrections, and spare Dave this sentence of death by execution, which diminishes us all.

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Seats still left for Vigil!


At approximately midnight tonight, after 23 years on death row, David Woods will be executed at the Michigan City Prison. We fully intend to demonstrate to the Governor that this is not done in our name.

For those of you in the South Bend area, there are still several seats available on our bus to Michigan City tonight. The bus will be leaving at 9:45pm from McKenna Circle on campus which is located on Notre Dame Ave. Please register ahead of time so we know to expect you!

Due to the time change between South Bend and Michigan City, the bus will be returning back to campus around 2:30am. The bus is free of charge and we encourage anyone who is interested to please join us for this important event.

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