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.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Petition Sent to Governor Daniels!


A hard copy of our petition asking for clemency for David Woods was overnighted to Governor Daniels early this afternoon with 490 signatures! In addition to the hard copy of the signatures accumulated so far, the link to the petition website was included so that any signatures acquired after printing should be noted by the Governor.

However, there's more you can do!

If you have not already, please call the Governor at 317-232-4567. Simply let them know that you are asking the Governor to grant David Woods clemency. No ideological debates will ensue; it will only take a minute and every little bit counts. Talking points provided by David's lawyer can be found here for those who wish to elaborate on their requests.

You can read the text of the accompanying letter written and signed by ND ASK co-directors Will McAuliffe and Andrea Laidman below.


April 30, 2007

The Honorable Mitch Daniels
Office of the Governor
Statehouse
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-8797

Governor Daniels,

Please find attached the names and information of almost 500 people asking you to grant David Woods clemency. As is apparent by the comments left by some of the petitioners, there are a variety of reasons that people have reached the conclusion that clemency is the appropriate action: some for religious reasons, some over concerns for human dignity, and others who are simply appalled that we would execute someone with such a traumatic background and history of service to the death row community. We are certain that none of these reasons are alien to your conscience, yet we are equally certain that seeing that they are echoed throughout Indiana and the United States should give you no reason to proceed with the execution of David Woods and should bolster your confidence in granting clemency.

We would also like to emphasize the unprecedented relevance of this particular execution in relation to the release of the American Bar Association’s report on Indiana with which we’re certain you are aware. This report, in essence, has revealed many of the flaws in the judicial system particularly as it relates to capital cases. This information has existed for some time yet has never been so accessible or well-documented. To carry out an execution in the wake of such an important document that calls into question the nature and certainty of justice in Indiana would be an affront to Indiana’s central tenets “…that justice be established, public order maintained, and liberty perpetuated.” There is no justice in carrying out an execution which has resulted from a flawed and unjust system.

We sincerely hope that the words of the petitioners reach your mind and your conscience. We hope that you take great pause when you consider that 61% of Hoosiers would support a moratorium on executions. We pray that you carry out justice in the only way that our God and society finds acceptable by granting clemency to David Woods.

We thank you on behalf of all the petitioners for your consideration of this matter. We appreciate the gravity of the situation and the scrutiny which accompanies your decision, but are certain that you will inevitably conclude that society and the notion of justice upon which our country and the state of Indiana were built are not served by the death of this man.

Most Sincerely,

Andrea Laidman
Co-Director, ND ASK

Will McAuliffe
Co-Director, ND ASK

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The International Death Penalty Debate Rages On

The Economist:

...The horrors of cruelly administered, or botched, execution are not confined to developing countries or to lands that follow the letter of hudud, traditional Islamic punishment. In Florida last December, Angel Diaz was executed by lethal injection. The three-drug cocktail that is used by 37 American states is supposed first to induce unconsciousness, then to paralyse muscles and block breathing, and finally to stop the heart. But after the first injection, Diaz continued to move, squint and grimace as he tried to mouth words...

...According to Amnesty International's latest report, “at least” (precise figures are hard to get) 1,591 executions were carried out worldwide last year, well down on the previous year, but nearly 40% higher than in 2003. Yet Piers Bannister, the lobby group's death-penalty specialist, believes that the world is gradually inching its way towards abolition....

»»Click here for the full post»»

Friday, April 27, 2007

U.S. Supreme Court overturns 3 Texas death sentences

From the NY Times:

"WASHINGTON, April 25 — The Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned death sentences in three cases from Texas, all by votes of 5 to 4 and all with Justice Anthony M. Kennedy providing the margin of victory to his four more liberal colleagues.

...The three decisions on Wednesday provided the latest chapter in the Supreme Court’s dialogue with the two lower courts, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which handle appeals from the Texas death row, the country’s most active. As an exasperated Supreme Court majority has seen it, these courts have found repeated and unpersuasive reasons to evade the Supreme Court’s evolving death penalty jurisprudence.

It was that jurisprudence that was the underlying focus of the dispute among the justices. A 1996 federal law, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, raised the bar against federal court review of state prisoners’ petitions for writs of habeas corpus.

...In the years since the 1996 law took effect, the court has been extremely reluctant to find error on the part of state courts of the type that would permit inmates to gain access to federal court. It remains to be seen whether the rulings on Wednesday will extend beyond the court’s sustained annoyance with the Fifth Circuit to signify a more expansive view toward habeas corpus, a prospect that perhaps explains the vigor of the chief justice’s dissent."

»»Click here for the full post»»

400 Signatures Asking for Clemency!

Our online petition has now hit the 400 signature mark, bringing us to the threshold of our original goal of 500 signatures! Obviously, there is no magic number which will force Governor Daniels to examine his conscience on this case and grant David Woods clemency so we ask those who haven't signed the petition to do so now and for those who have signed but haven't passed on the important message of forgiveness and hope to do so immediately.

The petition will close on May 1st, so there are several crucial days left for us to speak out against the inhumane execution of this man. Please sign or forward the petition immediately!

Additionally, one of David Woods' attorneys has asked for our help in contacting Governor Daniels by calling his office at 317-232-4567. Don't worry, you don't need to engage in an ideological debate over the death penalty, you simply need to voice your request for clemency for David Woods. If you wish to give a more detailed request, the following message from his attorney has been provided:


"Please call 317-232-4567 request Gov. Daniels to grant clemency for
David Leon Woods. The Board voted 5-0 against,
but we got 1 "agonized" vote from Daniels appointee Randall Gentry.

David was 19 at the time of his enraged stabbing of a 77 year old man who had previously been engaged to his mother.

His prior adult record was 1 Public Intoxication. His mother was totally dysfunctional & would have sex w/ guys younger than David in front of him. [David] didn't graduate, abused in children's home, medicated to sleep during trial.

Attorneys appointed shortly before trial; the one "right out of law school" co-counsel was doing [mitigation] investigation during trial. Mother testified for state in penalty phase & then at clemency said it was because male prosecutor told her it was the only way she could help her son & he would take her to dinner.

LWOP (Life Without Parole) was not an option at the time. David is only seeking LWOP; he told the board he didn't deserve freedom for what he did.

All the other guys on the row signed a touching letter vouching for how peaceful & kind David has been during the last 22 years.

We are still in the courts, but nothing has a realistic chance of success.

Thanks for any phone calls you can generate."

Again, please contact Governor Daniels' office at 317-232-4567 as soon as possible. Every voice counts.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Meet our Forum Keynote Speaker: Paula Sites


We're fortunate enough to have the Indiana Public Defender Council's Assistant Executive Director, Paula Sites, as our keynote speaker for our upcoming forum, Achieving the Inevitable: Ending the Death Penalty in Indiana. If you have not already done so, please register!


Paula Sites was born three days before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Birmingham, Alabama bus, and while she claims no direct memory of either event, both fill her with a measure of gratitude and wonder. She serves as Assistant Executive Director of the Indiana Public Defender Council, a statewide support center for public defenders.

Since 1990, she has provided training, consultation, and research assistance to attorneys representing capitally charged or sentenced clients throughout the state, and monitors the status of all capital cases filed in the state. In her capacity as Assistant Executive Director, she also works with a variety of organizations and government agencies to promote the fair administration of justice in Indiana, focusing on capital punishment as well as issues involving criminal defendants with mental illness, mental retardation, and developmental disabilities.

She recently served on the Indiana Assessment Team of the ABA Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project. She is a past winner of the Indiana State Bar Association Women in the Law Achievement Award and the Amnesty International USA Indiana Abolitionist of the Year.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Parole Board Letter Excerpts and Links


For those interested in the rationale of each parole board member in recommending against clemency for David Woods, here are excerpts from each of their letters. Additionally, a link to each letter is included so they can be read in their entirety.


William R. Harris:

In Woods' request for clemency, his current attorneys describe his case as "has been the subject of a tortured past".[sic] He has been described as a neglected and abused child, whose case was improperly litigated on every step of the court system. However, Wood's [sic] childhood was not that bad and he was only in 3 foster homes and one county group home. The Parole Board recently saw an offender that had been in 28 foster homes and institutions before reaching adulthood, and he was not a murderer. I have to use offender to offender comparison for these decisions, not text books, and not apples to oranges.

...Practice making 20 stab motions, it takes so long and you can stop after 5, 10, or even 15. I believe Woods didn't stop because Mr. Placencia could identify him... Woods decided he had to die.
Click here to read Mr. Harris' letter in its entirety.

Valerie J. Parker:
By his own testimony... Mr. Woods admitted that he was the orchestrator of the events that day...He admitted that he was without a doubt the individual who in a raged [sic] filled moment, rage directed at his mother, violently stabbed this helpless 77 year old man to death.

Let's face it, at the time of this crime David L. Woods was considered in every sense of the word to be an adult. He now has to suffer the adult pain caused by his adult choices. Mr. Woods had every opportunity to help Mr. Placencia after stabbing him the first time. But as this helpless elderly gentleman pleaded for his life, Mr. Woods chose to continue to hurt and not help, until he had taken all of the life from this victim. Throughout the clemency process, this board has been sufficiently advised of Mr. Wood's [sic] tumultuous, tortured past, but I say to you today that his situation is not unique enough in my heart and mind to ordain or accept murder as a response to his pain or a means of coping with it.
Click here to read Ms. Parker's letter in its entirety.

Thor R. Miller:
The reality is that Woods is noto mentally incompetent. His legal counsel was forced to deal with a difficult, uncooperative client who even went so far as to file his own motions and failed to follow their legal advice and properly participate in his legal defense.

...Testimony and evidence provided concerning Mr. Wood's [sic] horrible childhood and appalling living conditions is merely an attempt to place blame where blame should not lie. Since when should having a horrible childhood give one the license to kill? Thousands of people experience horrors in their daily lives, yet most will continue to obey the law. No exceptions should be made for Woods.
Click here to read Mr. Miller's letter in its entirety.

Randall P. Gentry
Mr. Woods' own testimony sufficiently revealed the crime details to a point that it is not hard to understand the cruelty of his actions. Stabbing a person twenty plus times takes effort, a great deal of rage, and huge lack of respect for life. This was no bar room fight. This was a seventy-seven year old man in his home in the middle of the night murdered by three adults.

...This was not an accident, but a planned crime that may have deviated as intended. The result was murder. While we may all search to ease our minds as to why this crime occured, it is important to understand this crime did happen and Mr. Woods admits he committed the act of murder against Juan Placencia.

...In hindsight, [his background] may provide a precursor to the future, but I render a guess many children have had a similar horrible upbringing and yet failed to commit a murder.

...In my opinion, Mr. Woods is not a monster as society might define one, but Juan Placencia did not deserve to die this horrific death. With the lack of some fact or mitigation that is not currently in the record, I struggle to recommend that we should alter course from the original sentence.

...I continued to review and reread documents right up to the preparation of this recommendation to you. I was unclear on what I was looking for, justification to move forward with this sentence or a reason to recommend Clemency. The crime in question can be described in one sentence, but the reason behind the crime could take pages. I found it easy to be deflected from the decisions that has to be made. Attempts to present mitigating arguments for Mr. Woods, such as an awful childhood, a long standing issue with his mother, mild mental retardation, or even improper legal representation at trial fail to excuse what has been done.
Click here to read Mr. Gentry's letter in its entirety.

Christopher E. Meloy, Chairman:
[Woods'] level of understanding, his introspection, and his assessment of others in his life leads me to believe that Mr. Woods' mental capacity is more than sufficient not only to understand the correlation between his actions and logical consequences but he also appears to be a person who holds a personal peace after significant, in-depth, and introspective review of his life's situations.

...the truth was accurately discovered in this case.

...When satisfied with his thefts, Mr. Woods returned to Mr. Placencia but not to help despite the elderly man's pleas but to stab him 20 additional times leaving him for dead.

Click here to read Mr. Meloy's letter in its entirety.

Please e-mail notredameask@gmail.com if you have any issues opening these links.

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Monday, April 23, 2007

Live from Indianapolis: David Woods' Clemency Hearing


David's mother approached the front of the auditorium and spoke in a hushed, reserved tone. She put forth just enough effort to make her terse answers barely audible. When the defense attorney asked her the names and ages of her children, she paused and finally stated that she didn't know their ages. When asked to simply recount their names, she hesitantly proceeded to name her six children, with grinding hesitation between each name. When asked which of the siblings were David's full brothers and sisters, she said that three were, but only gave two names.

Mary Pilkington stated that, while she testified against David at his trial, she did so without her knowledge. According to Pilkington, the prosecutor "put his arms around her" and told her "I'll get your son off and I'll help you and take you out to dinner." After a pause, Mrs. Pilkington added, "I didn't know I was on the wrong side."

The most shocking stories of the day came from one of David's sisters, Mary Anne. The themes of her stories focused on neglect, abuse, and outright disturbing scenarios. She began by recalling a time when she stepped on a rusty nail in the yard. When she limped inside, her mother's response to her whimpers was "you take care of it yourself." She told about the time her brother held the door shut when she had to go to the bathroom so she was forced to go in a bucket. When her mother found out, she took the feces out of the bucket and "shoved it in [her] mouth." One time when she was sitting on a porch railing, her mother backhanded her, sending her sprawling onto the pavement below. Her mother's response to her cries of pain: running in the house to get a camera in order to snap photos of her crying daughter.

The most gruesome and twisted recollection, however, was the time that Mary Anne's mother fed Mary Anne her pet rabbit, unbeknownst to her at the time and revealed the truth to Mary Anne only after she'd eaten the rabbit by showing her the severed head of the rabbit that she had placed in the back yard. Additionally, Mary Anne testified that when she was 10 years old, she was molested by her step father. When she told her mother about it, her mother told her "don't tell no one." When the police found out about the molestation, Mary Anne's mom simply replied that "she asked for it" and attempted to bribe Mary Anne with $50 if she changed her story.

The main theme running throughout the clemency testimony was summed up in her next sentence: "I just wanted her to love me."

Sherry Hudson, a capital habeas petition investigator, took a snipe at Alabama's prolific death penalty sentencing by stating that “even in Alabama this wouldn’t have been a death penalty case.” Her role in the David Woods saga was to investigate mitigating circumstances for presentation in Woods’ appeal as no investigation had been done in the initial case. Additionally, Woods’ file from the original case had been lost or destroyed.

Wanda Callahan, a pastor from the Church of the Brethren spoke passionately about David’s reformation since his time in prison. As a volunteer pastor for the prison for 36 years, Wanda has seen her share of “rough types” but states that by no means is David one of these personalities. She had nothing but good things to say about him, stating that “he has so much goodness” and that “he acts like the peacemaker on death row.” She warned the panel that if he were to be executed that “you’re going to do a great big harm to death row. He’s what holds that place together most of the time.” Additionally she stated that “I wish my churches were full of people like David,” backing her claim “I don’t know anyone who’s as good a Christian as David is.”

Ms. Callahan posed the observation that “he never felt safe until he was on death row. Isn’t that a horrible thing?” She left the panel with this parting thought: “If you kill David, it’s going to be a cruel case of injustice. If you do, I’m certainly going to pray for you.”

After presenting several other people close to David and his case who testified along the same lines of abuse and dysfunction as a child leading to his crime, the State presented their side of the argument, backed by six members of the victim’s family.

The deputy prosecutor presented the perception that Woods “learned over time” buzz words and terms alluding to mitigation. He emphasized that Woods was the leader of the robbery and that at least 29 judges in 6 different courts have written 8 different opinions all affirming the sentence of death for Woods. He stated that “the defense is asking you to believe that all those judges and juries were unreasonable.” Additionally, he rebuffed Woods’ good behavior on the row, stating that it would be ludicrous that “he should be rewarded for not having committed more crimes.”

Additionally, the deputy prosecutor called the ABA report, released in February, a product of the “moratorium project” and claimed that it contained “many assertions” that “are false or inaccurate.” Ultimately, he concluded stating that “no reasonable person would have voted differently.”

Juan Placencia’s granddaughter spoke about her grandfather saying that he “brought those children up to love God, family and country.” She listed his 13 children and 72 grandchildren all by name, a process that took several minutes. She stated that “our community is a community of love and tradition” but cautioned that “life is not always the way we wish it would be,” refusing to accept Woods’ upbringing as an excuse for the killing. She read several letters from family members not in attendance which cited Juan’s pleas for mercy as he was stabbed, the need for enforcement of laws as a fundamental element of society, and ultimately struck the tone that “Juan’s pleas only took seconds, not years.”

Juan’s daughter, Catherine Placencia, stated that Woods “took the best man in the world: our father.” Additionally she refused to accept Woods’ childhood as a mitigating circumstance: “…he blames everything… he’s gotta look in the mirror and blame himself, because he’s the one who did this to my father.”

Another of Juan’s daughters, Mary Anne Petrie, gave a tearful statement, showing a picture of the family with Juan stating that “we’ve got pictures to look at, that’s it.” Also she qualified her desire for an execution by saying that “this is justice, it isn’t revenge.” She accused Woods of spewing falsehoods about his faith and his rationale for the murder: “No Christian would lie like he’s doing.”

Two more of Placencia’s descendants gave statements which focused on Woods making conscious choices which led to the murder and also made the conscious choice to stab Juan Placencia 21 times. One of Juan’s grandsons, Glen McDonald begged that the board “allow justice to be served so that another healing process may begin.”

After rebuttals from both sides which essentially summarized the main points of the pleas by both sides, the panel was adjourned for deliberation. Upon their return at 2:30 pm, each panel member read their letters of recommendation to Governor Daniels. Each member of the panel recommended that Governor Daniels deny clemency. These full statements will be posted on the website later, but they all focused around the severity of the crime and its inexcusability, despite Woods’ upbringing.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Reporting from the David Woods Clemency Hearing

I will be attending David Woods' clemency hearing in Indianapolis which begins at 9am today (4/23) and will do my best to update this post as soon as possible after the testimony phase of the hearing and then again after the board reads their recommendation. Check this post regularly throughout the day for updates and quotes from the hearing.

I will provide an objective report in this space as well as a separate follow-up post with my analysis of the proceedings for those interested in my take on how it went.

Stay tuned!

-Will McAuliffe
Co-director of ND ASK

»»Click here for the full post»»

Achieving the Inevitable: Ending the Death Penalty in Indiana

We are proud to finally announce our title --Achieving the Inevitable: Ending the Death Penalty in Indiana-- and schedule for the upcoming forum on April 27th-29th.

If you haven't already registered, click here to do so!

Click below to expand this post and see the schedule.

Friday, April 28

7:30 pm, Opening Remarks

8:00 pm, Screening of The Exonerated
(Jordan Auditorium)

Saturday, April 29

9:30 - 10:45, Breakfast and Keynote Address by Paula Sites, Assistant Executive Director of the Indiana Public Defender Council (Center for Social Concerns)

11- 12:15, Panel Session 1:

The American Bar Association & Indiana: Moving toward a Moratorium
(Room 121, Mendoza College of Business)

Prison Ministry: Building Relationships with Death Row Inmates
(Room 122, Mendoza)

Mental Illness and the Death Penalty: Arbitrary, Capricious and Inhumane
(Room L014B, Mendoza)

12:30 - 1, Presentations:

Indiana's Movement Against the Death Penalty
--Chris Hitz-Bradley, President, Indiana Information Center for the Abolition of Capital Punishment
(Room 121, Mendoza College of Business)

From Death to Detention: 18th Century Great Britain's Penal System as the End to Capital Punishment
--Professor Sean O’Brien, Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies
(Room 122, Mendoza)

Sane Punishment for the Mentally Ill
--Kathleen Bayes, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness – Fort Wayne
(Room L014B, Mendoza)

1-1:50, Working Lunch:

Group Discussions with Guest Speakers and Panelists on Students’ Role in the Movement for a Moratorium in Indiana

2-3:15, Panel Session 2:

The American Bar Association & Indiana: Moving toward a Moratorium
(Room 121, Mendoza College of Business)

The Role of Religion and Churches in Ending Indiana’s Death Penalty
(Room 122, Mendoza)

The Role of Indiana’s Media in the Movement for a Moratorium
(Room L014B, Mendoza)

3:30-4:30, Action and Information Session on the May 4th Execution of David Woods:

--Discussion of ND ASK’s planned response to the pending execution of David Woods, including a petition to Governor Mitch Daniels and a vigil at Michigan City prison. Also, Wanda Callahan, longtime spiritual adviser to David will speak to his rehabilitation and their twenty-year friendship.

7:30-9, Film Screening: The Thin Blue Line
(Jordan Auditorium)

9:15, Grotto Vigil:
--In remembrance of the victim of David Woods’ crime, Juan Placencia, and his family

Sunday, April 29

9:30 – 11, Breakfast and Closing Remarks:
(Oak Room, South Dining Hall)

Click here to register now!

Speakers and location subject to change. Updates will be sent to those registered for the forum and posted regularly on our blog.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Clemency Petition for David Woods


Please sign our petition calling for Governor Mitch Daniels to grant David Woods clemency! It only takes a few moments and, with enough signatures, may help sway the Governor towards clemency.

Additionally, please notify all interested family and friends of this important petition. Together we just may be able to stop the execution!

»»Click here for the full post»»

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

ND ASK to Hold Execution Vigil at Michigan City Prison


Notre Dame's Campus Ministry has been generous enough to sponsor a bus load of protesters for a vigil at Michigan City Prison on the night of David Woods' execution (May 3rd-May 4th, the execution occurs at midnight). ND ASK is now taking seat reservations for the bus. The transportation is free of charge and is open to anyone who is interested, including anyone outside the Notre Dame community.

We hope to fill the bus and show our support for a moratorium against the death penalty while bearing witness to the tragedy of capital punishment. Details and updates on the vigil will follow. Please fill out the form below to reserve a seat. Vigil updates and details to follow via e-mail and on the blog.

Additionally, plans for a vigil in remembrance of the victim, Juan Placencia, and his family are in the works and details will be posted soon.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Help Stop David Woods' Execution!


The details of David Woods' tortured life paint a picture of a child and young man deprived of care, guidance, and love. The failure of his parents and of appropriate state intervention culminated in the tragic killing of Juan Placencia on April 7, 1984. The following are some of the details that we know about Woods' life before his crime:
  • Woods' father left within the first few years of his life and his mother was an abusive alcoholic.
  • His mother would often return home from bars with strangers and engage in sexual activity in full view of her children, at one point even 'offering' two of his sisters to motorcycle gang members who had taken to regularly partying and engaging in sexual activity at the home.
  • His mother would chain the refrigerator shut and only give the children food as a reward for stealing.
  • David Woods is borderline retarded, having tested in the low 70s to mid 80s on various IQ tests.
  • Woods was at one point removed from the environment by the state and placed in a juvenile facility where he was sexually assaulted.
David Woods was 18 years old at the time of his crime and has now spent 20 years -- over half of his life -- on death row.

This information is provided thanks to the tireless diligence and efforts of Amnesty International's Urgent Action Network and the IICACP. More information on David Woods' life and legal proceedings can be found at both of these sites. Details on taking action can be found below by expanding the post.


To take action against Woods' execution, write the clemency board before April 23rd at:

Indiana Parole Board
Indiana Government Center - South, Room E321
302 W. Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2278

Fax them at 317.232.5738

Additionally, appeals can be sent to Governor Mitch Daniels up until the execution at:

Governor Mitch Daniels
Office of the Governor, Statehouse
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2797

Fax Governor Daniels at 317.232.3443

Additionally, he can be emailed through a form on his website here.

Please contact us at notredameask@gmail.com for any additional information or assistance in this urgent matter.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Monday, April 16, 2007

Dallas Morning News calls for abolition


MICHAEL HOGUE/DMN

Common sense and outspoken criticism of the death penalty are starting to permeate even the staunchest bastion of capital punishment: Texas. With its 391 executions since 1976, Texas has plowed forward with executions even when there is significant doubt or good reason for pause.


But it seems that even such a state bent on anachronistic retribution is not immune to reason and reality. Today, the Dallas Morning News called for the abolition of the death penalty in an editorial. This is the largest state paper to have taken such a step and hopefully is but a symptom of the larger, inevitable change that is sweeping the country.

»»Click here for the full post»»

ND ASK Spring Forum Registration


ND ASK is proud to announce its first annual forum on the death penalty at which we will address the growing national trend towards moratoriums and abolition as well as the evolution of various legal issues. The primary focus will be how to harness and accelerate this national trend here in Indiana, moving public opinion as well as political capital towards the end of capital punishment.

The forum will feature several panel discussions on topics such as legal issues regarding mental illness and lethal injection, the importance of the media’s role in ending the death penalty, as well as a keynote speech by Assistant Executive Director of the Indiana Public Defenders Council, Paula Sites.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Pending Execution as Ethical Watershed

The pending execution of Indiana death row inmate David Woods on May 4th is a milestone in the history of Indiana’s death penalty. Our nagging doubts and fears about the death penalty system being Indiana’s “other lottery” have now been confirmed and thoroughly documented in a recent report by the American Bar Association. Out of this report rises an opportunity to show that Indiana will not stand by while a man is executed as a result of so flawed and suspect a system. Instead, we must show that Indiana stands for fairness and true justice by demanding a hold on executions until the ABA report’s recommendations can be further examined and the death penalty system as a whole can be judged.

A moratorium is not only advisable, but is also overwhelmingly supported by 61% of Hoosiers as demonstrated in an ABA commissioned poll. Once the ticking clock of impending executions is silenced, objective examination of this system will expose the inhumanity, inefficiency, and injustice of capital punishment. I urge all who are concerned about ensuring the legitimacy of our justice system to petition their legislators and Governor Daniels for a stay of Mr. Woods’ execution and a moratorium on capital punishment.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Sunday, April 8, 2007

CT ASK: Fighting the Death Penalty Through Publication


The Chicago Tribune recently published an editorial which called for the abolition of the death penalty in Illinois. The state of Illinois has had a moratorium on the death penalty since Governor George Ryan implemented it in early 2000. This strong stance by the renowned publication is reflective of the larger shift in public opinion nationwide towards moratorium and abolition, the subject of an April 8th Chicago Tribune article.

Additionally, the Tribune has now set up an easily accessible archive of its articles on the death penalty dating back to 1997 which can be accessed at chicagotribune.com/deathpenalty.

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Friday, April 6, 2007

Death Row Inmate Akeem Aki-Khuam Takes Plea for Life

Akeem Aki-Khuam, formerly Edward Earl Williams, plead guilty to three counts of murder in exchange for life in prison. Khuam was convicted in 1993 for the murder of Michael Richardson, Debra Ann Rice, and Robert Hollins, with three accomplices, all of whom have plead guilty and are serving life sentences.

Khuam's death sentence was overturned in 2002 U.S. District Court Ruling, but prosecutors have been in the process of retrying the case. Khuam now awaits his sentencing which is scheduled for May 7-9, initially the starting date set for his now terminated retrial.

»»Click here for the full post»»

Execution Date Set for Indiana Inmate David Woods

This past week, the Indiana Supreme Court set an execution date of May 4 for David Leon Woods. Woods was sentenced in March of 1985 for the lethal stabbing of Juan Placenia, his 77 year old neighbor in Garrett, Indiana. Woods was 19 years old at the time of the murder and has now been on death row for 22 years. Woods has filed a motion to join a suit begun by Norman Timberlake which challenges the legitimacy and legality of lethal injection. Woods' attorney, William Van Der Pol, Jr. "...contends the Supreme Court erred..." regarding Wood's eligibility for death, citing mental retardation as a reason for Woods' exemption.

ND ASK will be organizing a vigil to be held at Michigan City the night of the execution as well as demonstration in South Bend and petitions to suspend the use of the death penalty in Indiana, citing fundamental errors in the process.

»»Click here for the full post»»

ND ASK in Notre Dame Magazine

Spring 2007 cover

ND ASK is featured in the Spring 2007 issue of Notre Dame Magazine, with the article, ND ASK: Student coalition targets Indiana's death row.

The piece provides an overview of the founding of ND ASK, our overall objectives and rationale, and recent activities. We're very thankful for and encouraged by this coverage--in a publication that is circulated to thousands of ND alum. Please be sure to read the article here.

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The Hampton Union: "New Hampshire should eliminate the death penalty"


As the Hampton Union reports in the paper's April 6 editorial, "New Hampshire should eliminate the death penalty," no one has been executed in the state since 1939. But state legislators voted to keep the state death penalty law in tact last week--even while New Hampshire does not have a chamber in which to give a lethal injection.

A recent case involving the killing of a Manchester police officer has forced New Hampshire to confront capital punishment, and while lawmakers have opted to maintain it as a legal option, the Hampton Union is offering a different stance.

The paper argues, "We don't think that the state should put itself in the position of taking a human life. Other states, such as Texas, have death penalties — and they use them. Yet crime has not stopped. Murders have not stopped."

They also point to flaws in our criminal justice system: "How many times have we read or heard of people being sent to prison only to find out years later that they were innocent? The same can be said of murder trials, only there is no coming back from the death penalty. According to a Michigan State University report, since 1973, more than 120 people have been released from death row after evidence of their innocence emerged. New Hampshire should not put itself in the position of killing an innocent person."

The Hampton Union, like many other newspapers across the country (including the South Bend Tribune), is taking on a bold stance in declaring its opposition to the state's death penalty law. The paper is exercising its responsibility to educate citizens and better their ability to participate in our democracy, and should be applauded for doing so. Be sure to read the full Hampton Union editorial here.

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