The Death Penalty
US: Case Updates
December
Two executions in the Carolinas occurred on December 2. Kenneth Boyd, a veteran of the Vietnam War, was executed in North Carolina, making him the 1,000 person executed since 1976. Mr. Boyd was the 5th execution in North Carolina in 2005. Shawn Humphries was also executed on the 2nd in South Carolina. Humphries was the 3rd and final person executed by South Carolina in 2005.
Wesley Baker, whose case prompted Governor Glendening of Maryland to impose a moratorium on executions in 2002, was executed on December 6th. Baker was the only person executed in Maryland in 2005.
On December 13, the abolition movement suffered a major blow when Stanley "Tookie" Williams, founder of the Crips gang and 5 time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was executed in California. Governor Schwarzenegger determined that Williams was not a candidate for clemency, although his well-known anti-gang work prompted a response from organizations and individuals around the world and from the Hollywood community begging for clemency on Williams's behalf.
The final execution of 2005 occurred on December 14th in Mississippi, where John Nixon, at age 77, became the oldest inmate executed in the US since 1976.
November
The state of Texas alone executed four people in November. These people include Melvin White on November 3rd, Charles Thacker on November 9th, Robert Rowell on November 15th, and Shannon Thomas on November 16th. Thomas's execution marks Texas' 19th execution this year and 355th execution since its state re-enactment in 1982.
In Delaware, Brian Steckel was executed on November 4th. His execution was the first in Delaware since Abdullah T. Hameen's execution in 2001. Steckel is Delaware's 14th execution since its state re-enactment in 1982.
On the same day, Arthur Hasting Wise was executed in South Carolina. Wise is the 118th person in the United States to be executed as a volunteer. In South Carolina, he is the 34th in the state to be executed since 1974.
North Carolina executed two individuals this month. On November 11th, Steven Van McHone was executed and Elias Hanna Syriani on November 18th. Syriani was the 4th to be executed this year and the 38th since re-enactment in 197.
Arkansas and Ohio ended the month by executing one person each. Inmate Eric Nance was executed by the state of Arkansas on November 28th. Ohio executed John R. Hicks on November 11th, making him the 20th person executed after Ohio resumed executions in 1999.
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