A Survivor's View on the Death Penalty

Food for thought: although not directly related to our cause, this Gazette letter from the mother of a murder victim is asserting that the death penalty does more than harm than good for victims' families.

The sad reality is that the death penalty handcuffs the surviving families of homicide victims to decades of legal procedures. In the end, the vast majority are resentenced to life without parole, which could have been sought at trial.

Recently, a new law in Maryland that raised the standards of evidence in death penalty cases. The letter writer expressed worry that the new law may drag such cases out longer.

Meanwhile, something to keep an eye on: Shawn Henderson has filed a motion for a reconsideration of his sentence, which is life without the possibility of parole, plus 20 years, for killing Lindsay Harvey. Recall that the sentencing judge, Terrence McGann, was adamant that Henderson never be allowed to set foot outside a maximum security prison for the rest of his life.