Big Break for Navy Veteran

Interesting news today on the death penalty front.

"Earlier this month, a Nevada district judge ordered the immediate release of Ronnie Milligan, who has spent over 20 years on death row. Milligan, a Navy veteran, may have been wrongfully convicted of the 1980 killing of Zolihon Voinski. Milligan was the only one of three co-defendants who was sentenced to death for the crime. Four years ago, the Nevada Supreme Court set new death penalty sentencing protocols that toughened requirements that make an inmate eligible for the death penalty. The new ruling by the court required the proof of existence of at least two aggravating factors, and Milligan was among a handful of inmates who benefited from the ruling. Doubts concerning Milligan’s guilt were also raised after a letter written by an eyewitness at his trial, Ramon Houston, was discovered. In the letter, Houston indicated that he killed Voinski, not Milligan. The letter also disclosed that Milligan, who had testified at his trial that he was in an alcoholic blackout, was not even there when Voinski was killed. Another co-defendant signed an affidavit saying that Milligan was not present during the killing, and that everybody involved conspired against him when they learned he had no memory of that day. Expressing “grave reservations” about Milligan’s guilt, District Judge Richard Wagner sentenced Milligan to a term of life with the possibility of parole and determined that Milligan was immediately eligible for parole."


The above information is courtesy of the Death Penalty Information Center.  Wow.....20 years on death row without even knowing if you're guilty or not....crazy.  Also interesting to note that atleast in Nevada, the death penalty sentencing protocol has been toughed to try and prevent innocent executions. 

Killing the handicapped?

Big news in the realm of capital punishment.  In Georgia, Brandon Rhode, who was sentenced to the death penalty has had his execution postponed due to suicidal attempt.  He has been diagnosed with both Organic Brain Damage and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  FASD can cause a person to be a the mental level of someone much younger than themselves prompting Rhodes lawyer to ask that his death sentence be repealed completely.

What do you think? does this qualify Rhodes to be taken off death row?