Death penalty campaigners appalled by September executions

Opponents of the death penalty voiced dismay after five men were executed in the US in the space of one week, including Marcellus Williams whose prosecutors had raised doubts about the safety of his conviction.

Williams’ execution in Missouri on 24 September took place despite the concerns of the prosecutors who had originally sought the death penalty in his trial.

“This last week has felt like a freewheeling affront to human dignity,” said Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilising Network, which advocates for the abolition of capital punishment.

“Five different states took the lives of five men at a pace unlike anything we’ve seen in decades, displaying the horrific injustice that runs rampant throughout this system of capital punishment,” she said. 

“The spate of executions included the state of Missouri killing Marcellus Williams despite mishandling of DNA evidence and the original prosecutor calling to overturn the conviction. Simply put, this disgraceful September spree confirmed everything we know to be true about the death penalty: it’s contrary to human dignity, immoral, flawed, and useless.

“These executions should turn our stomachs, break our hearts and prick our collective conscience.” 

In addition to Williams’ execution in Missouri, Freddie Owens was executed in South Carolina on 20 September, despite the fact that his co-defendant reversed his prior testimony and stated in a sworn affidavit that Owens did not shoot the victim and was not even present when the crime occurred.

Texas executed Travis Mullis on 24 September. Oklahoma executed Emmanuel Littlejohn on 26 September, ignoring the Parole Board’s recommendation of clemency. Alabama executed Allen Miller on 26 September using nitrogen gas.  During a previous attempt to execute Miller in 2022, prison staff were unable to locate a vein in which to administer a lethal injection.

Vaillancourt Murphy noted that the political calendar likely influenced the reluctance of the governors in those states to stop the executions.

“Politicians are known to wield the death penalty as a political tool to appear ‘tough on crime,’ treating people on death row like political pawns,” she said.

“We are calling on Catholics across the country, and especially in these five states, to urge decision-makers to stop these executions.”

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