The Herald-Sun - The Nation

North Carolina Prepares for Execution Despite Doubts of Guilt Death row inmate Charlie Alston is scheduled to be executed in North Carolina on January 11, even though serious questions about his guilt remain unanswered. Alston was sentenced to death for the 1992 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Pamela Perry. Alston has always maintained his innocence.

 One of Alston's last chances for a reprieve would be to have DNA testing on fingernail scrapings taken of Perry after the murder. However, law enforcement officers lost the evidence and a superior court judge refused to stay Alston's execution until it is found. "The fundamental concept of fairness demands that the state give Charlie Alston enough time to prove his innocence," said Ken Rose, director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation.

Letter to the editor -  1/4/01

NEW VOICES: September 11th In a letter to the New York Times, Orlando and Phyllis Rodriguez, whose son Greg died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, expressed their opposition to the death penalty: We can understand why victims' families would look to the death penalty as a justifiable punishment for convicted terrorists, but we feel that it is wrong to take a life. Nothing will erase the pain and loss that we must learn to live with, and causing others pain can only make it worse.

If any good can come out of the disaster of Sept. 11, perhaps it will include examination of how we can maintain our humanity in the face of terrorists' threats.