USA; ASSASSINO' TURISTA A LAS VEGAS, GIUSTIZIATO

WASHINGTON, 27 MAR - Un uomo che nel 1994 strangolo' un anziano turista a Las Vegas e che non aveva voluto chiedere un rinvio della sua esecuzione e' stato messo a morte, la notte scorsa, a Carson City, nel Nevada, con un'iniezione letale.

Un giudice federale era pronto ad accogliere una richiesta di sospensione dell'esecuzione, ma Lawrence Colwell Junior, 35 anni, non l'ha inoltrata, dopo un ultimo incontro con i suoi genitori.

Nel marzo del 1994, Colwell strangolo' Frank Rosenstock, un pensionato della Florida di 76 anni, che la sua fidanzata aveva attirato nella sua stanza d'albergo. Ma quella che doveva essere un'estorsione fini' tragicamente.

Il figlio e la figlia della vittima hanno assistito all'esecuzione.

NEVADA: Another execution to be set; opposition growing

One convicted killer has been executed and another may soon follow, but an opponent of the death penalty says opposition is growing against capital punishment in Nevada.

Lawrence Colwell Jr. died quietly without any final words Friday in the death chamber of the Nevada State Prison after receiving a lethal injection. The 36-year-old Colwell had been convicted of the 1994 murder of a Florida tourist in Las Vegas.

Next in line on death row is 57-year-old Terry J. Dennis. He was convicted of killing a woman in Reno in 1999, has stopped his appeals and says he's ready to die. The date for his execution is expected to be set within the next few months.

Colwell was the 10th person to be executed in Nevada since the death penalty was reinstated in Nevada in 1977.

But Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, says the drive to abolish the death penalty is gaining steam. It may not happen in the 2005 Legislature, she said, but the "movement is strong and growing."

Leslie was one of the co-sponsors of an anti-death penalty bill in 2003 that did not get out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She said that more and more leaders are changing their position and backing the repeal of the death penalty.

Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, who favors the death penalty, doesn't see it that way. Nolan was 1 of 8 witnesses at the Colwell execution, the 2nd time he has been present when a killer was put to death.

He said he came to the prison to "reaffirm my belief this has purpose and is a humane way."

Nolan was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2003. He said there was "heated debate" over the capital punishment repeal bill before it was defeated.

Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, a strong opponent of the death penalty and the sponsor of the bill, has decided not to run for re-election. But Leslie said there are plenty of others in the Legislature who want to see the law repealed and will take up where Neal leaves off.

Attorney General Brian Sandoval, a supporter of capital punishment, was among the witnesses at Friday's execution. After Colwell was declared dead, Sandoval said: "It was not an easy experience."

Colwell was convicted of the 1994 strangulation of Frank Rosenstock in a room at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. His accomplice, Merille Paul, received a life term with parole.

Colwell was described as a "talkative" person by Fritz Scholttman, public information officer of the state Department of Corrections. But he said Colwell was quiet in the hours preceding the execution. He did not ask for any of the tranquilizers that were available.

Colwell, wearing prison denims, was led by five officers into the execution chamber. He looked at the floor until he was strapped onto a gurney. His eyes were closed as he faced the ceiling.

The blinds on the chamber were drawn. An IV was then inserted in both his arms. The blinds then lifted and the execution started. Colwell did not have any final statement, Jackie Crawford, director of the corrections department, said.

Colwell's parents, from Oregon, were in the prison at the time but did not witness the execution.

Several weeks before his execution, Colwell converted to Roman Catholicism, said the Rev. Chuck Durante, pastor of Our Lady of Wisdom Church in Reno. The priest said Colwell expressed sorrow for the killing.

Rosenstock's son, Terry Rosenstock of New York, and daughter, Mindy Dinburg of New Jersey, witnessed the execution in a separate room. Afterward, Terry said: "The execution has made us relive this horror," referring to the death of their father.

"Today we feel that our family finally has justice," Terry said. "We have been asked if the execution brings closure to our family -- and the answer is no. We see today ... as just the end of another painful chapter ... in a story we wish had never been written."

Terry also said he hoped the state Parole Board would not grant release to Merille Paul at its May meeting.

About an hour before the execution, about 35 people gathered outside the prison in chilly and windy weather for a demonstration against capital punishment. Durante was one of the organizers of the peaceful event that disbanded after the execution.

Colwell was pronounced dead at 9:08 p.m., about 5 minutes after the drugs were administered.