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English
�
Il governatore della
Carolina del Nord, Jim Hunt, ha commutato in carcere a vita la
condanna alla pena capitale per un uomo - la cui esecuzione era
prevista oggi (mercoledi') - perche' potrebbe non essere stata
frutto di un ''processo equo''. Lo ha reso noto un comunicato
dell'ufficio del governatore, diffuso in serata. Marcus Carter era
stato condannato a morte per il tentato stupro e l'assassinio, nel
1989 a Goldsboro, della giovane Amelia Lewis. L'esecuzione sarebbe
dovuta avvenire alle 2 ora locale di oggi (le 8 in Italia). ''Sono
da molto tempo fautore della pena di morte per gli omicidii con
premeditazione, perche' credo che, in molti casi, essa serva come
dissuasione per l'uccisione di persone innocenti'', afferma il
governatore Hunt. Pur dicendosi certo della colpevolezza del
condannato, egli aggiunge che ''nei casi in cui e' in gioco la
pena di morte, dobbiamo far di tutto per assicurarci che ci sia un
processo equo (...) e penso che le circostanze di questo caso
lascino spazio al dubbio''. E' la seconda volta nei quattro anni
da cui e' in carica che il governatore della North Carolina
concede la grazia ad un condannato a morte.
�
(From the site of the Death Penalty Information Center,
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/)
Just
hours before his execution on November 22nd, North Carolina death
row inmate Marcus Carter had his sentence commuted to life in
prison without parole by Governor Jim Hunt. Hunt stated:
"[I]n cases where capital punishment could be imposed, we
must go the extra mile to assure there is a fair trial. In the
case of Marcus Carter, I am convinced that the overall
circumstances of this case put that in question. Therefore, I
cannot allow this execution to go forward."
�
Killer's Death Sentence Commuted
RALEIGH,
N.C., Nov. 21 �� Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. (D) commuted a
convicted killer's death sentence to life in prison without
parole, hours before he was to be executed.
Hunt
said he had questions about whether the condemned man got a fair
trial.
Marcus
Carter, 32, was scheduled to die by injection at 2 a.m. Wednesday
for the 1989 slaying and attempted rape of Amelia Lewis, who was
beaten to death with a brick and left in an alley.
Carter's
family was visiting him in prison when defense attorney Mark
Edwards told him his sentence had been commuted.
"I
think he was stunned like I was," Edwards said. "He
looked at me at first in disbelief. Eventually, it started sinking
in. His knees got sort of weak, and he had to sit in a chair and
let it sink in."
Carter's
first trial, in which he was represented by a court-appointed
lawyer, ended in 1991 with a hung jury. At a second trial the next
year, Carter represented himself and was convicted. Edwards said
the judge had persuaded Carter to become his own lawyer.
The
governor said in a statement that he still supports capital
punishment and believes Carter is guilty.
"But
in cases where capital punishment could be imposed, we must go the
extra mile to assure there is a fair trial," Hunt said.
". . . I'm convinced that the overall circumstances of this
case put that in question."
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