Nov. 3, 2007 (2 articles)

Mississippi

Prentiss man re-sentenced to life without parole in officer's death

The Associated Press

PRENTISS, Miss. -- Circuit Judge Prentiss Harrell has re-sentenced inmate
Cory Maye to life in prison without early release or parole in the killing a
Prentiss police officer.

District Attorney Hal Kittrell announced the re-sentencing in a statement
Friday in connection with the killing of Prentiss police officer Ron Jones
in a 2001 drug raid.

In 2004, a jury in Marion County, where Maye's trial was moved because of
pretrial news coverage, convicted Maye of capital murder and sentenced him
to die by lethal injection.

In 2006, Circuit Judge Michael Eubanks threw out Maye's death sentence on
grounds his attorney should have done a better job during the penalty phase
of Maye's 2003 trial.

Kittrell had said in July that he would not seek the death penalty during
Maye's new sentencing hearing in keeping with the wishes of officer Jones's
family.

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Source : Associated Press

SunHerald.com : Prentiss man re-sentenced to life without parole in officer's death

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Nov. 2, 2007

Mississippi

CRUEL AND UNUSUAL?

WDAM EDITORIAL

Earl Wesley Berry was sentenced to die for kidnapping and beating to death
56-year old Mary Bounds as she left choir practice at the First Baptist
Church of Houston Mississippi 20 years ago this month. In his drunken rage
he bashed her head into a tree and stomped her head hard enough to leave a
tennis shoe print, all for no reason. At last report he had yet to express
remorse for his actions.

The Supreme Court of the United States granted a stay in his execution this
week just minutes before he was to be put to death by lethal injection. The
stay was predicated on an appeal against the state of Kentucky currently
before the Supreme Court that contends that death by lethal injection
constitutes cruel and unusual punishment which is forbidden by the
Constitution.

Now regardless of one's stand on capital punishment itself-even though I'm
not a doctor-common sense would seem to indicate that giving someone a shot
and letting them go to sleep is about as humane a way to end their life as
possible. I've had more than a few surgeries in which general anesthetic
was administered and there was nothing cruel or unpleasant about it. I
assume it is a similar process. Compare that to hanging, electrocuting, or
shooting-all forms of execution at one time or another in this country-and I
can't possibly see how there can be any doubt as to the relative discomfort
inflicted. One thing is sure: it will be a much easier and pain-free death
than Mary Bounds suffered while he was beating her to death.

Capital punishment is the law in this and many other states. To delay it on
such flimsy grounds while the victim's family continues to suffer is just
another example of the squeamishness that has infected this country and that
will further allow the predators, who have no such qualms, to win another
victory.

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WDAM EDITORIAL (I'm Jim Cameron. We appreciate your comments pro and con.
Write and let us know what you think.)

WDAM.com Laurel-Hattiesburg, MS The Pinebelt's Choice For News, Sports and Weather | Editorial: Cruel and Unusual?