Utah man closer to death by firing squad after losing appeal

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Utah man closer to death by firing squad after losing appeal

By BRADY McCOMBS
August 12, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah death row inmate featured in the popular book “Under the Banner of Heaven” after killing his sister-in-law and her child for resisting his polygamist beliefs inched closer to becoming the first American to be executed by firing squad in nearly a decade after losing his latest appeal Monday.

Ron Lafferty could be executed as soon as next year after his latest legal setback, said Andrew Peterson, assistant solicitor general at the Utah attorney general’s office.

Lafferty’s lawyer, Dale Baich, said in an email that he will use all options to challenge the ruling and will likely ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.

-snip-

Lafferty was convicted in the 1984 slayings of his sister-in-law and her baby daughter, which he carried out with his brother. He claimed to get a revelation from God to kill the two because of her resistance to his fundamentalist beliefs in polygamy.

His case became well known nationwide when it was included in Jon Krakauer’s 2003 book about radical offshoots of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Krakauer also wrote the popular books “Into Thin Air” and “Into the Wild.”

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/d03ed571c01f4df59d497b497c4a2361

[emmaverybo]

1. He's a disgusting, morally repugnant baby killer. I don't care what his beliefs are. A firing squad

execution sounds less civilized and clinical than other forms, but I doubt is any more psychologically horrific or painful. I would rather see LWOP be the maximum sentence and it, in the case of heinous crimes, should be handed down more frequently, but good riddance. To think of this woman trying to protect her baby and self from his brother and his predatory religious practices and then at the time of death. Mental cruelty.

[edhopper]

2. Death Row for 25 years?

What is the point? Jeez our country is barbaric.

[Major Nikon]

3. The point is our culture is more obsessed with revenge than justice

Virtually the entire rest of the civilized world has done away with the death penalty.

[edhopper]

4. so true

I don't hear much about deterrence any more re the death penalty.
it is usually about "justice" for the victims, which is just revenge.

[Major Nikon]

8. Probably because enough people now know that's been debunked

Along with every other pro-death penalty argument which is allegedly based on reason.

[edhopper]

9. yeah but

that doesn't stop them from using debunked arguments for gun control, climate change, tax cuts.......

[Major Nikon]

10. At least it stops those on the left

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Scrap the death penalty.

Save hundreds of millions of dollars, and eliminate the risk of mis-application.

Done and done.

[Cartoonist]

6. Kamala Harris

When Kamala was DA, she chose not to pursue the death penalty for a cop killer. This drove the cops nuts. I thought it was an act of courage.

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. Under the Banner of Heaven

A frightening read if ever there was one.