RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The Virginia Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would abolish the death penalty, a measure that, if passed into law, would represent a major policy change for a state that, through its centuries of history, has guided the nation in the number of executions it has executed.
The Democratic-controlled chamber passed the bill in a 21-to-17 vote that split along party lines and was seen as a major hurdle to the measure. Proponents now expect the House version of the bill to easily clear that chamber, and Democratic Ralph Northam government has said it backs the legislation.
Wednesday’s vote followed a lengthy, emotional debate on the floor.
“I can think of nothing more terrible, unspeakable, and wrong for a government to do than to use its power to execute someone who has not committed the crime of which it is accused. The problem with the death penalty is that once it’s inflicted, you can’t take it back, it can’t be corrected, ” said Democratic Senator Scott Surovell, the bill’s sponsor, as he introduced it.
Democrats expressed concern about racial disparities in the use of the death penalty and pointed to research showing that crime is not deterred.
Republicans pushed for a “no” vote on the bill, saying it would not give the victims’ families a chance for justice and expressed concern that people convicted of grisly murders would be eligible for parole.
GOP Senator Bill Stanley, who initially brought the measure, spoke out angrily after Democrats a day earlier rejected attempts by Republicans to amend the bill, including amendments proposed by Stanley that he said would have guaranteed people who convicted of aggravated murder would never leave prison.
This could have come out today as a two-pronged attempt to end the death penalty. Instead, it is a party attempt, ”said Stanley, who also spoke of his personal opposition to the death penalty. In the end he did not vote.
Republican Senator Mark Obenshain acknowledged the “misapplication of the death penalty decades and centuries ago,” but said this should not be a reason to abolish the death penalty altogether.
He described the brutal crimes committed by two men previously on death row: Ivan Teleguz, convicted in 2006 of hiring a man to murder the mother of his child and Ricky Gray, who was convicted in 2006 of murdering a family of four, slitting their throats and burning their home. Teleguz was commuted to life without parole in 2017; Gray was executed the same year.
‘These are cruel crimes. These are the worst of the worst, ”he said.
Democrat Janet Howell said she used to be a “ staunch ” supporter of the death penalty, a position that changed after the murder of her father-in-law. She described in emotional testimonials how his murder affected her family and how they disagreed about the death penalty and the punishment her father-in-law’s murderer should face.
“I don’t believe in the idea that we would support the death penalty for the benefit of the families of the victims. It doesn’t work like that. Believe me, it doesn’t work that way, ”she said.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Virginia has executed nearly 1,400 people in more than four centuries, more than any other state. In modern times, Virginia ranks second to Texas in executions since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
But executions in Virginia have slowed in recent years – the last inmate to be put to death was William Morva in 2017 – and no more death sentences have been imposed in the state since 2011.
Only two men are still on death row. The Senate bill would keep their sentence alive without parole.
Democratic Del. Mike Mullin, who is a prosecutor, carries the House version of the legislation. It came out of a committee on Wednesday with a two-part vote of 15-6 with one abstention.
If the bill goes into law, Virginia would become the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty, according to a recent report. of the death penalty information center.
Northam said in a statement it was time for Virginia to take that step.
“I applaud every senator who has voted boldly today, and I look forward to signing this bill into law,” he said.