An Execution in California

I may not be popular in my beliefs (especially in comparison to some of my more liberal friends and colleagues) but I have always been a supporter of the dealth penalty. I believe in 99% of the cases it is warranted due to the heinous nature of the crime -- and maybe 1% receive it because of bias or prejudice (which I think is wrong).

Early this morning, Donald Beardslee was executed by lethal injection 24 years after he confessed to the slayings of two Bay Area women. A last minute clemency request was filed with the governor and denied.

In a statement Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said: "Nothing in his petition or the record of his case convinces me that he did not understand the gravity of his actions or that these heinous murders were wrong."

I have to say that I agree with the governor's decision, even though there were claims that Beardslee suffered from brain damage. A Los Angeles Times article gave more detail about the killer's past -- and it seems that he was on parole for the slaying of a woman in the 1970's. Beardslee had also planned the murders of the two Bay Area woman and killed them in a brutal fashion (one was shot on the face, the other had her throat slit). Gov. Schwarzenegger said that it was clear (based on evidence in his case file) that Beardslee knew the difference between right and wrong. And, even though his co-conspirators in the Bay Area murders did not receive the death penalty, they were not on parole for another murder.

Its interesting that on the front page of the LA Times is the story of the execution. I do understand that it is quite newsworthy since it was the 11th execution since California reinstate the death penalty. But do we really need to know that Beardslee denied a "last meal?" And is it necessary to hear how he spent his last day on earth? What about the three women who he killed? They were not offered a last meal, nor did they have the opportunity to say goodbye to loved ones. No, their lives were cut short...and it was not right. Its only just for someone who committed those heinous crimes to pay with their life too.