It's estimated 10% of people executed in the USA are innocent of the crime they are alleged to have committed, or should have received a lesser sentence based on the circumstances e.g. battered wives.

Somewhat ironic the land of the free and the brave has one of the highest prison populations in the world - over-represented by African-Americans - but what do I know, I'm only an Aussie.

"10% of people executed in the USA are innocent"???? Where on earth did you get this figure from?

Suggest you read the post more carefully, there is an "or" included. Can't quote you the precise source, read it in an article on capital punishment in the USA some years ago.

So what percentage of innocent people executed do you regard as acceptable?

This isn't the whole story. He had a "final" US Supreme Court appeal.

The US doesn't execute people who's mental capacity renders them incapable of knowing what they did is wrong.

If someone is executed he knew right from wrong and did it anyway. I don't know this story. Sometimes it is obvious someone knew what he did was wrong (under the law - not necessarily morally because some of the worst criminals have no morals) because he goes to great pains to hide his crime.

Whatever it was the SC court would have each time careful weighed this as would the judge and jury at trial.

...It was during one of those episodes that a sheriffs deputy was shot and killed when responding to a call about domestic violence in 1996...

This does not sound like a planned, underhanded murder...

Edited March 18, 201511 yr by Chonburiram

He won't be killing any more Cops.

No sympathy for him, loads of sympathy for the Cop and his family..