Just earlier this month, for the first time in its history, the House of Representatives in the state of Wyoming voted to abolish the death penalty. The bill, HB145, had bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats, and was sponsored by conservative Republican Jared Olsen (R-Cheyenne).
This came as a big surprise to nearly everyone watching the situation. Every year, since 2013, death penalty repeal bills have been proposed in the Wyoming legislature, but none ever made it out of committee. This time, however, the repeal bill managed to pass the entire House and a Senate Judiciary Committee before finally being defeated by a 12-18 floor vote in the Wyoming Senate.
I myself have always supported capital punishment, and I have numerous emotional and practical reasons for my stance. Nevertheless, I tried to keep an open mind as I listened to the arguments both for and against the repeal in Wyoming.
The proponents of abolition used the same refrains I have often heard before: The death penalty is not a deterrent, it is racially biased, it is expensive, it is imperfect, and it is immoral, barbaric, and outdated.
But these allegations are misleading. I agree the death penalty is not a deterrent, but I don't think that's what it's meant to be. It isn't supposed to be a deterrent. It is a method of removing the very worst criminals from society for good.
Is it racially biased? Well, in the past that was certainly true. But that is not so true today. At the time of this writing, the US has executed 1492 people since reinstating capital punishment in 1976. Of those, 511 were black and 829 were white. Even if we factor in Asians, Latinos, and other non-white races, white people still make up not only a plurality, but a MAJORITY of executions in the United States by a very wide margin (829-663).
Is it expensive? Yes, it is, but only because death penalty opponents have made it so. By instituting so many legal hurdles in the way of execution, and by giving inmates the opportunity to appeal their convictions and sentences ad nauseum, opponents have no one to blame but themselves for making death penalty cases so costly.
I agree the death penalty is expensive. But that doesn't mean it should be abolished. It means we should reform the system, and find ways to expedite appeals in order to save money.
As for potential innocence? Yes, that is certainly important. Numerous death row inmates have been exonerated since 1976, but not a single person executed since 1976 has been posthumously exonerated. Furthermore, with advances in forensic science and the institution of strict evidentiary requirements in order to render guilty verdicts, we are now more careful than ever before about putting guilty people on death row.
In any case, comparing Wyoming's system of capital punishment to the rest of the country is simply not apt. Since 1976, Wyoming has handed down fewer than a dozen death sentences, and every single person sentenced to death in Wyoming since 1976 has been a white male.
Furthermore, one of the major reasons I support the death penalty is because of a criminal who once terrorized the state of Wyoming: Mark Hopkinson, whose case I have previously written about.
Mark Hopkinson was, in all aspects, the very epitome of evil. He was predatory, cruel, sadistic, manipulative, violent, vindictive, and, most of all, extremely dangerous.
In 1977, Hopkinson ordered the murder of Vincent Vehar, a lawyer who was representing Hopkinson's opponent in court. A hitman hired by Hopkinson detonated a massive bomb at the lawyer's home in Evanston, Wyoming, killing Vehar, his wife, and one of his sons.
 |
| Mark Hopkinson ordered the brutal murders of at least four people, including a state witness whose torture and murder he ordered while he was in federal prison. Executed in 1992, Hopkinson remains the last person put to death in the state of Wyoming |
After Hopkinson was arrested for another attempted bombing case, he
was sent to federal prison in California after his friend, Jeff Green,
testified against him. Yet, despite being incarcerated hundreds of miles
away from Wyoming, Hopkinson later ordered Green's murder from behind
bars.
Green's body was later found outside Evanston. His eyes had been burnt out of their sockets with a lit cigarette, and he had been tortured for hours with a knife and a hot poker before being shot to death. The hitmen who killed Green were never found.
For that crime, Hopkinson was sentenced to death. While on death row, he continued trying to order murders, with one murder plot only failing when the hitman got cold feet.
Finally, after years of appeals, Hopkinson was executed by lethal injection in 1992. He was the first and last person executed by the state of Wyoming since 1976. Today, Wyoming's death row is down to one inmate, Dale Wayne Eaton, who is currently challenging his sentence.
The circumstances of Hopkinson's case are a major reason why I support the death penalty, and I hope the people and legislators of Wyoming remember the terror he inflicted upon their state. Hopkinson proved to be one of the most dangerous murderers in history. His ability to charm and manipulate others to do his dirty work is unparalleled by almost any other criminal. Prison, clearly, was not enough to stop him.
So, before the legislators in Wyoming decide to propose another abolition bill, I urge them to read about Hopkinson's case and consider the consequences of their actions.
If the legislators abolish the death penalty, and another criminal like Mark Hopkinson comes along, our justice system will have no way to stop him from inflicting pain and terror on countless innocent people.
Comments
Post a Comment