Does anyone know how many innocent people are killed every year by the death penalty?
This is a very hard question to answer, because, once an execution is carried out the case is closed. In the last year or so, however, there are four cases where there is significant evidence that an innocent person was executed. 1. Calvin Willingham- executed for setting a fire that led to the deaths of several people. The techniques of investigating fires in criminal cases have greatly advanced. They now show that the fire was an accident, not arson. Texas. 2. Carlos DeLuna- executed in Texas for a fatal stabbing. Sloppy police work, a failure to pursue a more likely suspect (who bragged of being the actual killer and about getting another man to pay for it. 3. Gary Graham. Texas. details available at Death Penalty Information Center 4. Calvin Griffiths. Missouri. details available at Death Penalty Information Center More will certainly turn up. Death penalty supporters have always claimed that no innocent person has been executed in the modern era (1976-present.) We do know that ove
