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Crist needs to rein in death-by-petition

The Tampa TribunePublished: October 14, 2009Floridians who support the death penalty are understandably frustrated by the seemingly endless appeals that can delay justice for decades.Still, Gov. Charlie Crist sends a dangerous message when he allows petition drives to influence the signing of death warrants. Allowing public outrage to affect signings diminishes the justice system and politicizes the gravest of decisions.Last week Crist signed a death warrant against the killer of a Polk County sheriff's deputy and two others during a vicious 1981 crime spree. The decision came about a week after Polk Sheriff Grady Judd started an online petition drive urging the governor to sign the warrant.A coincidence? It doesn't look that way.As the Tribune's Ray Reyes reported, Judd said he talked to Crist about the case in August, and "he told me he would be all over it...continue to full post

Full post as published by Lethal Injection on October 14, 2009 (boomark / email).