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In Pennsylvania

By Steve Hall

Ron Todt of the Associated Press writes, "Natural causes biggest threat on Pa. death row," via the Philadelphia Inquirer.Ten years ago, Gary Heidnik had two slices of cheese pizza and a couple of cups of black coffee, met with his daughter, and spent the rest of the day on his bed or pacing his cell. That night, he was given a lethal injection for imprisoning, torturing and murdering two women in the basement of his Philadelphia home. In the decade since, Pennsylvania has executed no one. Its death row is the fourth-largest in the nation, yet the 218 men and five women are far more likely to die of natural causes than injected chemicals, gas, electricity or bullets. Since the commonwealth reinstated the death penalty in 1978, three inmates have been executed; all had dropped their appeals...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on July 27, 2009 (boomark / email).