Prosecutor outraged at execution stay for 'worst of the worst'

KOMO News ^

[NavyCanDo]

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The state Supreme Court stayed the execution of Cal Coburn Brown on Thursday, just hours before he was to die for the murder of a 22-year-old woman.

Brown, 50, was scheduled to die by lethal injection early Friday morning at the Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla for the 1991 slaying of Holly Washa.

In a 5-4 ruling, the high court, led by Justice Charles Johnson, stayed the execution while Brown's case goes back to Thurston County Superior Court, where another Washington death row inmate, Darold Ray Stenson, was recently granted a May hearing on the constitutionality of Washington state's lethal injection policy.

Brown was convicted of carjacking Washa at knifepoint near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. He robbed, raped and tortured the young woman from the south Seattle suburb of Burien before stabbing and strangling her.

Washa's family called in to the clemency hearing to tell board members that they didn't want any more delays in Brown's execution.

"We are looking for closure," said Becky Washa, Holly Washa's youngest sister.

[NavyCanDo]

I am afraid Washington State has seen its last execution. The Green River Killer, the killer of at least 48 women set the bar too high when he did a plea bargan for Life behind bars if he would say where some of the bodies were located.

[SoldierDad]

Time to fire the judges.

[pissant]

Each one of those dirty bastards that voted to stay the execution need to be thrown out of office.

[ASOC]

Alaska has no death penalty - just for this very reason.

Death as pnishment may have an appeal to some of us (and more than once I would have provided the ammo)

BUT a slow rot in a bad prison may be the more painful of punishments....

[Danae]

I will second that

[Gator113]

“Darold Ray Stenson, was recently granted a May hearing on the constitutionality of Washington state’s lethal injection policy.”

I worked that case. Believe me, he’s a cold blooded killer and he needs to die.

[stubernx98]

Hmmmm, I wonder how he would have been treated if he had offed one the the judges kids?

[txnativegop]

the judges have lost their minds. They need to leave the bench today.

The Punishment should fit the crime.

Capital Offenses: Murder and Rape for starters, others under special circumstances.

[Vicki]

They talked about the suffering he might endure with lethal injection. What about the suffering that poor girl went through and the pain her family has gone through.

Some of her family came all the way from Nebraska for the execution. I am so sick of these judges!

[SkyDancer]

The anticipation of death is worth than death itself ... the idea of sitting in a cell waiting .....

[ASOC]

Hard to say. SO few judges - or any memeber of the ‘justice’ community for that matter have suffered such a loss (or been mugged even) that they live in a bubble.

Very good point, thanks for bringing it up.

[irishtenor]

I live in Burien. My opinion...? If he was convicted in 1991, he should have been dead by 1992. Nuff said.

[Richard Kimball]

Here in Texas a few years ago they had a guy strapped down with the needle in his arm. They got a call saying “hold on while we review.” They kept him strapped down for four hours or so then disconnected the tubes and took him back to his cell. The stay was denied, and they executed him the next night.

[SkyDancer]

Off to a higher court ... I bet he was sweating the whole time ...

[kms61]

Walla Walla is supposed to be pretty bad too.

[cherry]

that would require a thinking, moral voting population.....and that is hard to find.....

if these idiots can vote to keep a governor who has us in a 6 billion dollar deficit, after record surpluses, and who gave away the farm to get the casino contributions, what can I say...

[ASOC]

I was thinking for the worst of the worst we contract with Peru for prison space..... if you get my drift.

[John Locke]

My opinion...? If he was convicted in 1991, he should have been dead by 1992. Nuff said.

I'm with you, irishtenor. Allow them one appeal against conviction, one appeal for clemency, and that's it. Justice delayed is justice denied.

[SoldierDad]

Hey, it was a thought. My daugher and her husband live in Olympia - they can’t stand the people because of their wacky liberal stupidity. They hope to be able to move back to CA, but, it’s not a whole lot better here.

[SeaHawkFan]

Here’s the order from the WA SC:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2009/03/12/2008850270.pdf

I am a bit surprised that Mary Fairhurst and Susan Owens dissented and wanted the execution to go forward. You can bet that if Brown was a woman, they would have voted to prevent the execution of a woman.

Sanders disssenting comes as no surprise as he is opposed to the death penalty in all cases. While I disagree with him on that, I can say that his view is based on the fact that the state (prosecutors) cannot be trusted to be honest in their prosecutions. On that issue, he is absolutely correct; especially in the state of Washington.