Razones en contra la pena de muerte

Leonel Herrera, 45
executed in Texas, USA on
May 12, 1993
"I am innocent, innocent, innocent. Make no mistake about this; I owe society nothing. Continue the struggle for human rights, helping those who are innocent, especially Mr. Graham. I am an innocent man, and something very wrong is taking place tonight. May God bless you all. I am ready." - Herrera's last statement prior to executionby the State of Texas.* |
Leonel Herrera, Hispanic, was convicted and sentenced to death in January 1982 for the murder of police officer Enrique Carrisalez in September 1981. The officer had been fatally shot by the driver of a speeding car which he tried to stop. Moments earlier, another police officer was found shot dead on the same stretch of road. Herrera was arrested days later and chargedwith both murders. After being sentenced to death for Carrisalez' murder, he pleaded guilty at a separate trial in July 1982 to the murder of the other officer. According to his attorneys, Herrera was severely beaten after his arrest and was hospitalized. The case against him at trial included evidence that the car he used was involved in both crimes, plus eye-witness identification made by anotherpolice officer and Carrisalez before he died.
However, in February 1992, Leonel Herrera's appeal lawyers presented new evidence alleging that his brother Raúl Herrera Sr - who died in 1984 - had committed both murders. This was presented in the form of sworn affidavits from several people, including a former cell-mate and a former attorney of Raúl Herrera, who both said that Raúl had told themthat he had carried out the killings. In February 1992, Raúl Herrera's son, Raúl Jr, also signed an affidavit stating that he had been in the car when the killings had taken place and had witnesses his father kill the officers. It was also alleged that the killings were related to drug trafficking, and that police had threatened Raúl Sr not to reveal the truth behind them. This new evidence wasdiscovered too late to be presented in the Texas courts, as Texas law requires a new trial motion based on newly discovered evidence to be made within 30 days of sentence (a more restrictive time limit than in most other US states and in the federal system).
(In 1981 he was sentenced to death for the murder of a police officer in Los Frenos, Texas on September 29 Enrique carrisalez was killed by asingle gut shot, David rucker, another police officer who was standing a few meters away was wounded ,Hucker`s testimony framed him and the fact that he was completely drunk. When they found him became proof of his guilt. At the time of the trial his face still bore the marks of the “ conversation” he had had with the police. The wounded police officer´s description could have matched the majorityof the population of southern Texas. But the jury had no doubts they said he was the murderer , and he was sentenced to death. It was only many years later that a statement written by his nephew Raul Herrera Jr came to light. And said that he saw his father Raul Herrera kill the policed officer Carrisalez , and the short time later shoot at patrol man Rucker while fleeing the scene. But even so,the confession of his nephew was not taken into account and. They decided to kill an innocent man, that because of bad decisions made by a judge, leonel had to pay for a crime that even he did not commit.)

Reasons Against Capital Punishment 
2. The possibility of error – Later investigations revealed many convicted individuals innocent which got death penalty in the past, and have beenpardoned. Recent DNA investigation studies have shown the same thing.
6 - the death penalty denies the capacity of people to mend their ways and become a better person.
Defenders of the death penalty consider that anyone sentenced to death is unable to mend their ways and could re-offend at any time if they are released. However, there are many examples of offenders who have been reintegrated and...