Frankfort, Kentucky — Russell Coleman, the Attorney General, has taken steps to end the Commonwealth’s ban on the death sentence.
Lawyers for the Attorney General say that on March 7, Coleman asked the Franklin Circuit Court to end a 15-year ban on the death sentence.
The Death Penalty Information Center says that in July 2019, the Commonwealth’s execution process was found to be unconstitutional because it could allow prisoners with intellectual disabilities to be put to death. In Atkins v. Virginia (2002), the U.S. Supreme Court said that people with intellectual disabilities could not be put to death.
In March, the Beshear Administration released a new rule on the death penalty that was in line with the court’s 2010 decision.
Kentucky has been held up for almost 15 years because dangerous criminals have been suing for a long time and costing a lot of money, according to Attorney General Coleman. “The people who were left behind after these horrible crimes have suffered for too long.” They should have been given the justice that a jury legally gave them.
“When I became a prosecutor, I swore to follow the law as it was made by the people’s representatives.” “I’m going to do just that,” Coleman said. “It’s finally time to give victims and their families justice now that Governor Beshear’s administration has started the process again to legally carry out the death penalty.”
In the move, it is said that all the reasons for the temporary injunction against following the protocols for lethal injection have been taken care of, so the ban should be lifted.
Coleman said, “Because we care about Kentucky’s law and just causes, our office fought to end the Court’s 15-year ban.” “We hope that the Court gives the families of the victims the peace of mind they have been waiting for so long.”
