On April 23 in Smyrna, Delaware executed David J

On April 23 in Smyrna, Delaware executed David J. Lawrie who fatally stabbed his wife and set a fire that killed 3 children in 1992. Lawrie's execution marked the first time since April 19, 1996, that the state of Delaware carried out the death penalty. Lawrie chose not to appeal to the Delaware Board of Pardons. Delaware Citizens Opposed to the Death Penalty staged a rally in front of Legislative Hall. The group gathered later at the Delaware Correctional Center for a candlelight vigil outside the execution trailer. The protesters pulled a large brass bell on a trailer to the site. "The bell is our symbol," they said. "We use it for a number of reasons - for the victims of violent crimes, the condemned, the family members of the condemned and the family members of the victims. For us, it is a symbol of truth." The participants signed an appeal asking the state to adopt the position taken by the American Bar Association, which called for a nationwide moratorium on the death penalty.