USA - Delaware. Bill to abolish Delaware death penalty clears Senate panel.

Bill to abolish Delaware death penalty clears Senate panel. A bill to abolish Delaware’s death penalty cleared its first legislative hurdle today, with members of the Senate Judiciary Committee releasing it for debate and a vote by the full Senate. The legislation, which was the subject of an hour-long hearing, mirrors a bill that passed the Senate in 2013 by only one vote before dying in a House committee. The legislation would remove execution as a possible punishment for first-degree murder, leaving life in prison without the possibility of parole as the only sentence. The bill would not apply to the 15 inmates currently on Delaware’s death row, who would still be subject to execution. Chief sponsor Sen. Karen Peterson, D-Stanton, who also led the failed repeal effort two years ago, said opponents believe that the death penalty is arbitrary, discriminatory against minorities, costly to taxpayers and ineffective as a deterrent to crime. Attorney General Matt Denn says he is not opposed to capital punishment in appropriate cases, but that state law should be changed to require a unanimous jury recommendation before a judge can impose a death sentence.