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The Maryland Legislation

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"Bill Could Spare Some in Md. With Murder Trials Pending," is written by John Wagner and Henri E. Cauvin.  It appeared in the Sunday edition of the Washington Post. Legislation that significantly raises the bar on evidence needed to seek the death penalty in Maryland was meant by its authors to apply only to future cases. But the bill, which Gov. Martin O'Malley has pledged to sign in coming weeks, could also spare the lives of some defendants in pending trials -- and has sparked debate about what should happen to prisoners already on death row. A largely overlooked provision in the bill bars the death penalty for sentences pronounced on Oct. 1 or later, unless the case meets the new standards of evidence. The standards limit capital cases to those with biological or DNA evidence, a videotaped confession or a videotape linking the defendant to the crime...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on April 27, 2009 (boomark / email).