Retrial Set in California Transgender Killing

[BottomBoySlave]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=13&u=/ap/20050509/ap_on_re_us/transgender_killing

[hondarobot]

I don't know if anyone has posted a picture of Gwen here before, so I found one and figured I would anyways.

I guess it helps somehow to understand that the victim wasn't just a name in the newspaper.

[flabbybody]

hopefully they'll get convicted this time. too bad there's no death penalty in California. this case certainly calls for it.

[blckhaze]

im glad they got a retrail on this. its a very sad story. Id rather see them get consec. life sentence, but thats whole different story. im just hope they get convicted.

[Felicia Katt]

We have the death penalty in California, but only for certain types of murders, involving what are called special circumstances which are felonies committed during the act of first-degree murder that may have aggravated the offense. Common examples include multiple murder, murder of a police officer, murder for financial gain, and murder during a rape, arson, or robbery or lying in wait, which typically refers to an ambush. California law now lists more than 30 "death-eligible" special circumstances, more than any other state. None of them apply to the tragic facts in the Araujo case.

There are nearly 650 people on death row in California (including Scott Peterson) and 11 people have been put to death since 1976. 3 have been released from Death Row as innocent.

Overall, there are only 12 states without the death penalty. Murder rates are generally lower in those states than those with the death penalty. Texas has imposed the death penalty more than any other state, but only 11 states have higher murder rates. California's murder rate is marginally higher than Texas' but Texas has executed over 30 times as many people in the last 30 years. There were 125 people sentenced to death last year nationwide. 23 were from Texas. 11 were from California.

No quip. just some facts. I hope Gwen's killers receive the full penalty the law prescribes.


Felicia