Breaking News

The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty posted an alert about an upcoming execution in Virginia.

Today, the state of Virginia is scheduled to execute James Reid, a black man, for the 1996 murder of Annie Lester in Christianburg. James Reid has suffered from severe brain damages as a result of a car wreck in 1968. These damages triggered violent rages Reid could neither control nor remember. His court-appointed defense attorneys “were incompetent and at the time of the trial in 1997, persuaded him to waive his right to a jury and enter an “Alford plea,�? which is a plea of no contest�?.His attorneys also failed to pursue an insanity defense or get a competency hearing.

Mr. Reid has an IQ of 79, has been committed to state mental institutions several times, and suffers black-outs and dementia. His attorneys presented no defense, leaving his fate in the hands of one judge instead of a jury.

The alert says, “Mr. Reid is being executed for what should not even be considered a capital crime�?. This was not a premeditated murder nor did Mr. Reid attempt to cover it up. For more information on James Reid’s case or on what you can do to end the death penalty in Virginia, visit the Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty website.

Posted by Valentina Canavesio

Posted by Angela at 05:22 PM