"Canadian man on Montana's death row says he's changed," by Matt Gouras is in the Great Falls Tribune.
A Canadian awaiting execution in Montana for a 1982 killing said Wednesday that he thinks there is a good chance the governor will spare his life now that he's a far different person than the out-of-control youth who took the lives of two young Blackfeet Indian men.
Ronald A. Smith of Red Deer, Alberta, has exhausted his legal appeals and is asking for life in prison instead of the death penalty.
Smith told The Associated Press in a prison interview that leniency from Gov. Brian Schweitzer is his only remaining option to avoid the death penalty, and he believes the governor will recognize that he is a changed man. Smith is speaking out in interviews for the first time in an effort to demonstrate he is worthy of executive clemency.
The Canadian government also now formally supports clemency for Smith, although the 54-year-old convict said he thinks the support from his home country is only lukewarm and won't have much bearing on the governor's final decision.
But Smith's case faces strong opposition from another government, the Blackfeet Tribal Council, and family members of the victim.
"Ronald Smith: Death Row Canadian 'Bothered' By Lack Of Support From Ottawa," is the Huffington Post Canada post by the Canadian Press
Smith asked for and received a death sentence, but later changed his mind. His legal avenues of appeal have all run out and the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole has scheduled a hearing in May after which it will make a recommendation on whether Smith should be spared. The final decision will fall to Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer.
The governor indicated last fall there is nothing more difficult than deciding if someone lives or dies.
But he said Wednesday that he is going to let the parole board do its job.
"The parole board is first stop shopping for someone who is asking for clemency. They will make that first decision whether to make a recommendation to the governor or not," Schweitzer said.
"It would be inappropriate for me to say anything or allow someone to write something about what this semi-judiciary board will be recommending."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government initially refused to support Smith, saying he had been convicted in a democratic country. The decision ran counter to a long-standing policy of seeking clemency for Canadians sentenced to death in foreign lands. The Federal Court ruled the government had to back Smith.
The government did write a letter asking the board to spare Smith's life, but its public support for the bid has been minimal.
"The government of Canada does not sympathize with violent crime and this letter should not be construed as reflecting a judgment on Mr. Smith's conduct,'' the letter said. "The government of Canada ... requests that you grant clemency to Mr. Smith on humanitarian grounds.''
Related posts are in the clemency and international indexes. Earlier coverage of Ronald Smith's case is at the link.
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