"DA’s office: Death penalty not appropriate in 2 recent cases," is the Denton Record-Chronicle report written by Donna Fielder.
In a state known for its relatively high rate of murder cases that result in executions, Denton County has not sought the death penalty since District Attorney Paul Johnson took office in 2007.
But that is not to say Johnson is against the death penalty or won’t seek it, said his first assistant Jamie Beck.
“He is 100 percent in favor of it,” Beck said in an interview. “I guarantee that when the right case comes, he will seek it.”
The death penalty can be sought only in certain circumstances that include murder of a child younger than 10, murder in the course of another felony crime, murder of a police officer or firefighter in the course of duty, murder for financial reimbursement, murder of a judge for retaliation, murder in the course of escape from a penal institution and murder inside a penal institution.
Some recent horrendous crimes have not met the district attorney’s criteria.
And:
Since Johnson’s term began, there have been seven cases in which the death penalty was an option. Beck said that in each case the evidence did not rise to the level of seeking it. A 17-year-old female defendant was not eligible for execution because of her age, Beck said. The others were convicted of capital murder and were sentenced to life without parole.
Since the option of life without parole became law in 1995, the number of cases in which the death penalty has been sought statewide has gone steadily down, Beck said. Formerly, a life sentence could result in parole after 40 years. The option of life without parole has changed the trend in death penalty sentences, she said.
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