"What poll means for death penalty," is the title of a Denver Post editorial.
Interestingly, 57 percent of Coloradans said they did not think the death penalty deters murders.
Another revealing statistic: 53 percent said they thought the death penalty was applied fairly in Colorado, despite a mountain of evidence that its use in death-penalty eligible cases is quite arbitrary.
How informed are Coloradans about the death penalty debate? Forty-four percent said they had heard or read "a little" about the debate while 26 percent said they had heard or read "nothing at all."
Only 30 percent said they had heard or read "a lot" on the subject.
Of those Coloradans who did support abolishing the death penalty, the top reason was listed as, "No one has the right to take a life/It's murder." The second most-cited reason was, "Fear of executing an innocent person/Irreversible."
Those seem like pretty good reasons for opposing the death penalty — and there are many more — although apparently they don't resonate with most Coloradans.
We hope the conversation continues and that the governor leads it, polling aside.
Also in today's Post, the news article, "James Holmes' attorneys suggest they might withdraw his insanity plea," by John Ingold.
Attorneys for Aurora movie theater shooting suspect James Holmes have suggested they might withdraw his insanity plea if his upcoming independent psychiatric evaluation doesn't go their way.
This month, Holmes formally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, prompting the judge to order him to undergo a mental-health evaluation at a state hospital in Pueblo.
Earlier coverage of the Colorado public opinion polling, James Holmes case, and the Nathan Dunlap reprieve begins at the links.
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