Pennsylvania governor puts moratorium on death penalty

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf placed a moratorium on executions in the state Friday pending the results of a report on the death penalty.

During his campaign in the fall against incumbent Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, Wolf had promised the reprieve until he received a report from the Pennsylvania Task Force and Advisory Commission on Capital Punishment, which was started in 2011.

He issued a memorandum Friday, making good on that promise.

"Today's action comes after significant consideration and reflection," Wolf wrote. "This moratorium is in no way an expression of sympathy for the guilty on death row, all of whom have been convicted of committing heinous crimes. This decision is based on a flawed system that has been proven to be an endless cycle of court proceedings as well as ineffective, unjust, and expensive.

"Since the reinstatement of the death penalty, 150 people have been exonerated from death row nationwide, including six men in Pennsylvania. Recognizing the seriousness of these concerns, the Senate established the bipartisan Pennsylvania Task Force and Advisory Commission to conduct a study of the effectiveness of capital punishment in Pennsylvania. Today's moratorium will remain in effect until this commission has produced its recommendation and all concerns are addressed satisfactorily."

As part of his decision, Wolf also granted a temporary reprieve for death-row inmate Terrance Williams, who was scheduled to be executed March 4. Williams was convicted for the June 11, 1984, beating death of Amos Norwood, 56, of Germantown.

The Constitution Project, a legal watchdog group, praised Wolf's move, calling it an "important step."

"Regardless of their backgrounds, politics or religious philosophies, Pennsylvanians should be strongly concerned about the administration of capital punishment, including those who believe that the death penalty may be appropriate in certain circumstances, as well as those who oppose it on moral grounds or because they believe it simply cannot be carried out in a fair and accurate manner," a statement from Virginia Sloan, president of the group said.

Meanwhile, The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association accused Wolf of misusing his power and ignoring the law.

"He has rejected the decisions of juries that wrestled with the facts and the law before unanimously imposing the death penalty, disregarded a long line of decisions made by Pennsylvania and federal judges, ignored the will of the legislature, and ultimately turned his back on the silenced victims of cold-blooded killers," the group said in a statement.

"A reprieve, used correctly, is a legal measure devised to prevent injustice and not a means to end the death penalty.  A moratorium is just a ploy.  Make no mistake, this action is not about waiting for a study -- it's about the governor ignoring duly enacted law and imposing his personal views against the death penalty. If it were anything else, he would have granted our association's request to speak with him before making this decision."

Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania's death penalty moratorium declaration