TN DEATH PENALTY BLOG
We are traveling through Tennessee's heartland and highways, meeting folks and starting conversations about our death penalty.
Previous Posts
- New Jersey Close to Abolition
- Bredesen Says No Executions Until Next Summer
- An Evening with Charlie
- An Interesting Read
- Newsletter and Daryl Holton Reflection
- Tennessee Forging Ahead...In the Wrong Direction
- Greg Thompson on 60 Minutes
- New Jersey Moving to Abolish the Death Penalty
- 60 Minutes to Feature Gregory Thompson Case
- Costly Capital Cases
Links
- Abolish the Death Penalty Blog
- Amnesty International Death Penalty Blog
- Asia Death Penalty Blog
- For Victims, Against the Death Penalty
- The Real Cost of Prisons Blog
- Uncommon Sense on the Death Penalty
- National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
- Death Penalty Information Center
- Citizens United Against the Death Penalty
- Murder Victims Families for Human Rights
- Google News: TN death penalty
Contributors
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Former Tennessee Death Row Inmate Found "Not Guilty" by Jury Today
Huge news out of Chattanooga today. Michael McCormick, who spent 15 years on Tennessee's death row before winning a new trial, was found "not guilty"of the 1985 murder of Jeannie Nichols. Though Ms. Nichols family still believes in McCormick's guilt, the jury deliberated for seven hours on Tuesday and a couple of more hours today before returning the verdict. Read more about the case here.
A hair found in Ms. Nichols car, used to convict McCormick in his first trial, was later found not to belong to McCormick after DNA testing. Such different outcomes in his trials highlight why the risk of the death penalty is too great and should not be employed in any case. Any human institution does and will make mistakes and such error is irreversible when the death sentence is imposed and carried out.
A hair found in Ms. Nichols car, used to convict McCormick in his first trial, was later found not to belong to McCormick after DNA testing. Such different outcomes in his trials highlight why the risk of the death penalty is too great and should not be employed in any case. Any human institution does and will make mistakes and such error is irreversible when the death sentence is imposed and carried out.
