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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

House Panel May Hang Up Execution Bill Attorney General Wants Lethal Injection To Be Primary Method

Associated Press

Attorney General Christine Gregoire thinks changing the primary method of execution in Washington to lethal injection rather than hanging will help end lengthy delays in carrying out death sentences.

But some lawmakers aren’t so sure and already have gone on record as opposing a bill introduced by Gregoire on Wednesday that would reverse the execution law now on the books.

Under current law, condemned inmates can choose hanging or lethal injection. If they refuse to make a choice they are hanged. Under Gregoire’s proposal, if they decline to choose, they would be executed by lethal injection.

The measure has strong support in the Senate from both leaders of both the majority Democrats and minority Republicans.

“I favor the move if it will bring an end to the delays,” said Republican Leader Dan McDonald of Bellevue.

“We generally support the change,” said Majority Leader Marcus Gaspard, D-Puyallup. He said he did have some concerns that a change could open new avenues of appeal. “But the attorney general doesn’t think so and I’m sure she’s done her homework,” he said.

It was a different story in the Republican-controlled House.

“I will not support a change,” said Rep. Mike Padden, R-Spokane, chairman of the House Law and Justice Committee.

“I’m afraid it would just give people another avenue of appeal and would further delay carrying out of the death penalty,” Padden said. If the bill wins Senate approval it would have to clear Padden’s committee before the full House could take final action.

The Legislature in the past has considered but never acted on similar bills.

Opponents said during debate on those bills that they feared any change would open new avenues of appeals. Other opponents said they did not want to “sanitize” executions.

There are now 11 men on death row at the state penitentiary at Walla Walla.

Charles Rodman Campbell was the last man executed in Washington. He was hanged last May 27 after refusing to choose lethal injection. Campbell had been on death row for 12 years and in numerous appeals challenged hanging as cruel and unusual punishment. He also refused to choose lethal injection claiming the making of a choice would amount to assisting in his own suicide, an act he said violated his religious principles.