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Communist Vietnam's secret death penalty conveyor belt: How country trails only China and Iran for 'astonishing' number of executions

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Prisoners are dragged from their cells at 4am without warning to be given a lethal injection Vietnam's use of the death penalty has been thrust into the spotlight after a real estate tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to be executed in one of the biggest corruption cases in the country's history. Truong My Lan, a businesswoman who chaired a sprawling company that developed luxury apartments, hotels, offices and shopping malls, was arrested in 2022.

No Trial Date or Death Penalty Decision in Dylann Roof Federal Case

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Dylann Roof
Dylann Roof
There is still no trial date in the federal case against accused Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, and still no decision on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

At a hearing this morning, Judge Richard Gergel heard from both sides of the case on their progress towards trial. 

Prosecutors said their case likely wouldn't be ready before Roof's trial on state charges in July. One reason for the delay is the lack of resolution on the death penalty. 

Roof's attorneys have already indicated his willingness to plead guilty to the federal charges if the death penalty is taken off the table. 

But that decision likely won't come for a few more months as the government says it will forward the case to a committee that will then make a recommendation to the attorney general on whether the death penalty should be sought.

Roof faces 33 federal charges in the June 17th shootings at Emanuel AME church in downtown Charleston that left 9 people dead and 3 others wounded. 

Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson has already said she intends to seek the death penalty for Roof on the state charges.

Source: NBC news, December 1, 2015

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Location: Charleston, SC, USA
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