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Indonesia | 14 years on death row: Timeline of Mary Jane Veloso’s ordeal and fight for justice

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MANILA, Philippines — The case of Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking, has spanned over a decade and remains one of the most high-profile legal battles involving an overseas Filipino worker. Veloso was arrested on April 25, 2010, at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin. She was sentenced to death in October – just six months after her arrest. Indonesia’s Supreme Court upheld the penalty in May 2011.

Hawaii | Jury declines death penalty, Naeem Williams sentenced to life in prison

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Naeem Williams will not die for the violent killing of his daughter, a federal jury announced on Friday. 

The former Schofield soldier is instead sentenced to life in prison.

During the trial, which ended in April when a jury found him guilty of the murder, Williams admitted to beating 5-year-old Talia Williams every day for months after gaining custody of the girl.

It was the 1st time in decades that a Hawaii courtroom had hosted a death penalty trial. 

The same jury that convicted Williams had deemed him eligible for the death penalty, since the crime occurred on federal property. 

However, the jury of 7 men and 5 women were unable to reach a unanimous decision on the sentence of death or the the sentence of life without the possibility of parole, leaving the judge to impose the sentence.

"Naeem Williams will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. Yes, justice has been served," said Florence Nakakuni, United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii.
 
Source: Hawaii News Now, Staff, June 27, 2014
Location: Hawaii, USA
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