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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejects clemency for Chris Young

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Christopher Young
Today, July 13, 2018, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, by a vote of xxx, rejected Christopher Anthony Young’s application for clemency. 

Young faces execution by the State of Texas on Tuesday, July 17, 2018.

Earlier this year, the Board unanimously recommended clemency for Thomas Whitaker, a white man convicted of masterminding the murders of his mother and brother.  His father, Kent, was also shot in the ambush but survived and forgave his son, pleading for his life.

Chris Young is African-American.  The son of the man he killed opposes his execution.

Governor Abbott has the authority to grant a one-time, 30-day reprieve.

Statement from David Dow and Jeff Newberry, attorneys for Chris Young:

“We are devastated that the members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles failed to recognize what we know to be true: The man the State of Texas seeks to execute – our client, Christopher Anthony Young – is not the same reckless young man who took the life of Hasmukh Patel in San Antonio on November 21, 2004.

Killing Chris on July 17, 2018 will not benefit anyone: not his two daughters and other family members who love him; not Mitesh Patel, the son of Hasmukh, who does not want Chris to be executed; and not the adolescents desperately in need of his mentorship.

The members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles have ignored their moral imperative to consider all facets of this case – not just the crime but the way Chris Young has lived the last 12 years of his life on death row.

Since his conviction, Chris has educated himself, become grounded in his religion, actively parented his daughters, and mentored troubled young people beyond the prison walls. He is deeply remorseful for killing Mr. Patel, and he would like the opportunity to express his sorrow in person to Mitesh Patel.  The Board’s rejection of clemency instead offers retribution, not restorative justice.

We call on Governor Abbott to use his authority to grant a one-time 30-day stay of execution so that Chris and Mitesh Patel have an opportunity to meet.  Doing so will demonstrate the same spirit of mercy that Mr. Patel has so courageously shown.”

David Dow and Jeff Newberry, July 13, 2018

Attorneys David R. Dow and Jeff Newberry are available to answer questions about Mr. Young’s case. Contact Mr. Newberry at 713-743-6843 or jrnewber@central.uh.edu.

Source: tcadp, Kristin, July 13, 2018


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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Location: Texas, USA
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