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Unveiling Singapore’s Death Penalty Discourse: A Critical Analysis of Public Opinion and Deterrent Claims

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While Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) maintains a firm stance on the effectiveness of the death penalty in managing drug trafficking in Singapore, the article presents evidence suggesting that the methodologies and interpretations of these studies might not be as substantial as portrayed.

Texas executes John Balentine

Texas executed John Balentine without incident Wednesday, despite several calls for a stay.

Balentine, 54, was pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m. after being executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

He was injected with a single dose of pentobarbital.

Balentine was convicted of capital murder for the 1998 murders of three Amarillo teenagers.

According to police reports, Balentine entered the Amarillo home he previously shared with his ex-girlfriend, Misty Caylor, and shot and killed her brother, Edward Mark Caylor, 17, as well as Kai Brooke Geyer and Steven Brady Watson, both 15 years old. He shot each in the head while they slept, according to court records.

Prosecutors said Caylor’s brother, Edward, disapproved of Balentine and Caylor’s interracial relationship and had previously threatened Balentine. Balentine was Black, the three victims were white.

In his final statement, Balentine apologized to the 8 victim witnesses present saying, “I apologize for the pain I caused. I hope you find in your heart to forgive me.”

There were also 6 witnesses presenting on behalf of Balentine, including 4 friends, his attorney Shawn Nolan and spiritual advisor Morris Whiteside.

As Balentine was receiving the injection, a personal witness began to sing a portion of the hymn “Amazing Grace.”

Earlier this week, it was unclear whether Balentine's execution would move forward after his attorneys requested a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming the trial was riddled with racial bias. Less than two hours before his execution, the U.S. Supreme Court also declined an appeal by Balentine’s attorney.

Separately, a judge delayed the execution last week stating that Balentine’s attorney was not properly notified of the lethal injection, as required by law.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reinstated the execution order Wednesday.


Balentine becomes the 3rd condemned inmate to be put to death this year in Texas, and the 581st overall since the state resumed capital punishment on December 7, He becomes the 63rd condemned inmate to be put to death since Greg Abbott became Governor of Texas in 2015.

Balentine becomes the 6th condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1,564th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.   

Source: The Huntsville Item, Staff; Rick Halperin, February 8, 2023

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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

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