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U.S. Presidential Election 2024: Death penalty absent from campaign, but not from minds

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Kamala Harris, once openly opposed to the death penalty despite political costs, now avoids the topic as a candidate. Meanwhile, Donald Trump advocates tougher criminal policies, though presidential authority in this area is limited. A few blocks from downtown Richmond, Virginia, the intersection of Spring Street and Belvidere Street now presents a completely different view. Where once stood a grim, old brick building, there is now a modern building with a glass facade reflecting the sun shining on Virginia’s capital. Trees along the wide Belvidere Street give the neighborhood a promenade-like feel, with the James River flowing nearby along the memorial for American war dead.

Texas | Lead Detective on Robert Roberson’s Case Now Believes He Is Innocent

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Brian Wharton, who was the lead detective in Palestine, Texas at the time of Robert Roberson’s conviction for the death of his two-year-old daughter Nikki, now believes Mr. Roberson is innocent and supports abolition of the death penalty. 

Mr. Wharton said in a video for The New York Times that there is “unassailable doubt” that Mr. Roberson is guilty.


In the video, Mr. Wharton recounts his role in the investigation of Nikki’s death, describing how he believed he was doing the right thing, but now sees that the evidence against Mr. Roberson was missing key context, including Mr. Roberson’s undiagnosed autism and Nikki’s underlying health conditions, and relied on the now-debunked theory of shaken baby syndrome (SBS). 


Mr. Wharton now believes the death penalty should be abolished. “We as human beings are incapable of producing the kind of fairness and justice required to take someone’s life,” he said.

Mr. Roberson is scheduled to be executed on October 17, 2024.

Source: Death Penalty Information Center, Staff, July 31, 2024

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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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