The Tennessee Department of Correction says the state's oldest and longest serving death row inmate has died of natural causes.
Spokeswoman Dorinda Carter said 68-year-old Richard Austin was found dead in his cell at the DeBerry Special Needs Facility in Nashville on Sunday. He spent 30 years on death row.
Austin was sentenced to death in 1978 after a conviction in Shelby County of accessory before the fact to murder.
Austin was found to have hired a fugitive from prison to kill undercover policeman Julian Watkins. Watkins was investigating illegal gambling operations at the Golden Cue, a Memphis establishment that Austin owned.
Austin was the first person sentenced to die under Tennessee's current death penalty law, which was enacted in 1977.
Anyone else see a problem here? 30 YEARS of being on Death Row. This man plotted to murder a cop, and he dies of natural causes?
Here's a lot more details about the case
So, tell me, does anyone know how Tennessee's court system fucked up so badly that they allowed a cop killer to appeal his sentence for 30 years?
Julian Watkins risked his life to be a cop and bring bad guys to justice, and this is the kind of justice that he gets in return?? If you're guilty of a crime and sentenced to death, you should be put to death IF there is no doubt about your guilt. DNA, witnesses, and other evidence used against you should weigh in on how long you have to appeal your sentence. The cops have your DNA at the crime scene? You get 1 year to appeal. Witness against you? 5-10 years. 10 years should be the absolute MAXIMUM someone should be on Death Row.
Travis
No comments:
Post a Comment