Salt Lake County District Attorney: Death Penalty Press Conference

Press release from Salt Lake County District Attorney:

2021-09-17

An Open Letter to Governor Spencer Cox and the Utah State Legislature,

As attorneys and duly elected public prosecutors, we have sworn to support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Utah. We also have a statutory duty to call to the State Legislature's attention any defect in the operation of the law. In fulfillment of that oath and responsibility, we alert legislators and the people of a grave defect that creates a liability for victims of violent crime, defendants' due process rights, and for the public good. The defect which we urge the Legislature to repeal is the death penalty.

As a civilization, we have progressed since the Draconian Code of Athens in the 7th Century BC, when the penalty for every crime was death. Even the Virginia colony's Divine, Moral, and Martial Laws made death the penalty for stealing grapes or killing chickens. Under current law, only a person convicted of Aggravated Murder may be eligible for the death penalty. A court may sentence aggravated murderers to death, life in prison without parole, or an indeterminate prison term of 25 to life. And in fairness, Utah has been more hesitant to impose this most strident of sanctions than other states. Since 1854 Utah has executed 50 human souls: five by hanging, four by lethal injection, and 41 by firing squad.

Attachment: Open Letter on the Death Penalty

This press release was produced by Salt Lake County District Attorney. The views expressed here are the author’s own.