r/politics • u/seanosul • 9h ago

Missouri executes Marcellus Williams despite prosecutors’ push to overturn conviction

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/24/missouri-executes-marcellus-williams
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u/WhyCantIStopReddit Missouri 9h ago

And this is why the death penalty should be abolished.

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u/purinsesu-piichi 7h ago

I used to be pro-death penalty with the mindset that if someone was 100% certainly guilty, like was seen in the act, then it was okay. Thing is that there's no way for the system to exist with 100% certainty. Humans are fallible, so our creations will always be fallible.

If even one innocent person is put to death, the whole thing has to go. And before anyone comes at me (it's happened before on this topic), I have a family member who was murdered. I do have skin in this game.

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u/SayHelloToAlison 6h ago

For what it's worth, studies have also shown death penalties, which are very long processes give much less closure and sense of justice to the families of victims compared to life sentences. The death penalty hurts everyone.

https://ejusa.org/resource/the-closure-myth/

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u/temperedolive 5h ago

This is why the family of Shanann Watts told prosecutors they didn't want to pursue the death penalty. In that case, there really is no reasonable doubt. Chris Watts absolutely murdered Shanann and their children. But the family just couldn't go through the process of a death penalty trial. They wanted it to be over so they could grieve properly.