ANDRADE ON DEATH PENALTY FOR CHILD RAPE — David Wayne
Pensacola, FL (Newsradio 92.3) — Earlier this week state legislators signed a bill that would allow the death penalty in some child rape cases. District 2 Representative Alex Andrade says the death penalty used to be on the table in those cases.
“The death penalty for these kinds of crimes used to be on the books,” Andrade says it was only stopped after the Kennedy vs. Louisiana ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court, where Justices decided the death penalty could only be imposed for homicides.
Legislators are now hoping that this law will take the decision back to the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit that decision.
Andrade says that while he has issues with the death penalty as a whole — if it’s on the books he thinks it cases involving child rape are effectively “killing a child” and that they should be eligible for the most severe penalties. The bill is waiting for the Governor’s signature.