International Death Penalty News 2024, Issue 36: India, Iran, Kuwait, Nigeria, North Korea, Singapore, Thailand, United States of America

India

On Wednesday, September 4, 2024, a man was sentenced to death for raping and murdering his five-year-old niece.  The 19-year-old uncle, who was not named, committed the crime on December 25, 2021.  Her body was discovered on the roof of her home, covered with a cloth.  The case sparked outrage in the community.

A woman has been spared the death penalty for murdering two of her minor daughters.  Thirty-two-year-old Leelawati, a mother of four, has been convicted of smothering to death two of her children, a five-year-old, and a five-month-old, on February 20, 2018.  The courts decided that the death penalty was not appropriate for Leelawati because it may be possible to rehabilitate and reintegrate Leelawati into society.  Additionally, the effect of her punishment on her two surviving children was also considered.  Instead, Leelawati was sentenced to life in prison and fined for her crime.

Iran

On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, 22-year-old Meisam Hosseinkhani was executed at Khorramabad Central Prison.  He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind.  The murder occurred during a group fight about three years ago.  Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional and mitigating evidence is rarely considered.  After conviction, the family of the victims selects between demanding diya (blood money), qisas, or granting forgiveness.  Meisam’s execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.  

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, 35-year-old Sirwan Abubakri was executed in Mahabad Prison.  He was arrested for murdering a gold seller on September 14, 2021.  No motive for the murder was established and after conviction, Sirwan was sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

The death sentence for a volunteer member of the Revolutionary Guard has been upheld.  The Guard member stormed into a home during the 2022 protests and killed 60-year-old Mohammad Jamehbozorg.  Two other Guard members have also been convicted in the crime and given prison sentences.

Kuwait

On Thursday, September 5, 2024, six individuals were executed at the Central Prison.  The six individuals were not identified by name, however, three were Kuwaiti nationals, two were Iranian nationals, and one was from Pakistan.  A seventh individual, a Kuwaiti woman, was also scheduled to be executed with the group, however, she was spared after the family of the victim agreed to a diya payment.  All seven individuals were convicted of murder.

Nigeria

Protests last month against the government due to inflation and the high cost of living, resulted in hundreds of protesters being arrested.  At least 22 individuals died when security forces opened fire during the protests.  Now, at least 10 of those arrested could be sentenced to death as they have been charged with treason for participating in the protests.  It is unknown if the other hundreds of protesters arrested will face similar charges.  The ten men are accused of working with the British to topple the government.

North Korea

Reports from South Korea indicate that at least 30 government officials have been executed by order of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.  The 30 officials were executed for not stopping the severe flooding earlier this summer, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of North Koreans.  Kim alleges the officials neglected preparation which could have slowed or stopped the flooding.  

Singapore

Singapore has some of the strictest anti-drug laws in the world, with punishments including the death penalty for possessing a certain amount of drugs.  Now, 37-year-old Tan Xianglong has been sentenced to four years in prison for planting cannabis in his wife’s car.  The amount of cannabis planted could have resulted in her being sentenced to death.  Allegedly, Tan planted the drugs to get her in trouble with the law and the scare her.  Court documents also allege that he understood the dangers and possible outcomes, including a death sentence for his wife.  Tan boasted about his crime to his girlfriend over a messaging app.  Tan and his wife were estranged at the time of the crime, although he could not yet legally divorce her.

Thailand

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, Daniel Sancho, a Spanish national, was sentenced to life in prison instead of being sentenced to death.  Sancho was convicted of murdering and dismembering Edwin Arrieta, a surgeon from Colombia.  In addition to his prison sentence, Sancho has also been fined and the money will go towards compensating Edwin’s family for his death.  Lawyers for Sancho have already announced they intend to appeal the sentence.  

United States of America

In 1976, Charles D. Cotton was sentenced to death in Ohio for the murder of Mansfield police Officer Michael Hutchison on February 6, 1976. Officer Hutchison was attempting to arrest Cotton, who had attempted to rob a nearby grocery store.  Cotton’s death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1978 when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Ohio’s death penalty statute was unconstitutional.  Ohio did eventually reinstate the death penalty, however, Cotton remained sentenced to life in prison.  Most recently, on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld Cotton’s life sentence.  Cotton, who is now 80 years of age and represented himself for his appeal, attempted to argue that he was illegally sentenced to life in prison and that when the death penalty was found unconstitutional, he should have been released from prison.  The Ohio Supreme Court rejected his argument.

In June 2024, 55-year-old Chad Daybell was sentenced to death in Idaho for murdering his first wife Tammy, and two kids of his second wife, Tylee and Joshua “JJ” Vallow.  All three were killed to solidify Daybell’s marriage to Lori Vallow Daybell. Now, Daybell and his attorneys are seeking additional time to file for post-conviction relief due to “extraordinary circumstances.”  Daybell is a self-published author of a Doomsday fiction book.  Prosecutors did not oppose the delay but did request it be a limited delay and not indefinite.  

Prosecutors in Florida have arrested and charged 16-year-old Thomas Stein and 16-year-old Christopher Horne with the murder of 15-year-old Kayla Rincon-Miller.  Kayla was walking home from the movies when she was shot and killed during an attempted robbery on March 17, 2024, in Cape Coral, Florida.  Stein and Horne will be tried as adults and prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence against them.  Although charged with first-degree murder, the maximum sentence they can receive is life in prison, without the possibility of parole.  Due to their ages, they are not eligible to be sentenced to death, even though they are being tried as adults.  

A jury in Tennessee recommended that 56-year-old Sean Finnegan be sentenced to death.  That same jury had previously found Finnegan guilty of murdering, kidnapping, raping, and torturing 36-year-old Jennifer Paxton in December 2019 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.  The exact day of her death is unknown, as her body, which was mutilated after her death, was not discovered until August 5, 2020.  Jennifer’s body had been stored in a freezer in Finnegan’s home.  Finnegan’s girlfriend, Rebecca Dishman was also involved in Jennifer’s death.  Dishman pled guilty and testified against Finnegan and his trial.  The jury recommended sentencing Finnegan to death was unanimous and a judge then officials sentenced him to death by lethal injection.

In California, in April 1998, 32-year-old Terry Cheek was reported missing after she failed to show up for work.  Her body was found four days later near a lake.  Horace Roberts, with whom Terry was having an affair was charged and convicted of her murder.  He spent 20 years in prison before new DNA evidence conclusively showed that he was not Terry’s killer.  He was released in 2018.  Instead, evidence shows that Terry’s husband, 68-year-old Googie Rene Harris Sr., and nephew, 58-year-old Joaquin Latee Leal III, committed the crime.  Both men have since been convicted and are to be sentenced later this year.  The district attorney had previously said he would seek the death penalty against both men if they were convicted.