International Death Penalty News 2024, Issue 42: China, India, Iran, United States of America, Vietnam

China

Last year 61-year-old Yu Huaying was sentenced to death by the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court for kidnapping and trafficking 11 children. The crimes occurred in the 1990s and were committed to make money. However, no police have uncovered evidence of additional criminal activities, which has resulted in a retrial. Yu is accused of collaborating with her husband and lover to kidnap and trafficking children for over two decades before finally being caught. The first child trafficked was Yu’s own son. The new evidence was discovered when Yu appealed her original sentence. If convicted, she will again be sentenced to death. Yu’s husband has also been arrested and charged. His sentence has not yet been announced. Her lover has since died.

India

The Supreme Court has commuted the death sentence of Eknath Kisan Kumbharkar to 20 years in prison. Eknath was convicted of murdering his pregnant daughter Pramila on June 28, 2013, after she got married to a man of a different caste. The marriage was against her family’s wishes. The commutation occurred after the court found that it did not match the qualifications for the “rarest of the rare” that is necessary to impose a sentence of death. Eknath did not have a previous criminal record and he has several medical conditions. The court also determined that his behavior in prison shows that he is capable of reform.

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, the Supreme Court acquitted an inmate who has been on death row for the last eight years. The unnamed man was initially convicted in 2016 of murdering his mother, wife, and two-year-old daughter in 2012. He was alleged to have carried out the murders because his family opposed his extramarital affair. The conviction was based upon circumstantial evidence, which does not meet the “rarest of the rare” requirement needed for a death sentence.

Iran

On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 31-year-old Hadi Fallah was executed in Tabriz Central Prison. He was convicted and sentenced to death on drug-related charges. He was arrested about three years ago, along with another individual. The other individual was sentenced to nine years in prison. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, Iman Bakhshayesh was executed in Rasht Central Prison. He was arrested and convicted on drug-related charges. Imran was arrested about four years ago. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials and the media.

On Wednesday, October 9, 2024,  Iraj Moradian was executed in Gorgan Central Prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Iraj is convicted of murdering a friend by throwing an iron bar at him during an argument over finances, however, Iraj insists that he threw the bar out of anger and did not intend to kill his friend. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported Iraj’s execution.

On Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 21-year-old Mehdi Barahouyi was executed in Zahedan Central Prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas. He was arrested about three years ago and the crime was allegedly committed while he was under the age of 18. It is a violation of international law to sentence a person to death for a crime committed while under the age of 18. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. Mehdi’s execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Saturday, October 12, 2024, 40-year-old Mozafar Karami was executed in Sari Central Prison. He was executed on drug-related charges after his arrest about three years ago. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Sunday, October 13, 2024, 30-year-old Reza Mirzabeigi was executed in Torbat Hediarieh Prison. He was convicted of murdering a friend during a verbal argument and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Sunday, October 13, 2024, Amar Assian was executed in Kerman Central Prison. He is convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. According to reports, “Amar Assian was a first lieutenant in the police and was arrested for the murder of a woman.” Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. His execution has not yet been reported by state officials or the media.

On Monday, October 14, 2024, Younes Akhtar Samar was executed in Jiroft Prison. He was sentenced to qisas, that is retribution in kind, however, he was not convicted of murder. Instead, he was accused of murder, however, there was no confession or witness testimony. Since there was not enough evidence against Younes to convict him, he was convicted based on elm-e-qazi and a qassameh ceremony.  Elm-e-qazi or “knowledge of the judge” allows the judge to make a decision based upon the judge’s opinion, derived from the evidence presented to him. Judges have been known to abuse this method. A qassameh ceremony is when 50 male members of the victim’s family swear upon a Quran that the defendant committed the crime. Often these family members did not witness the crime. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Naser Mohammadi was executed in Urmia Central Prison. He was convicted of murdering his wife six years ago and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported his execution.

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Ramin Mohammadvand was executed in Dezful Prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. The murder occurred during a street fight. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. His execution has not yet been officially reported.

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 35-year-old Majid Jashlu was executed in Qom Central Prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas. Majid was arrested about two years ago. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. His execution has not yet been officially reported.

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024,  Mohsen Mokhtari was executed in Shiraz Central Prison. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to qisas, that is, retribution in kind. Mohsen was arrested about five years ago. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. His execution has not yet been officially reported.

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, 36-year-old Abbas Karimi and 35-year-old Mohammad Ali Najafi were executed in Isfahan Central Prison. Both men were convicted in separate murder cases and sentenced to qisas, that is retribution in kind. Abbas was convicted of unintentionally murdering another person during a street fight. The victim’s family was willing to accept diya, however, Abbas’ family was unable to raise the necessary funds in time. However, Abbas’s two children claim they raised the necessary funds and the execution was carried out anyway. Mohammad was arrested about three years ago. He had one child. Under Iranian law, all killings are considered intentional murder. Mitigating evidence is rarely considered. After conviction, the family of the deceased chooses between granting forgiveness to the convicted, demanding diya (blood money), or insisting upon qisas. If they choose diya, there is no limit to the amount they can demand and if the money is not raised, the condemned will be executed. State officials and the media have not yet reported the two executions.

United States of America

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Lawrence Landrum was scheduled to be executed in Ohio. His execution has been rescheduled to October 13, 2027. Sixty-three-year-old Lawrence is convicted of murdering 84-year-old Harold White, on September 19, 1985, near Chillicothe, Ohio.

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, Robert Roberson was scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas. His execution was halted just hours before the execution was scheduled to be carried out by a Travis County judge. The temporary restraining order was granted after the Texas House issued a subpoena for Roberson to testify before them next week.  Roberson was convicted of murdering his two-year-old daughter Nikki Curtis, on January 31, 2002, in Palestine, Texas, under the now-largely discredited shaken baby syndrome a/k/a abusive head trauma.  Reexamining the evidence in Roberson’s case has led experts to conclude that the death of Nikki Curtis was not the result of shaken baby syndrome. In 2013,  a law was passed in Texas that permits cases who have otherwise completed their appeals, to challenge their convictions based upon the new evidence.  However, Roberson and his lawyers claim this law has been violated in his case.

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, Derrick Dearman was executed by the state of Alabama. He had requested all his appeals be halted and his execution allowed to proceed. Thirty-six-year-old Derrick was convicted of murdering 26-year-old Joseph Adam Turner, 35-year-old Shannon Melissa Randall, 26-year-old Robert Lee Brown, 23-year-old Justin Kaleb Reed, and 22-year-old Chelsea Marie Reed, on August 20, 2016, in Citronelle, Alabama. Chelsea was five months pregnant at the time she was killed.

In 1999, Russell Henderson pled guilty to the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Wyoming, which occurred a year earlier. The motive for the murder remains unclear to this day, with Henderson and his co-defended Aaron McKinny giving multiple reasons throughout the years. Henderson pled guilty to avoid being sentenced to death. Instead, he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. Under Wyoming law, inmates who have served at least 10 years of a life sentence are eligible to submit a commutation petition once every five years. Henderson’s petition was unsuccessful.

Prosecutors in Florida have announced that they plan to seek the death penalty for 34-year-old Tyshael Elise Martin. Martin is accused of causing the death of nine-year-old Jamaria Sessions. Martin severely beat and abused the child before letting a dog attack her. Jamaria eventually died from her injuries at a hospital on June 17, 2024. Twenty-six-year-old Lo Juan Sessions, the father of Jamaraia, has also been arrested in connection with her death.

A new trial is being sought by Ohio death row inmate Jeffrey Wogenstahl. Wogenstahl is convicted of brutally murdering 10-year-old Amber Garrett in 1991. Additionally, DNA testing has supported his initial conviction. Lawyers for Wogenstahl are arguing that he deserved a new trial because the jury never learned that the initial statements made by three witnesses differed from the statements made during the trial. Prosecutors oppose the request for a new trial, arguing that Wogenstahl received a fair trial.

Sixty-six-year-old Brian Keith Moore has spent 44 years on death row in Kentucky for a crime he insists he did not commit. Moore is accused of murdering Virgil Harris in 1979, however, Moore claims he was set up by a family friend and that DNA evidence proves his innocence. Specifically, Moore’s DNA is not present on the jacket worn by the murderer. Moore was first convicted in 1980 and then against in 1984. He was sentenced to death. Since being on death row Moore has faced a multitude of health problems and is now in constant pain and relies on a wheelchair to get around.

Fifty-one-year-old Adel Sambrano Ramos asked a California jury to spare his life and not sentence him to death. Ramos has admitted to murdering Sacramento police officer Tara O’Sullivan, who was assisting a woman gathering her belongings to flee an abusive partner. Ramos also attempted to murder another police officer. He pled guilty to both charges. His sentencing trial is expected to last about three weeks. Even if sentenced to death, it is questionable if he would ever be executed. There is currently a moratorium on executions in California, which last carried out an execution in 2006.

Vietnam

Earlier this year, property developer Truong My Lan was convicted of corruption and sentenced to death. Now, in a separate trial, she has been sentenced to life in prison for embezzlement. In this most recent case, she was convicted of laundering $17.7 billion and taking $4.5 billion across the border. Lan’s actions caused tens of thousands of people to lose the money they had invested in their savings at the bank. She has been ordered to compensate the approximately 36,000 victims.