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Maryland abolishes death penalty
As of October 1, no one else will be sentenced to death in Maryland.
Five men in the state still sit on death row and could potentially be
executed, but as of October 1, no one else will be sentenced to death
in Maryland.
Leading up to last year’s General Assembly, legislation to end
capital punishment hadn’t been expected to even reach the floor for a
full vote. But in a nod to growing public sentiment, Senate President
Mike Miller—not a supporter of repealing capital punishment—changed
judiciary committee assignments and hope for the measure suddenly
appeared.
Organizations like Maryland Citizens Against State Executions, the
Archdiocese of Baltimore, and the NAACP threw their weight behind the
legislation, sponsored and ultimately signed into law by Gov. Martin
O’Malley.
Exonerated former death row inmate Kirk Bloodsworth, who fought to
end capital punishment ever since his incarceration nearly 30 years ago,
leapt and threw his hands into the air in the State House balcony as
the votes were cast.