The disturbing circumstances of Amber McLaughlin's execution

[Nevilledog]

https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/amber-mclaughlin-execution-missouri-rcna64236

Amber McLaughlin became the first openly transgender person to be executed in the United States when she died by lethal injection in Missouri on Tuesday.

Her execution ignited controversy, with criminal justice reform advocates rightly decrying the circumstances of her sentencing.

McLaughlin, who began transitioning in prison a few years ago, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006 in the killing of her ex-girlfriend, Beverly Guenther. A jury, however, failed to reach an agreement on a punishment, rejecting three out of the four aggravating circumstances presented by prosecutors that would legally justify a death sentence.

Despite a hung jury, the trial judge sentenced McLaughlin to death. As Reason noted, if a jury is deadlocked in federal sentencing trials or in most states with the death penalty, the defendant receives life in prison. But two states — Missouri and Indiana — allow a judge to impose a death sentence with a deadlocked jury.

McLaughlin won a federal appeal of her sentence in 2016, successfully arguing that the judge overreached in superseding the deadlocked jury to issue a death sentence. The judge in that appeal also found that McLaughlin’s lawyers provided "ineffective assistance" by failing to present medical evidence about her history of mental health issues during the sentencing trial.

*snip*

[nevergiveup]

1. Everything about this was extremely disturbing.

Capitol punishment has no place in a civilized society IMHO

[Buckeyeblue]

2. She had a pretty shitty life. And was poor. Committing a crime while poor is a mortal sin

People with means don't get the death penalty.

But, she did a really shitty thing. I don't think her guilt was an issue here.

The problem is the justice system is not set up to deal with mental illness. At any level. People who commit crimes should be evaluated, for all crimes, from shoplifting to murder. I think mental illness figures into more crimes than we think.

We need to continue to destigmatize mental illness. We don't stigmatize high cholesterol, yet most individuals have more control over managing high cholesterol than they do mental illness.

We've made some progress the last couple of years but we have a long way to go.