Bill To Abolish The Death Penalty Fails By Just One Vote In Montana House

The Montana state House came closer to abolishing the death penalty Monday than it has ever before, ultimately failing to pass the measure by just one vote.

According to the Montana Lee Newspapers, the House ended up deadlocked 50-50, which means the measure is likely dead for the 2015 legislative session. Although the state Senate has passed legislation ending the death penalty, the House never has.

There are currently two inmates on death row in Montana. Seventy-four people have been executed by the state in total.

State Rep. David "Doc" Moore (R), sponsor of House Bill 370, said the people on death row should instead spend their lives in prison without parole.

“And to me, personally, I couldn't imagine a worse fate than being locked up on prison for the rest of my life,” he said, according to Montana Television Network.

Last week, outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder said he would support a nationwide moratorium on the death penalty pending a Supreme Court decision this year on the use of lethal injection drugs in Oklahoma.

"Our system of justice is the best in the world. It is comprised of men and women who do the best they can, get it right more often than not, substantially more right than wrong," Holder said. "There's always the possibility that mistakes will be made. ... It's for that reason that I am opposed to the death penalty."

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