Illinois Death Penalty

Teen's Murder Reignites Death Penalty Fight

Posted 01.10.2012

Read More: John L. Wilson Jr., Kelli O'Laughlin Killed, John L. Wilson, Kelli O'laughlin Murder Suspect, Illinois Death Penalty, Death Penalty Petition, Kelli O'laughlin Murder Trial, Kelli O'Laughlin, Insanity Plea, Chicago News

As investigators learn more about the criminal and mental health history of murder suspect John L. Wilson Jr., community members who have been shaken ...

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Man Who Allegedly Checked Death Penalty Laws Before Murder Is Pleading Guilty

Posted 09.17.2011

Read More: Dmitry Smirnov Guilty, Dmitry Smirnov, Gps Murder, Chicago, Death Penalty Murder, Illinois, Jitka Vesel, Illinois Death Penalty, Demetry Smirnov, Chicago News

A man who prosecutors believe tracked his former girlfriend with a GPS device before slaying her in an office parking lot is pleading guilty at an abn...

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Dalai Lama Praises Illinois For Death Penalty Ban

AP/The Huffington Post | Posted 09.16.2011

Read More: Dalai Lama Chicago, Dalai Lama, Pat Quinn, Dalai Lama Death Penalty, Tibet, Dalai Lama Chicago Talk, Obama Dalai Lama, Chine, Illinois Death Penalty, Chicago News

Following a controversial meeting with President Obama in the White House, the Dalai Lama headed to Chicago Sunday to speak about interfaith cooperati...

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The Recall Takes Effect in Illinois Today

Diann Rust-Tierney | Posted 08.31.2011

Read More: Illinois, Death Penalty, Death Row Exoneration, Death-Penalty-Repeal, Illinois Death Penalty, Corey Maye, Chicago News

Four states -- Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey and New York have renounced capital punishment in the past five years. The handwriting is on the wall -- the death penalty is a failed, antiquated experiment on its way out.

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Illinois Death Penalty Officially Ends

The Huffington Post/AP | Posted 08.31.2011

Read More: Wrongful Convictions, Capital Punishment, Pat Quinn, Illinois Death Penalty Ends, Death Penalty Ban, Illinois Death Penalty Ban, Death Penalty, Illinois Death Penalty, George Ryan, Chicago News

It's been more than a decade since former Illinois Governor George Ryan imposed a moratorium on executions and cleared death row, fearing that an impe...

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Former Marine Gets Life In Prison For Killing Family

AP | JIM SUHR | Posted 07.09.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty, Christopher Coleman Sentenced, Marines, Christopher Coleman Murders, Christopher Coleman, Chicago News

WATERLOO, Ill. — A judge imposed a life sentence Monday for a former Marine and pastor's son convicted of strangling his wife and their two sons...

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Prosecutors: Man Checked To See If Illinois Had Death Penalty Before Murder

Posted 06.15.2011

Read More: Death Penalty Murder, Chicago, Illinois Death Penalty Ban, Illinois, Death Penalty, Jitka Vesel, Illinois Death Penalty, Demetry Smirnov, Chicago News

According to suburban Chicago prosecutors, Demetry Smirnov verified that Illinois had banned its death penalty before traveling here to murder his ex-...

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Illinois Proves (Again) That Ending the Death Penalty Saves Money

James Clark | Posted 06.04.2011

Read More: Illinois, Death Penalty, California Death Penalty, California, Illinois Death Penalty, California Budget Crisis, Jerry Brown, Los Angeles News

Thanks to Illinois, we now have more proof: ending the death penalty saves money -- a lot of money -- and quickly. So what is California waiting for?

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A Thoroughly Modern Death Penalty

Richard C. Dieter | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Criminal Justice, Capital Punishment, Death Penalty, Illinois Death Penalty, Politics News

On March 10, Ohio carried out an execution using a method that had never been tried before in the U.S. Coincidentally, in an unrelated event, Ohio's electric chair was relegated to a museum.

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The Price of Injustice: Wrongfully Convicted Deserve Full Compensation

Locke Bowman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Wrongful Conviction, Death Penalty, Wrongful Imprisonment, Illinois Wrongful Convictions, Justice, Illinois-Wrongful-Conviction-Costs, Illinois Death Penalty, Chicago News

The State of Illinois owes a debt to the innocent people who have been convicted in our justice system of crimes they didn't commit and then been forced to serve years of wrongful imprisonment.

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Illinois Gives Up the Death Penalty for Lent (and Beyond)

Gustav Niebuhr | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Death Penalty, Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Illinois Death Penalty, Death Penalty and Lent, Lent, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Pat Quinn, Religion News

Illinois's choice is countercultural: The death penalty has been widely popular among Americans in a way rare among our peers in the post-industrialized world.

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Jury Out On Religion And The Death Penalty

Cathleen Falsani | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Capital Punishment, Illinois Death Penalty, Pat Quinn, Illinois Death Penalty Law, Death Penalty, Illinois, Religious Views on Death Penalty, Religion News

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, who is Catholic, revealed that he turned to his faith -- to the Bible and to Catholic leaders and tradition -- in contemplating the bill lawmakers delivered to him in January.

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Thank You, Governor Quinn

Andrea Lyon | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Governor Quinn, Death Penalty, Illinois Death Penalty, Prosecutors, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Death Penalty Debate, Chicago News

Gov. Quinn has asked us all to step away from vengeance, from error and heartache and instead to concentrate on preventing violence and assisting the victims of violence. We can do that, can't we?

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Governor Quinn Sets The Right Tone With Abolition Of Illinois Death Penalty

Mark Osler | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Governor Pat Quinn, Capital Punishment, Illinois Governor, Death Penalty, John 8, Pat Quinn, Death Penalty Abolished, Illinois Death Penalty, Religion News

A lifetime in criminal law has taught me one thing above all else: It is all tragedy, every bit of it. A conviction does not un-murder a man or un-rape a woman.

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Republicans Discuss Reinstating Illinois Death Penalty

AP | CHRISTOPHER WILLS | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Governor Pat Quinn, Karen yarbroughIllinois Death Penalty Ban, Pat Quinn, Illinois Republicans, Death Penalty Ban, Kwame Raoul, Quinn Death Penalty, Death Penalty Illinois, Chicago News, Illinois Death Penalty Bill Signed, Death Penalty Reinstated, Illinois Death Penalty, Pat Quinn Death Penalty, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — For a mother who lost her son to violence, Illinois' decision to abolish the death penalty is a betrayal. But to a father wh...

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Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Death Row Cleared

AP | CHRISTOPHER WILLS | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Governor Pat Quinn, Karen yarbroughIllinois Death Penalty Ban, Pat Quinn, Quinn Death Penalty, Kwame Raoul, Death Penalty Ban, Death Penalty Illinois, Chicago News, Illinois Death Penalty Bill Signed, Illinois Death Penalty, Pat Quinn Death Penalty, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — After two decades of debate about the risk of executing an innocent person, Illinois abolished the death penalty Wednesday, ...

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Obama Weighs In On Illinois Death Penalty Ban

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Governor Pat Quinn, Pat Quinn, Death Penalty Ban, Quinn Death Penalty, Death Penalty Illinois, Illinois Death Penalty Ban, Chicago News, Obama Death Penalty, Illinois Death Penalty, Obama Illinois Death Penalty, Pat Quinn Death Penalty, Chicago News

Governor Pat Quinn said Monday that he will take action on a bill that would abolish the death penalty in Illinois this week, though he has not said w...

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Will Gov. Quinn Abolish The Death Penalty?

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Capital Punishment, Pat Quinn, Pat Quinn Death Penalty, Death Penalty Illinois, Illinois Death Penalty, Illinois Death Penalty Ban, Governor Pat Quinn, Bill Richardson, Chicago News

It's been nearly two months since the Illinois General Assembly voted to abolish the state's death penalty, and sent the legislation to Governor Pat Q...

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Why the Legislature Is Right and Lisa Madigan Is Wrong About the Death Penalty

Mark Osler | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Capital Punishment, Death Penalty, Pat Quinn, Illinois Death Penalty, Death Penalty Debate, Chicago News

The death penalty has failed in Illinois, and should not be resuscitated.

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Is It Time to Execute the Death Penalty?

Judge H. Lee Sarokin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Loughner, Costs of Death Penalty, Executions, Barry Scheck, Gov. Quinn, Death Penalty, Medill Innocence Project, Discrimination in Death Penalty Cases, Illinois Death Penalty, Morality of Death Penalty, Exonerations, Deterrence, Chicago News

The arguments for and against have raged for years, but the discussion is relevant now more than ever because Governor Pat Quinn has it within his power to end the death penalty in Illinois.

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Wrongfully-Accused Men Call For End Of Death Penalty

NBC Chicago | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty, Jerry Hobbs, Death Penalty, Kevin Fox, Death Penalty Illinois, Chicago News

Two fathers, wrongly accused in the murders of their children, on Friday called for an end to the death penalty in Illinois. Kevin Fox, who was fal...

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As Quinn Considers Death Penalty Ban, A Look At His Past Comments

WBEZ | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty Ban, Illinois Death Penalty, Quinn Death Penalty Ban, Pat Quinn, Death Penalty, Illinois, Pat Quinn Death Penalty, Chicago, Chicago News

In a press conference Wednesday, Quinn would not announce whether he planned to sign the bill. He said he would "look at [the legislation] very carefu...

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Death Penalty Ban Heads To Governor's Desk In Illinois

AP | JOHN O'CONNOR | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Illinois Death Penalty, Pat Quinn, Death Penalty Illinois, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Senate voted Tuesday to abolish capital punishment, sending the historic issue to Gov. Pat Quinn and putting th...

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Illinois House REJECTS Medical Marijuana Bill

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Lou Lang, Pat Quinn, Illinois Medical Marijuana, Illinois House, Illinois Death Penalty, Medical Marijuana, Medical Marijuana Illinois, Illinois Tax Hike, Marijuana, Chicago News

On an otherwise busy Thursday in Springfield, lawmakers voted to reject a bill that would allow some Illinois patients access to medical marijuana. ...

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Illinois House Votes To Abolish Death Penalty

AP | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Death Penalty Abolished, Illinois Death Penalty, Death Penalty, Pat Quinn, Death Sentence, Governor Pat Quinn, George Ryan, Death Penalty Illinois, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois House has approved a plan to abolish capital punishment in a whirlwind reversal on a historic vote. The legisl...

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