Rappahannock’s state legislators vote against repeal of death penalty
Republican lawmakers in Virginia are not happy that the commonwealth is poised to become the rst state in the South to repeal the death penalty. Though the Democratic majority was able to approve a pair of bills on Monday that would end capital punishment in Virginia, most Republicans in both chambers of the General Assembly opposed the bill, arguing that ending capital punishment displays a lack of empathy for the victims of “savage crimes.”
Delegate Michael Webert and Senator Mark Obenshain, both of whom represent Rappahannock County in the General Assembly, voted against the bills.
“I voted not to abolish because I believe that there are cases where capital punishment is an appropriate sanction,” Obenshain said on Monday. “This form of punishment is, and should be, reserved for the worst of the worst. I cited two such cases in my remarks earlier this session: Ivan Teleguz, who was convicted in 2006 of hiring a man to kill the mother of his child, and Ricky Gray, who was convicted of killing a family of four, slashing their throats and setting their home ablaze in 2006. These were savage, brutal crimes … where the rare application of capital punishment was warranted. I will continue to support legislation which strengthens, not weakens, our criminal justice systems and protects and respects victims of crimes.”
“The power of the state to take a human life isn’t something that we consider lightly. It is the ultimate punishment, and it can’t be taken back. That being said, there is a place for this sanction in cases where a killer has committed a truly heinous act or will be a danger to society or even his fellow inmates going forward,” Webert wrote in an update to the Fauquier County Republican Committee earlier this month.
“My fellow Republicans spent a great deal of time on the oor arguing that we cannot and must not forget victims and their families in this debate.”
But Gov. Ralph Northam said during his State of the Commonwealth Address in January that he would sign the legislation despite the opposition, making Virginia the 23rd state in the country to end the death penalty.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, a non-pro t dedicated to providing the public with analysis and information about capital punishment in the U.S., Virginia has executed more people in its history than any other state. However, no one has been executed in the state since 2017 and no jury has imposed a death sentence since 2011.
The two identical bills, HB 2263 and SB 1165, passed in the Senate on Monday a er being passed in the House earlier this month. The legislation would immediately commute the sentences of two individuals currently on death row to sentences of life without parole.
In a joint statement issued Monday, Gov. Northam, House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, and Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw wrote: “It is vital that our criminal justice system operates fairly and punishes people equitably. We all know the death penalty doesn’t do that. It is inequitable, ine ective, and inhumane.
“Over Virginia’s long history, this Commonwealth has executed more people than any other state. And, like many other states, Virginia has come too close to executing an innocent person. It’s time we stop this machinery of death.
“Thanks to the vote of lawmakers in both chambers, Virginia will join 22 other states that have ended use of the death penalty. This is an important step forward in ensuring that our criminal justice system is fair and equitable to all.”
Neither Webert and Obenshain could not be reached for comment before the publication of this story.
Sen. Obenshain: “This form of punishment is, and should be, reserved for the worst of the worst.”
It is with mixed emotions that I bid farewell to the Rappahannock News a er 50 months as editor. am forever grateful for having had the opportunity to report on virtually every aspect of life in Rappahannock County and I will cherish the many friendships I have made along the way.
That said, there is nobody better suited to assume the editor’s role than the talented Rachel Needham, who many in our community have already come to know. A native of Albemarle County, Rachel arrived at the Rappahannock News early last summer, part of the crucial Report for America (RFA) Corps. This highly regarded national service program places essential journalists like Rachel in local newsrooms during a critical time for both our newspaper industry and nation's democracy.
Rachel wrote in her RFA application: “Growing up in a small rural community outside Charlottesville, Virginia and then attending college in rural eastern Washington, I observed rsthand the disempowering impact of inadequate media coverage. All communities are complicated and depend on vigilant journalists to shine light in the shadows. A small town does not equal a small story.”
She proved that very point when earning the 2018 Hosokawa Journalism Award for Newswriting for an article on rural health care and the permanent closure for nancial reasons of the Walla Walla General Hospital, which had served the local community for more than 100 years.
Rachel has even worn the hat of National Park Ranger, writing and delivering interpretive programs on behalf of the Whitman Mission National Historic Site and Nez Perce National Historic Parks, when not providing tours of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation — experience that will only serve to enhance this newspaper’s in-depth coverage of Shenandoah National Park.
Speaking of the West, I am excited to be returning for a time to Montana, where my own journalism career began 41 years ago. My many family and friends living there there will soon be learning about a special place called Rappahannock, its extremely proud people, unsurpassed scenery, and abundant wildlife. May it always remain this way.