Victim's kin pressed death penalty repeal
HARTFORD -- The vote to repeal Connecticut's death penalty brought a moment of triumph for Elizabeth Brancato, a lifelong opponent of capital punishment despite the murder of her mother in 1979.
Brancato had lobbied lawmakers for years, becoming more resolved against capital punishment as she met families of other victims frustrated by endless appeals. She started a blog to highlight the voices of other victims' relatives in favor of repeal that she felt were overshadowed in the debate.
She was at the statehouse Wednesday night as the legislature gave final approval to a bill that will make Connecticut the 17th state to repeal capital punishment. A week earlier, she was in the gallery when it cleared its biggest hurdle with an early morning vote in the State Senate.
"It was one of the best moments of my life," Brancato said.
Brancato is among about 180 relatives of crime victims who pushed for repeal in private meetings with lawmakers, via petition drives and at news conferences. National advocates say the size of their campaign sets Connecticut apart from other states, but relatives who oppose the death penalty are speaking up more often across the United States.
On the other side of the debate, death penalty supporters had perhaps the state's most compelling advocate in William Petit Jr., the only survivor of a 2007 home invasion in which two paroled burglars killed his wife and two daughters. Last year, Petit successfully lobbied state senators to hold off on legislation for repeal while one of the two killers was still facing a death penalty trial.
This year, many lawmakers said they were swayed by the stories of people who oppose capital punishment despite losing loved ones to horrific crimes.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat, said he will sign the bill into law as soon as it reaches his desk, making Connecticut the fifth state in five years to repeal the death penalty. The legislation will apply only to future cases and not the 11 men already on the state's death row.
'They have plenty of time to get him if they want to' NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa sat down with Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. to discuss what it was like holding the Gilgo Beach serial killer in custody, Heuermann's penchant for Jack the Ripper and what his future likely looks like in state prison.
'They have plenty of time to get him if they want to' NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa sat down with Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. to discuss what it was like holding the Gilgo Beach serial killer in custody, Heuermann's penchant for Jack the Ripper and what his future likely looks like in state prison.
