The recent effort to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts has failed on a 99 to 53 vote in the House of Representatives.
It was just 8 years ago that the Massachusetts House passed, by a 1 vote margin, a reinstatement bill, and only the decision by Representative John Slattery to ask for reconsideration and change his vote prevented Massachusetts from becoming the 39th death penalty state.
Eight years ago the drive to reinstate the death penalty was led by Bob Curley, whose 10 year old son Jeffrey had been abducted and murdered by homicidal pedophiles. Over time and with discussions with other family members of murder victims Bob Curley rethought his position on the death penalty. This summer, when hearings were held on the Romney Bill, Bob Curley joined with other members of Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights to oppose the reinstatement of the death penalty.
Momentum is on our side!