Oregon governor rejects death penalty

Will issue reprieve to murderer due to die in 2 weeks

‘I simply cannot participate once again in something that I believe to be morally wrong,’ said Governor John Kitzhaber.

By Jonathan J. Cooper

Associated Press / November 24, 2011

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Haunted by regret for allowing two men to be executed more than a decade ago, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber now says it’ll never happen again on his watch. Calling Oregon’s death penalty scheme “compromised and inequitable,’’ the Democratic governor said Tuesday he’ll issue a reprieve to a twice-convicted murderer who was scheduled to die by lethal injection in two weeks. He said he’d do the same for any other condemned inmates facing execution during his tenure in office.

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