On Aug. 25 Gov. Steve Beshear signed a death warrant ordering the killing of Gregory Wilson. In this brief video three of Wilson’s cousins talk about the value of Gregory’s life and the void his death will leave in their lives.
KCADP is seeking additional testimonials. If you are willing to take the witness stand against the death penalty, contact staff@kcadp.org and our videographer will be in touch.
– September 2, 2010
For background on Gregory Wilson’s execution scheduled for Sept. 16, please visit “Clock ticking on Gregory Wilson’s execution: Case background.” And to read some of the many reasons why its wrong, please read “Clock ticking on Gregory Wilson’s execution: Issues of race, mental retardation, expiring chemicals, fundamental fairness.”
Please write a letter to Gov. Steve Beshear as well as your local newspaper
Gov. Steve Beshear can be reached at
http://governor.ky.gov/contact/contact.htm
700 Capitol Avenue, Suite 100
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
502-564-2611
Here are links to the Lexington Herald-Leader and the Louisville Courier-Journal for submitting letters to the editors:
Of course writing your local newspapers is always an excellent idea because legislators and those running for office pay close attention to the opinions of their constituents.
Talking points
Feel free to write your own letter, but here are talking points you might want to use:
– September 2, 2010
Gregory Wilson's two requests to halt his Sept. 16 execution were denied today. Wilson has an IQ of 62 but Kenton Circuit Judge Gregory Bartlett did not find sufficient evidence to support Wilson's claim that he is mentally retarded and ineligible for execution.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal’s “Judge denies stay of execution for Gregory L. Wilson“:
A judge has denied two requests to halt the scheduled execution of an inmate convicted of murder and rape, saying the grounds for doing so were too flimsy to support a stay.
Kenton Circuit Judge Gregory Bartlett on Wednesday ruled there is “overwhelming evidence” of Gregory L. Wilson’s guilt, making any DNA test of two-decade-old evidence useless to prove his innocence.
Bartlett also found too little evidence to support a claim that Wilson, 53, is mentally retarded and ineligible for execution.
Wilson is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Sept. 16.
– September 1, 2010
For background on Gregory Wilson’s execution scheduled for Sept. 16, please visit “Clock ticking on Gregory Wilson’s execution: Case background.”
Here are some concerns–voiced by both death penalty supporters and opponents–with the pending execution of Gregory Wilson:
– September 1, 2010
Gov. Steve Beshear signed a death warrant on August 25 scheduling the execution of Gregory L. Wilson by lethal injection at the Eddyville State Penitentiary on September 16th. The precise time is not set forth but 6 p.m. is the usual time for executions.
Wilson is one of three death row inmates whose death warrants were awaiting the governor’s signature.
The governor signed only one of those three warrants though because Kentucky does not have enough of the sleep drug on hand to execute more than one person. (Executions use three chemicals: first a sleep drug, then a paralyzing drug, and finally a drug that stops the heart). Nor does it have enough of the paralytic agent to execute more than one person. Furthermore, the sleep drug expires on October 1, 2010, just a few days after it is slated to be used to execute Wilson. There is a national shortage of the sleep drug and it is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2011. The paralytic drug will be here by the end of the year.
Wilson was convicted in 1988 in Kenton Circuit Court of the murder and kidnapping of Deborah Pooley. His female accomplice, who testified against him at trial, got a life sentence and is eligible for parole after 25 years. This female accomplice also had a long standing sexual relationship with a circuit judge in the same court and their sexual relationship continued during Wilson’s trial.
– September 1, 2010
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