Controversy over Death Sentence and Capital Punishment in the United States

His lawyers argued that the death sentence had been imposed on the basis of the testimony of a psychiatric expert who concluded that he was dangerous without having personally examined him and despite his “exemplary” behavior in prison.

They also argued that one of the members of the jury wishing to vote for life imprisonment had been misled by the court’s instructions.

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He was originally sentenced to death in 1991 for the murder the previous year of Robert Laminack, 66, who had picked up Brent Brewer and his girlfriend, Krystie Lynn Nystrom, in his car before stabbing the couple from behind. having fled the crime scene with the victim’s wallet containing $140.

The death sentence handed down in 1991 was overturned in 2007 by the Supreme Court of the United States, but confirmed during a new trial in 2009, notably on the basis of the testimony of the expert psychiatrist, subsequently considered unreliable. by the Texas courts to determine the “future dangerousness” of the convicted person.

Brent Brewer expressed his regret for his actions in a video message, explaining that he only realized the seriousness of the facts after his arrest.

According to a recent Gallup Institute poll on capital punishment, a majority of Americans (50% versus 47%) believe that it is not fairly applied in the United States, a first since the launch of this monthly survey in 2000.

A majority (53%) nevertheless remains in favor of the death penalty, according to the same source.

2023-11-10 06:39:10
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