Conservative Nebraska looks at abolishing death penalty

Source: AP

By GRANT SCHULTE

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — There's not a lot of sympathy for the 11 men on death row in Nebraska, but spurred by frustration about the growing difficulty and cost of carrying out executions, lawmakers are considering eliminating the death penalty.

If the Legislature outlaws capital punishment, Nebraska would become the first conservative state in more than 40 years to abolish the death penalty. Capital punishment opponents are optimistic following an initial vote this spring to repeal the law but acknowledge they still face a challenge as opponents led by the governor scramble to block the change. Another vote on the issue could come this week.

An unusual coalition of Democrats and Republicans has formed behind the repeal effort.

While Democrats cite racial disparities of who is sentenced to death and the possibility of executing an innocent person, Republicans point to the legal hurdles that have prevented the state from executing anyone. Nebraska's last execution was in 1997.

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FILE - In this March 4, 2015 file photo, Miriam Thimm Kelle testifies on a law proposal to change Nebraska\'s death penalty to life imprisonment without parole, during a hearing before the Judiciary Committee in Lincoln, Neb. Kelle started lobbying Nebraska lawmakers a decade ago to abolish the death penalty after a long legal fight over the man convicted in 1985 of torturing and killing her brother. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

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