Tookie Williams Deserves to Die

I've been emailing back and forth with a friend about Stan "Tookie" Williams and his request for clemency before his scheduled execution on December 13th. So I was interested to see a story in today's LAT profiling Barbara Becnel, who is Tookie's main defender and advocate. This story led me to Becnel's web site Tookie.com, which contains testimonials on the redemptive power of Tookie's anti-gang work, MP3's of Tookie's anti-gang radio PSAs, etc. The site also links to a motion requesting discovery related to his original trial and the police investigation leading to his arrest as well as Tookie's clemency petition to the Governor.

I read his lawyer's petition to re-open his original trial with interest. She makes a persuasive argument that Williams' conviction was based on the testimony of career criminals, who had an interest in helping the prosecution in order to obtain favorable treatment in their own cases. Interestingly, while Williams has publicly apologized for his role in starting the Crips, he has maintained his innocence in the four counts of murder for which he was sentanced to die. Could he possibly be innocent, at least of these crimes?

I tried Googling "tookie williams guilt innocence," but could find very little discussion of the actual crimes he was alleged to have committed. Fortunately, I stumbled across the LA County DA's response to Williams' petition for clemency. Reading the evidence, it becomes clear that Tookie did, in fact, murder four innocent people in cold blood. While a case could be made that there were some technical problems with his trial (for example, the defense alleges that the prosecution impermissably disqualified black jurors from the case), there is little room to believe that they got the wrong guy. Tookie did it, all right.

Which brings me back to my original position. If someone seeks clemency, or mercy, good works in prison are not enough, at least in my book. If a man commits multiple murders and does not take responsibility for his actions, express genuine contrition, and apologize to the families he destroyed, then he does not deserve mercy. I just hope that Arnold has the balls to stand firm and let justice take its course.

Update

I thought some more about Tookie and his case this evening at the gym. One of the things that makes his crimes so terrible is that they were cold-bloodedly calculated killings. He told his partners in the robberies that he did it because he didn't want to leave any witnesses. It wasn't a case of passion, or a robbery going bad where he had not intended to hurt anybody, he went into that convenience store and motel planning to kill anyone who could identify him.

Of course, he was high on PCP at the time, and I have no idea what that drug can do to one's perceptions of events. But the man did have a sawed off shotgun in his possession, which he bought legally, using his drivers license and with his signature on the form.

There are many cases of people who repent for their crimes while on death row. They face the death penalty with dignity, and with love, compassion and regret in their hearts. Texas, for example, has an interesting web page with the last statements and "offender information" of people who have been executed in that state. Here are some examples of killers who accepted responsibility for their actions and apologized for their crimes, at a point where there is no reason for them to lie: they are in the execution chamber, the governor is not on the phone, and they face certain death.

• Robert Rowell, executed on 11/15/2005
  
  
• Gary Sterling, executed 8/10/2005
  
  
• Richard Cartwright, executed 5/19/2005

There are many more. Some are even poetic. David Martinez (who was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering a 24 year old woman) signed off this way: "Only the sky and the green grass goes on forever and today is a good day to die." Maybe Mr. Williams should make peace with himself and prepare to accept that his day is coming soon.

Technorati Tags: Tookie Williams, Capital Punishment