Missourians react to Illinois governor's commutations

ST. LOUIS -- Illinois Gov. George Ryan's decision to commute the death sentences of all of the state's death row prisoners brought both praise and scorn in Missouri on Monday.

Death row opponents called Ryan's decision "courageous." A prosecutor called Ryan a "coward." And Missouri's top elected official said the decision would have little or no bearing on how the death penalty is meted out here.

Gov. Bob Holden said he will continue to review death row cases on their own merits.

"I'll always be open to any new information, but I haven't seen any evidence that indicates that we need to change our policy in the state of Missouri," Holden said.

That was disappointing news to Margaret Phillips of St. Louis, a member of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, though she hoped legislators would feel otherwise.

"We're hoping for a legislated moratorium," Phillips said.

But Missouri House Speaker Catherine Hanaway, R-Warson Woods, said problems documented in Illinois simply haven't come up in Missouri. "So I think we're in a vastly different situation," she said.

Ryan, who left office Monday, announced the commutations Saturday, calling the death penalty process "arbitrary and capricious, and therefore immoral."

Ryan's decision was called an outrage by St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Bob McCulloch, who said the process forced surviving victims and their families to relive the horrors of the crimes that led to the death sentences.

'Most cowardly act'

"They had to go through the charade he called a clemency hearing," McCulloch said. "That was physically and emotionally traumatic. All the while, he knew as he was going out the back door, he was going to commute the sentences of these people. I think it was the most cowardly act of a governor in the history of this country."

McCulloch, who also serves as president-elect of the National District Attorneys Association, said the 7,000-member organization was expected to publicly condemn Ryan's action.

Missouri has been among the nation's leaders in executions in recent years. The state has executed 59 men since the death penalty was reinstated in 1989, and 63 others remain on death row at the maximum security prison in Potosi, about 93 miles northwest of Cape Girardeau.

Tom Block, who heads the St. Louis-based Missourians Against State Killings, said there are several problems with the death penalty that Missouri must address: Blacks and the poor are much more likely to be sentenced to death; Court-appointed lawyers are often inexperienced and inadequate; Missouri remains one of the few places where juvenile offenders can be put to death.

"Innocent people in Missouri are in jeopardy of execution," Block said.

McCulloch, who estimated his office has sent 10 to 15 convicted killers to death row, disagreed.

"Every case is individually reviewed, in some cases for as long as 20 years," he said. "Every case ought to be reviewed, especially death penalty cases. The biggest fear of any prosecutor is putting the wrong guy in prison, especially on death row.

"Every governor has an obligation to review that case again," McCulloch said. "That's another reason this is so outrageous. The wave of a magic wand and he (Ryan) commutes 167 sentences."

Ryan had placed a moratorium on executions three years ago, citing flaws in a system that at the time had improperly kept 13 men on death row until new evidence freed them. On Friday, he pardoned four condemned men, saying they confessed to the crimes only because of beatings and torture by police.

Two Missouri legislators have bills pending related to executions.

Sen. Edward Quick, D-Liberty, has proposed a repeal of the death penalty. Sen. Mary Bland, D-Kansas City, is seeking a nine-member commission to study the death penalty. She also is seeking a temporary freeze on executions.