Antigua vows to enforce death penalty

hangman nooseAntigua & Barbuda is to begin actively enforcing the death penalty after a 22-year lull.

The announcement was made by Minister of National Security Dr Errol Cort hours after 38-year-old Susan Powell was shot dead at her workplace. It also comes amid an apparent increase in gun-related crimes.

The shooting death has prompted government to offer EC $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the killing of the mother of five.

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33 Comments

  1. Justice and Truth
    March 2, 2013

    Way to go Antigua and Barbuda. I endorse it. There are too many bleeding hearts who do not want to bring back the death penalty. In the meantime, the world is losing people, prominent ones, business people, innocent and young ones.
    Imagine going about your business including befriending certain people and you are murdered, deprived of your life. They have no right to kill people. I vote for hanging/execution. Why? Because they took a life. If they remain in prison for life they cost taxpayers an exorbitant sum of money. Imagine some of them are able to study for a degree in prison. This money is at the expense of taxpayers. It has happened in Canada. I have no empathy for cold-blooded murderers and those who pre-meditate murders and carry them out. I am a member of the public. We need a safe society as God meant for each and everyone of us.

  2. wells
    February 28, 2013

    im one who personally believe that the death penalty is the right punishment for the way forward in reducing crime or should i say sending a message to those thugs out there who mthinks they can get away with murder.way to go antigua dominica will soon follow

  3. daadgf
    February 28, 2013

    dominica should bring it back too

  4. APE X
    February 27, 2013

    @Rational
    O.K. The usual “statistics show.” America is not the world. What works for America (What does?) does not necessarily work for us. Just look at their stupid drug war. That’s working?

    What does statistics show about the amount of muderers who pass through the legal system and live to get fat in or out of prison?

    What does statistics show for those who are left to mourn the murder victims?

    What does statistics show for the abject fear and suffering put upon the victim before death?

    Find out what statistics say about the loss to society by the untimely removal of some of its members by evil coward minds with gun (or other weapon) in hand.

    It is not the death penalty that leads to more deaths it is easy access to guns. When there was the death penalty and no easy access to guns there were much less murders. Find the statistics that will prove me wrong.

    I hope Dominicans are not buying into the meme that guns dont kill, ropes do.

    • Rational
      February 28, 2013

      I appreciate your passion on this issue. I too was pro death penalty until I did a lot of research and found no benefit in its use in a democratic society. This is one of those issues where what may make sense on the personal emotional level dose not work at the community level. Only long drawn out court cases and added expense to the system as a whole results from the death penalty. There is absolutely no proof that the threat of the death penalty stops people from killing.

  5. February 27, 2013

    From very early after GOD created man,he(GOD) made it very clear that anyone that takes a life,he who takes the life(killer)his lfe is required in turn.
    Whoso sheddeth man’s blood,by man shall his blood be shed:for in the image of GOD made he man.
    Genesis 9:6
    And so as man is becoming more and more vain in his own imagination,what GOD says by way of his commandments is of no effect.
    Of no effect,man thinks,but the consequences of our actions we will continue to see and feel.
    The advance nations keeps pressuring the third world nations to do away with capital punishment.Threatening to with hold any type off fundings and even cut ties with them.Claiming that it does not serve any good purpose,people will still commit murders,and it only hurt the families of both parties,the victim as well as the accused.
    And so the nations keep bowing…With that said,no one will be able to convince me that the bible is not the book,the book that gives us the clear words of GOD…Are we not heading towards the time that the world has never seen,and it will never be seen again.When the world we be under the leadership of one man.
    Individuals will be bowing to the system by accepting a mark in their foreheads or in the hand,only to be able to do business,in a nut shell to be recognize.
    And so the very same GOD that puts each and everyone of us there,and keeps us there by his grace.Sadly there are those who suddenly see themselves above GOD and HE beneath them.
    The third world nations holds the advantage,by taking pages out off the advance nations’books.
    Learn from their mistakes.
    Take one the super power.Why do you think she is in all that mess.Blessed in the past… rises above the one that blessed her;at lest that what she thinks…and said to her blesser thanks but no thanks I’ll take control of my own ship.
    And so when we put him aside..go up ahead of him.. or take control of our ship,he will relinquish to us…and for sure the ship will end up on the rocks…we then have only ourselves to blame.
    We can’t crunch our fist in GOD’s face and get away with it..no..no…no…
    Take note third world nations…
    Righteousness always exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverb 14:34

    • budman
      February 27, 2013

      here we go. waiting on Truth and l4J to chime in

  6. me
    February 27, 2013

    Wow so strange no one called for death penalty after young lady was shot in gas station a little more than one year ago. Anyways if that’s wat going to stop the killing go for it.

    • budman
      February 27, 2013

      actually they did call for it then especially when ex police was involved.

  7. MADNESS
    February 27, 2013

    They could bring back the death penalty, when they are sure is the RIGHT person, if it is the wrong person, that would be a real travesty, because a lot of innocent people are imprisoned and hanged, so if it is the RIGHT person, I say HANGE EM HIGH

    • Rational
      February 27, 2013

      There is a lot of evidence that such mistakes are likely: in the USA, 130 people sentenced to death have been found innocent since 1973. Source: Amnesty International

  8. Rational
    February 27, 2013

    “Statistics show that the death penalty leads to a brutalisation of society and an increase in murder rate. In the USA, more murders take place in states where capital punishment is allowed. In 2010, the murder rate in states where the death penalty has been abolished was 4.01 per cent per 100,000 people. In states where the death penalty is used, the figure was 5.00 per cent. These calculations are based on figures from the FBI. The gap between death penalty states and non-death penalty states rose considerably from 4 per cent difference in 1990 to 25 per cent in 2010.” Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report, from Death Penalty Information Center
    The death penalty also leeds to the murder of more witnesses and police officers.
    Enforcing the death sentence costs the criminal justice system far more than life in prison. Of corse on a personal level the death penalty makes emotional sense. On a societal level it dose more harm.

    • salt
      February 27, 2013

      dont agree a bit. where you get those statistics from.?

      • Rational
        February 27, 2013

        The source of the stats is indicated. You may not like it but the reality is the Death penalty dose not help fight crime it only makes it worse and cost a democratic society dearly. There is far more proof of this than any proof in favour of the death penalty. In New York and New Jersey, the high costs of capital punishment were one factor in those states’ decisions to abandon the death penalty. New York spent about $170 million over 9 years and had no executions. New Jersey spent $253 million over a 25-year period and also had no executions. Source: Death Penalty Information Center

        The death penalty remains fraught with arbitrariness, discrimination, caprice, and mistake … Experience has taught us that the constitutional goal of eliminating arbitrariness and discrimination from the administration of death … can never be achieved without compromising an equally essential component of fundamental fairness – individualized sentencing.
        Justice Harry Blackmun, United States Supreme Court, 1994

    • simplicity
      February 27, 2013

      Death increasing in US just because of more development and urbanisation. You just cant compare US to Dominica.

      We need it in Dominica but first our DPP needs to start winning cases, too many murderers getting off scott free or files disappear etc.

    • Channel 1
      February 27, 2013

      That is a lie from the bottom less pit. You just made this foolishness up. Your so called statistics must have been from a bad coloring book.

    • A Voice
      February 27, 2013

      Ok so here are some facts concerning the death penalty issue that just cannot be disputed.

      1) An executed person never returned to commit another crime.

      2) An executed person will no longer be housed, fed, clothed, and given medical services by the tax payers of society anymore.

      I double dare you to dispute that…

      • Rational
        March 1, 2013

        Sure you are absolutely right with these two statements. However a criminal facing the death penalty is far more likely to kill any witnesses or police officers who may get in there way thus increasing the possibility of them killing again before they are executed. And the cost to a democratic society to make sure that innocent people are not wrongly convicted means that the legal costs for trying the accused can clime into the millions of dollars and drag on for years. In the mean time the accused is still being housed and fed in prison. Tax payers money would be better spent on improving the justice system. I am sorry But the death penalty just dose not achieve the goals we all would like. Less violence, safer society and lower costs for a justice system. It tends to produce the opposite.

    • Justice and Truth
      March 2, 2013

      This is no argument. Cease your nonsense. Do not get me angry. You already did. No matter what, I state hang/execute them. It could be either your life or your family’s life or others. As the world and years progresses, who is next? They did not give two hoots about the life of others and they expect to live? After they murder people, they do not deserve to live one second.
      Do you not know that lives are precious and we must preserve life? This does not pertain to murderers. There are too many people, innocent and young ones as well being murdered. The world is also losing many innocent lives. If I were a judge, they would either get the noose or lethal injection. This is what they deserve. Get rid of them from the face of the earth. Let Hell be their lot.

  9. Yes Fada!
    February 27, 2013

    Small island; so bloodshot though. Someone dispensed of this woman’s life like it was nothing…Jah knows.

  10. February 27, 2013

    KUDOOS TO ANTIGUA..loud applause

  11. Faceup
    February 27, 2013

    I say hang them high !!

  12. Federal
    February 27, 2013

    Congratulations Minister of National Security Dr Errol Cort, good move. It wont stop crime but Criminals would be punished appropriately. Dominica should follow.

  13. TRUEMAN
    February 27, 2013

    ***HANG THEM HIGH***

    Antigua, I agree with you. The same need to be done here at home.

    We all law abiding citizens have EARNED the right to walk this land FREE from any senseless and violent assault!! Why should anyone be at the mercy of criminals who mainly wants to satisfy their “CRIMINAL URGES”!!!!!

    So yes, bring back the DEATH PENALTY!!!

    -Thanks

    • Peter
      February 27, 2013

      I am in agreement with the Antigua authorities, with all the Deportees the USA will be sending back to the Caribbean, Antigua is preparing for the worst

      Indeed, very sad situation

      Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent and the others islands need to do the same

  14. budman
    February 27, 2013

    a gunman walked into the downtown Heritage Quay Mall at 1:15PM BROAD DAYLIGHT and shot the salesperson in the electronics store in the head and then walked out the store. in a busy area and he didn’t wear a mask. that’s how brazen these criminals are nowadays

    • Lovely
      February 27, 2013

      so damn sad. Hope someone noticed or camera picked him up. To fricking brave and wicked and vile and malicious. Now children have to be left motherless.

  15. Lougaoo Mem
    February 27, 2013

    Good move! Not sure it will deter crime of passion, but certainly the government must send a strong message to criminals. When implemented, hope they’ll think twice before they kill.

  16. gillian blanc
    February 27, 2013

    Like hanging is going to make a any difference Look at America, the land of the ‘Free’ ( i use this term loosely) how many of our brothers and sisters are behind bars and on death row. There must be another way. surely?

    • Raven
      February 27, 2013

      They put themselves there… what other dam way you want again? an eye for an eye, a life for a life… That’s the way the world turns.

  17. Anonymous
    February 27, 2013

    Hang them higth, about time dominca should adopt that to.

  18. mouth of the south
    February 27, 2013

    read the story on another dominican web news site… it’s sad the way it was described, nothing seemed to have been stolen… in dominica we need to enforce ours also…

  19. grell
    February 27, 2013

    may this innocent lady soul rest in peace,and god guide her kids,am looking @ this picture those guys should be retired and bring in some new faces.never liked antigua and still dont.

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