Death penalty opponents have asked the governor to halt the execution of a mentally impaired man who was convicted of raping and pushing two sisters to their death in 1991. The execution of Antonio Richardson also has been opposed by the mother of the victims. The case has drawn international attention because Richardson was 16 at the time of the crime, and is borderline mentally retarded with an IQ of 70.
Juvenile executions are particularly worrisome.
Oklahoma executed a man in 1999 who also was 16 at the time of his crime. But I requested clemency for him because of his youth and his diminished mental capacity,'' she said. Her former husband and other family members have said they want the execution to proceed. The men attacked and robbed them, raping the girls before pushing them off the bridge. Along with Richardson, Marlin Gray, then 23, and Reginald Clemons, who was 19 at the time of the crime, were sentenced to death for the slayings.