One of the witnesses that the prosecution brought to the stand was Kathy Nave who originally claimed that she had provided no assistance in the crime. This information was recorded on cassette tape, on which the witness swore on several occasions that she was telling the truth. After the trial, however, she recanted her original claim and admitted to assisting in the murder. Our emotions may cry for vengeance in the wake of a horrible crime, but we know that killing the criminal cannot undo the crime, will not prevent similar crimes by others, does not benefit the victim, destroys human life, and brutalizes society. If we are to still violence, we must cherish life.
Executions cheapen life.
Ramsey Clark, author of Crime in America . I shall ask for the abolition of the punishment of death until I have the infallibility of human judgement demonstrated to me. Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Feb.22, 1994.