The tests end more than a decade of debate by death penalty advocates on both side of the Cleman issue. More than 1,000 have been put to death in the United States since the penalty was re-introduced in 1976. Coleman maintained his innocence in the 1981 crime up until the time of his execution, and never admitted guilt. The governor at the time, Douglas Wilder, allowed the sanction to proceed against Coleman after he failed a lie-detector test  shortly before the execution was carried out.
The tests end more than a decade of debate by death penalty advocates on both side of the Coleman issue. More than 1,000 have been put to death in the United States since the penalty was re-introduced in 1976. Coleman maintained his innocence in the 1981 crime up until the time of his execution, and never admitted guilt. The governor at the time, Douglas Wilder, allowed the sanction to proceed against Coleman after he failed a lie-detector test administered shortly before the execution was carried out.
R
Cleman
Coleman
A
administered