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William Morva, pictured during his trial in 2007, is due to be executed tomorrow. Matt Gentry AP/PA Images
Death Penalty
Last-minute appeals for mentally ill prisoner due to be executed tomorrow in the US
William Morva was convicted of killing a police officer and a prison guard.
10.51pm, 5 Jul 2017
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TWO TOP UN rights officials added their voices today to a growing chorus of appeals to Virginia’s governor to spare the life of a mentally disturbed man found guilty of killing a police officer and prison guard.
Defenders of 35-year-old William Morva say his fragile psychological condition should preclude his execution, scheduled to take place tomorrow through lethal injection.
His case has reopened the debate in the United States about the execution of mentally unstable prisoners.
“We are deeply concerned about information we have received indicating that Mr Morva’s original trial did not meet fair trial safeguards, which include reasonable accommodation in all stages of the process, and may therefore have breached international standards,” said UN Special Rapporteurs on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, and on right to health, Dainius Puras.
“We are concerned at Mr Morva’s deteriorating psychosocial condition. The denial of reasonable accommodation in detention can be considered a form of discrimination against him because of his mental health condition,” the UN experts added.
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Morva, who holds both US and Hungarian citizenship, had originally been jailed for attempted armed robbery, but in 2006 he escaped from a Virginia prison hospital, beating up a deputy and taking his pistol, which he used to kill a guard.
He then shot dead another sheriff’s deputy a day later during the manhunt close to the campus of Virgina Tech. Both slain officers were fathers of young children.
Morva was sentenced to death in 2008, even though two psychologists had diagnosed him with a severe mental disorder similar to schizophrenia.
His supporters say that Morva had long suffered from psychological delusions which render him incapable of understanding the consequences of his own actions, and that jurors were not given an accurate picture of his mental state during his trial.
During his trial he used the assumed name of Nemo instead of what he called his own “slave name,” and told the court, “You may kill me, that’s guaranteed. There are others like me, and some day they’re going to get together, and they’re going to sweep over your civilization and wipe these smiles off your faces.”
Various rights groups, including the ACLU, have called for a stay of execution in Morva’s case, but the final decision rests with Virgina governor Terry McAuliffe, a Catholic who has spoken out against the death penalty but who has allowed executions to take place on his watch.
We were out shopping on Saturday and practically nobody respecting distancing or wearing face masks.
They don’t even use the hand sanitisation supplied.
I have gone beyond caring about them, we practice hygiene and wear masks to protect ourselves and our family and after that I really couldn’t care less about others.
They think they are “too important” to get the virus then let them on.
@Michael Clinton: A face mask is the dirtiest thing you could have on your face . People wearing the same ones for days even weeks full of snots and all kinds of germs.
@Bren: Ask your teacher about it. Put up your hand first with your finger on your lips and wait til you’re given permission to speak. Pretty sure that’s how it worked in my day anyway
@Michael Maher:
Thank you Doctor Maher, you don’t mind if I don’t pay any heed to your advice.
I shall keep changing filters every 3 days and cleaning the mask every 5 and in the meantime I will mist it with disinfectant after every use.
As long as it keeps me (and my family) healthy I really couldn’t care less about others.
@Michael Clinton: shock and horror, people should also stop driving cars and motorcycles, they account for more deaths globally than this (un)common cold ever could.
@Bren: is that the best you can come up with. ? And no, I ain’t getting back in any box, sure why would I when all the saps are incarcerating themselves in their boxes. ?
@John Brendan Mullen: yes but without the compulsory, in most countries, seat belt wearing, (you know, the strap a few inches wide anchored at 3 points, that goes over your shoulder and across your lap, thats fitted in cars, vans and trucks) and compulsory helmet wearing, again in most countries, (that’s the hard dome like item people on motorcycles wear on their heads) that death toll would be a hell of a lot higher!
@Michael Maher: That’s the idea of the mask….to catch all them snots and germs and not let them out to the general public. After all whats on the inside of your mask came out of your own nose and mouth! How clean the mask is is up to the person wearing it. People are not going around sharing them.
What Struck me from the week was the large increase in the R rate in Germany posted yesterday. This is still an ongoing situation and care must still be taken.
@Thewestisbest: it’s been very hard on our German and UK friends. Wouldn’t it be a great idea to let them holiday here without quarantine. And sure why don’t we open up pubs for them – what’s the worst that could happen?
The further relaxation of restrictions next Monday has gone too far. Restaurants, hair dressing etc: fine providing PPE is worn. Wouldn’t the government keep cinemas, certain sports eg: football, rugby, theatre, concerts and pubs closed until at least July 20th. There cannot be social distancing in those events.
@Anita OGalligan: moan moan moan, whinge whinge whinge, stay inside if in isolation if you’re afraid and let the rest of the country get back to work and play. If you take adequate protection you can’t be infected.
@Dino: Typical response from the me me me covidiots. ‘YOU’ wear the mask. ‘YOU’ take precautions. ‘YOU’ stay in isolation. We can’t go back to normal as vius hasn’t gone away stupid!
@Dino: The problem is that where masks are concerned we need others to wear them. Masks onky offer limited protection to the wearer, but orotect those around them from the wearer if they are in infected.
@Bren: The virus is not going away. You want us to stay locked down until they find a vaccine or a cure? We have next to no new cases everyday – stop being so timid. You’re actively harming people’s lives trying to keep this sorry lockdown going.
@Kevin Bell: We’re not locked down. Never were. We we always feel to move about within a 2km radius. Places where social distancing are impossible were shut. But opening them back up without mandatory mask wearing and just forgetting about the virus we spent the last 3 months to contain is pure stupidity. Global the virus is still increasing at an alarming rate. History will repeat itself. I wish I was wrong about this. I really do.
@Bren: “Pure stupidity”. Good man, sure what do those public health experts know anyway? Far better to overreact to know purpose so the frightened little people can feel safe. You wish you were wrong? You are.
@Kevin Bell: Public health experts suggested a slow phased exit. Businesses and FG want everything back to normality asap. Global cases of Covid-19 are increasing faster day by day. Where am I wrong?
And pretty soon we will see a big rise in numbers in Europe if bounderies open and and people do not have to quarantine. Al you have to do is look at peking and think what would happened in NZ if they had not found those 2 British with a positive test
@Hans Stofberg: yep, I’ll be travelling to Hamburg for Sankt Paulis pre season friendlies. I’d be more worried about catching the clap on the Reeperbahn than catching an (un)common cold.
I’m going to repeat a comment I posted elsewhere: 3 months ago the majority of ye were shouting for lockdown. More worried about yourselves than thinking of a way to help essential services. The guys who still went day in day out. Now it seems the novelty is worn off and now ye are shouting for an end to lockdown… again not worrying about the guys on the front line, because it seems none of you want to do something simple like putting on a mask to help them stop the spread of it. It seems people are more worried about their hairstyles being destroyed by masks than taking care of their neighbours. Fair enough if you have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing it, but that is a minority of people. Most of us dont have that kind of issue wearing one so put them on.
Blatantly not true that 41% are wearing facemasks. These loaded surveys are constantly being pushed out in a discredited manner. As quick visual check would estimate it at 10%
Am I the only one getting depressed by the medias daily body count.? I haven’t watched the news or read a newspaper in weeks, I can’t figure out the media and public obsession with this subject. It’s about as interesting as road traffic accident statistics. People are so easily led by the media it makes me wonder, do these people have any critical analytical perception.?
@John Brendan Mullen: You know you’re posting this on a news and media platform? If you haven’t watched or read the news then how do you know about the daily body account? How can you be critical if you don’t know anything for weeks? I wonder why you are here at all.
@John Brendan Mullen: It actually started getting to my mam, so you are not the only one. Best thing to do is to give yourself a break from it and if you find it really weighing down on you, nearly to the point of obseesing about it, leave the phone behind you going to bed and get a proper alarm clock if that is what you use. Maybe talking to someone may help. Depression is not something to be taken lightly. I hope it works out for you.
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