SAN ANTONIO – For the fifth year in a row, executions in Texas are down, tracking a national trend, according to figures released this month by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
The numbers show that in Texas, 13 inmates were executed 2018, and nine were put to death by lethal injection in 2019.
Report: 5th straight year with under 30 executions in U.S.
“I think that we’re evolving as a society and straying away from barbarism,” said Warren Wolf, attorney and death penalty opponent. “I don’t think (juries) see erasing a human life in exchange for another one as the solution."
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales favors execution in some cases and plans to seek the death penalty for accused cop killer Otis McKane, who is scheduled to be tried next month for the execution-style slaying of veteran San Antonio police Detective Benjamin Marconi.
Though not speaking specifically about the McKane case, Gonzales said, “I believe that the death penalty should be reserved for the worst of the worst.”
“The fact that he or she takes their last breath in prison and will no longer be among us may be enough,” said Gonzales, noting that juries have the option of life in prison without the possibility of parole in capital murder cases.
Wolf agrees and suggests that may be a factor in the number of executions trending downward.
“People see that, and they’re not as willing to vote to kill somebody,” he said.