Death row inmate Anthony Sanchez has been executed.
Now, although abolished in many countries, the death penalty is still retained in some parts of the world.
These countries include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and of course, the United States of America.
The death penalty has been a part of the U.S. justice system for centuries…
And the penalty, which is often referred to as capital punishment, has been in action since approximately 1608… Yep, it’s really that old.
But it’s not currently legal in every state.
And as the years have gone on, it’s become more and more of a controversial and taboo subject.
Many U.S. states have now abolished the death penalty for a number of reasons…
Including the risk factors of executing an innocent person, the fact it doesn’t prevent future crimes, and the fact that it is both discriminatory and can be used politically, as per Amnesty.
Organizations such as Amnesty have been fighting for decades to have the death penalty abolished entirely.
And they have been trying to expose and hold to account governments that continue to use the punishment.
Many find the death penalty totally barbaric.
When questioned, it’s difficult to justify the state killing its citizens.
Campaigners argued that many of those executed over the last few years were killed despite suffering from serious mental and physical illnesses…
Which should have rendered the death penalty an unconstitutional punishment.
And some states have made huge progress in this field.
History was made by Virginia being the first-ever southern state to abolish the death penalty.
Other states which have abolished capital punishment include Alaska, Maine, and Massachusetts.
Alongside New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Washington.
Virginia is now the twenty-third state to abolish the death penalty.
And many are hoping for other Southern states to follow suit.
Death row inmate Benjamin Cole was the sixth person to be executed in Oklahoma since the state resumed executions last year.
But before he was executed, he requested an interesting combination of food for his final meal.
Cole ended up on death row after he murdered his nine-month-old baby girl, Brianna, back in 2002.
Brianna’s spine snapped as he bent her legs back to stop her from crying.
Not only did it snap her spine, but it caused her aorta to tear up.
And to make matters even worse, he went back to playing his video games with his deceased daughter’s body lying in the house.
Brianna’s uncle said he “can’t fathom” what Cole did to his own daughter.
“I can’t fathom how any human could do what this man did to this baby. How could any human do that to a baby? The mind boggles me. That’s why I am encouraging you guys to deny him clemency,” he said.
Following the horrific act, Cole was subject to the death penalty.
It was reported that he died from lethal injection.
According to the protocol in the state…
Inmates in Oklahoma are given a budget of $25 for their final meal.
The protocol states that “reasonable effort shall be made to accommodate the request, which shall not exceed $25.”
For his final meal, he requested a veggie lasagne.
Alongside the lasagne, his meal consisted of salad with dressing, tortilla, and a fruit drink packet.
It was served to him at 7.30 p.m, on Wednesday, 19, October, 2022.
And this week, Oklahoma has executed another prisoner.
Anthony Sanchez, 44, was pronounced dead at 10:19 a.m. following the lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
He was sentenced for the killing of 21-year-old Juli Busken back in 1996.
But maintained his innocence until the end.
“I’m innocent,” Sanchez said. “I didn’t kill nobody.”
Juli was murdered 26 years, nine months and one day ago. The family has found closure and peace,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said.
Sanchez is the third inmate put to death in Oklahoma this year.
And the 10th since the state resumed carrying out the death penalty in 2021.