Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley

MARYLAND TO REVOKE DEATH PENALTY?

February 21, 2007: Governor Martin O'Malley testified in favor of ending the state's death penalty law, saying capital punishment was "not a deterrent, but very possibly an accelerant to murder." O'Malley testified before the state Senate and House Committees on replacing the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Death penalty opponents, including several death row inmates later proved innocent, supported ending capital punishment in Maryland.
The state's highest court barred executions until lawmakers officially clarify the lethal injection procedure, possibly opening a window for repeal.
Maryland has executed five people since the death penalty was reinstated in 1975, with six men currently on death row. A University of Maryland study indicated racial bias in the state's implementation of capital punishment.
All of the people executed since 1975 or currently on death row were convicted of killing white people. (Sources: Associated Press, 21/02/2007)