The Scary Side of the Death Penalty (By State): Georgia

The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is the execution of someone convicted of a crime resulting in the sentence of death. Methods such as hanging, firing squad, electrocution and lethal injection have been used, varying from state to state.

This series gives each state their own blog, designated to their wrongdoings, and their costs for the use of capital punishment. It covers botched executions, mentally ill patients, racism, and exonerations, as proof to abolish the death penalty.

*Beware, some parts of this blog may be triggering. *

GEORGIA

In the state of Georgia, being sentenced to death started in the 1700s. The first people documented in Georgia to have been executed were a 19-year-old, pregnant, indentured woman, Alice Riley and her boyfriend Richard White. Alice took a ship from Ireland to Georgia. While on the ship, Alice started dating a man named Richard White. When they arrived, the couple ended up being enslaved by a cruel and abusive man named William Wise. Sometime in March 1734, Wise was found dead. He had been strangled. Alice and Richard were accused of murdering him. Richard was immediately hanged, but Alice was granted a temporary stay until the baby was born. (At least they had some sort of morals). After giving birth in 1735, Alice was killed by hanging for the murder of Wise.

No one knows if they actually committed the murder.

MENTAL ILLNESS: The majority of mental health disorders cannot be cured; they can only be managed. More funding for programs, higher pay for professionals, offering therapy in schools, and normalizing these things would aid in helping prevent crime and trauma caused by mental illness.

23-year-old, black male, Jerry Banks, a semi-truck driver was convicted of murdering two people in 1974. While hunting in the woods, he found two dead bodies. He then went to the nearest road and flagged down a motorist, telling them to go call the police. Jerry waited at the crime scene for law enforcement to arrive. Even with him cooperating, the state still charged Jerry with murder. The prosecution offered him a plea deal: life in prison for a guilty plea. Jerry refused, saying, "Even if they let me walk away free. I didn't kill those people." The prosecution never established a clear motive and only presented circumstantial evidence, but the jury found Jerry guilty of both murders anyway. He was sentenced to death.

Alex Crumbley, a public defender, heard about Jerry's case. Crumbley and three of his colleagues: A.J. Welch, Jr., Stephen P. Harrison, and his brother, all agreed to work pro bono on his case. Convinced of Jerry's innocence, they reviewed evidence and worked day and night on his case. When the defense presented proof that could destroy the credibility of the prosecution's key witness, the prosecution agreed to drop the charges.

Jerry Banks

After spending six years on death row, Jerry was released from prison on December 22, 1980. Although free from incarceration, Jerry struggled to adjust to his new life outside of the concrete walls and razor fences he was used to. His wife wanted a divorce and custody of their three children, which was too much for Jerry to bear. On March 29, 1981, he shot his wife and then shot himself. After his death, Jerry's mother sued for $12 million for mishandling the initial murder investigation. Jerry's children received a settlement made outside of court for $150,000.

BOTCHED EXECUTIONS: Botched executions occur when protocols aren't followed. There are numerous documented botched executions throughout history showing the severity of these errors. The lethal injection has been most criticized for its high error rates and the secrecy about the drugs used. These factors have raised questions about the ethics and efficacy of capital punishment.

Georgia tortured a man by electrocution before killing him on December 12, 1984. Alpha Otis Stephens was convicted of murder during a burglary in 1974. When it was time for his execution ​the first jolt of electricity failed to kill him. He strug­gled to breathe for eight min­utes before a sec­ond jolt finally killed him. After the first jolt of electricity, the executioners stopped the execution for six minutes in order to let his body cool down, to decide if another jolt was needed for his death.

Alpha Otis Stephens

During that six-minute break, he took 23 breaths, still struggling to breathe. Alpha also suffered immense pain from burning inside out. His killing was cruel and unusual.

EXONERATIONS: Georgia has exonerated 185 people from death row since 1973. 185 people who could've been unjustly killed by the state of Georgia.

In 1977, Johnny Lee Gates, a black man was convicted of murder, rape, and robbery of a white woman. He was sentenced to death. A neighbor reported seeing a white man running down the stairs and out of the building. The next day, a young white man from a prominent family was discovered fondling the victim's body in a funeral home. Police later testified that they contacted that man, who then confessed to murdering the young woman, providing facts about the case that only the true murderer could have known. Despite this, the prosecution told the grand jury not to indict, and the white man was set free. Due to the exclusion of black jurors, suppression of evidence, and tainted witnesses, Johnny was convicted. The Georgia Innocence Project picked up the case and found new DNA evidence that showed significant doubt on the state’s case, while also finding evidence of race discrimination in the jury selection.

Johnny Lee Gates

After nearly 43 years, on May 15, 2020, Johnny took an Alford Plea, agreeing to lesser charges, while maintaining innocence and was released from prison.

RACISM: In the 1800s and long after, Georgia had laws based on race. People were killed by the state for things such as aiding a runaway slave, horse stealing, helping with revolts, and causing insurrections. If a black person assaulted a white person, it was an automatic lynching. A POC or a black person just being ALLEGED in ANY crime, such as jaywalking, would be sentenced to death. Some were burnt at the stake.

COST: Trials for capital punishment take much longer to start due to being more complex than non-capital cases. Experts are usually need­ed for evidence, men­tal health screenings, and the life his­to­ry of the defen­dant.

In order to eliminate mistakes, every person sentenced to death is allowed several appeals. Since most defendants can't afford private lawyers, the state has to provide representation which costs the state lots of money. However, these appeals are important as they have prevented executions at the very last minute.

Each death penalty trial and execution ranges from $1.5 to $3 million. These costs are paid for by tax­pay­ers in each county of the state. The average annual cost per inmate in the state's prisons is approximately $19,977. Making death more expensive than living. These numbers prove how capital punishment is a financial burden on the state of Georgia.

RANDOM GEORGIA FACTS: Lethal injection is the current form of execution used in this state. There are currently 36 people on death row. The Insanity Defense is allowed.* At least 950 people were executed before 1976.

Capital punishment is cruel, unusual, inhumane and costly, and needs to be dismantled.

Be the one to help spread awareness by presenting facts to the uneducated.

Together we can fight for the abolishment of capital punishment!

*(At the time this blog was published.)

Email me at: info@preventnotpunish.com for any questions or comments.

Sources:

deathpentalyinfo.org

georgiainnocenceproject.org/cases/freed-clients/

Death Penalty Information Center

theinnocenceproject.org