The people of Washington State are planning to execute James Elledge on August 28, 2001, even though the jury was denied information necessary for them to decide whether to sentence him to death.

After a jury finds a defendant guilty, the jury hears additional evidence and decides whether to sentence the offender to death or to life without any possibility of parole. To make this life-or-death decision, the jury needs complete information.

Mr. Elledge wanted to die, so he prevented the jury from hearing evidence that would likely have saved his life. He did not let the jury know that he had been abused as a child; had been damaged by incarceration off and on since the age of 10; might be mentally ill; has twice attempted suicide; and was a model prisoner who -- during a prison riot in another state -- had saved a guard's life and helped prevent other prisoners from escaping.

Washington's death penalty law allowed this suicidal person to hide such crucial information from the jury. As a result, the jury could not make a well-informed decision.

If we care about true justice, we would change the law to make sure evidence about mitigating circumstances will be presented during the sentencing trial.

Mr. Elledge will be the fourth person executed in Washington under our current death penalty law. Three of the four have been "volunteers" -- people who wanted to die and manipulated the legal system so the state would kill them. Washington's death penalty is not about justice. Instead, it selects people who are suicidal and/or mentally ill.

Washingtonians feel smug and superior to Texas and the South, but the death penalty is used unjustly here, too.

Gov. Locke has the legal authority to change Mr. Elledge's sentence to life without any possibility of parole. Until we fix the law, that is the least we can do. It is a matter of life and death.

~ Glen Anderson

updated August 15, 2001

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