NCADP August Execution Alert

Betreff: NCADP August Execution Alert

Datum: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 16:54:12 -0400 (EDT)

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

e - @ b o l i t i o n i s t

August 2006

Please forward and cross-post this message widely.

As Many As Eleven Executions Scheduled this month

Eleven people are scheduled to be executed in the month of August. There will be at least one execution per week, and three on the third and fifth weeks. Among those scheduled for execution are a South Dakota person who would be the first person put to death in that state since 1947 and an Ohio man who is arguably severely mentally ill and possibly suffers from mental retardation.

Elijah Page, who has dropped his appeals, is set to be executed in South Dakota on Aug. 28.

Darrell Ferguson, who is mentally ill and borderline mentally retarded, is set to be executed by the state of Ohio on August 8th.

Read more about these and the other cases below -- and ACT!

Do Not Execute Elijah Page!

Page was a product of a drug ridden and disturbed household. Page was repeatedly beaten and sexually abused; his mother often would allow drug dealers to molest Page in exchange for drugs and his step-father once used him as a human shield in a drug-related shoot out. Warren Johnson, the judge who presided over Page’s punishment trial, stated, “Most parents treated their pets better than your parents treated you.”

This will be South Dakota’s first execution since 1947 and its first execution since the re-instatement of the death penalty in the state in 1979. Page has become a volunteer on death row by refusing to submit further appeals.

ACT NOW by contacting Gov. Mike Rounds requesting that he stop the execution of Elijah Page!

Do Not Execute Darrell Ferguson!

Prior to his trial, Ferguson waived his right to a jury, pled guilty to all charges, and waived his right to presentation of any mitigating evidence. This alone is indicative of someone with poor mental health.

Aditionally, medical records show that he had been receiving treatment over several years for ADHD and other psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder. Ferguson engaged in activities frequently associated with brain damage, including a long history of substance abuse. His medical records provide reasons to believe that he may have brain dysfunction, but results of any neuropsychological testing were never presented to a jury.

Ferguson has an IQ of 77, was enrolled in special education, and demonstrated “significant elevations on the Mania, Antisocial Features, and Aggression scales” through personality testing. He has also been hospitalized due to suicide attempts. Ferguson had been prescribed a mood stabilizing drug, an antidepressant drug, a drug used to decrease agitation, and a drug used to control aggressive behavior. However, he had refused to take them for the two and a half months leading up to the time of the murders.

ACT NOW by contacting Gov. Bob Taft requesting that Darrell Ferguson's execution be halted!

Read More and Take Action at: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4739

See and act on all current Execution Alerts at

http://www.ncadp.org/execution_alerts.html

August 3: William Wyatt Jr., TX
http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/ncadp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4738