Baltimore County prosecutors have sought the death penalty more than any other county in Maryland, and newly elected State?s Attorney Scott Shellenberger wants to keep the possibility of executions on the books.
“It is sad but true that some criminals cannot live in any society, including prison,” Shellenberger said in written testimony against the proposed ban on executions. “I believe in the death penalty. I believe in a deterrence of one. That means John Thanos, Steven Oken, Wesley Baker, and Tyrone Gilliam will never kill again. There was no question of the guilt of any of them.”
These were four of the five men executed in Maryland in the past three decades, and all four were sentenced in cases brought by Baltimore County prosecutors. Shellenberger prosecuted Oken.
Sandra O?Connor, Baltimore County state?s attorney for 32 years, pursued the death penalty in every case that met the criteria in the law, but in last year?s campaign Shellenberger said he was willing to look at the circumstances of the crime.
The Maryland Catholic Conference, which favors repeal, cites studies that show inmates with life sentences are often model prisoners, and most prison murders are committed by those convicted of lesser crimes.
Shellenberger said there were plenty of safeguards in the appeals process and said Gov. Martin O?Malley would “intelligently and thoughtfully consider clemency.” He wasn?t even deterred by Kirk Bloodsworth?s wrongful conviction and death sentence in Baltimore County before he was freed by DNA testing.
“With scientific advances of the last few years, the certainty of convictions will be assured,” Shellenberger said.
“The death penalty is to make certain that the worst murderers will never kill again,” he said.
