Edward J. Zakrzewski Execution

Florida took three decades to execute someone. I continue to agree with Justice Breyer that there is a constitutional problem with doing that. 

The crime was simply horrible. A 29-year-old murdered his wife and two young children (ages five and seven) after learning his wife was going to divorce him. The crime was horrible. For instance, a quick summary cites that he "attacked and battered his wife with a crowbar and machete and strangled her." 

He fled the scene but eventually surrendered. He also pleaded guilty. The jury was divided (7-5 for two and 6-6 on the third) on the death penalty. The judge overrode the third, which would have originally meant life imprisonment. A simple majority was enough.

A judge overriding the jury and the jury narrowly dividing are red flags. The death sentence is a determination that a person is guilty of a crime worthy of death. In my view, it is an additional level of proof that needs to be obtained. 

Many members of the jury believed this was a horrible emotional crime that was not worthy of the death penalty. He has been in prison for three decades. He could serve more time. It is arbitrary to execute him after all this time, after such a divided verdict.

The rules regarding a judge overriding and a simple majority being enough have changed. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court (including now) has not shown much interest in overriding past applications of the practice.

This is another execution that won't horrify many people. I don't have the visceral disgust of all executions that some people have. Nonetheless, the whole process does seem arbitrary. As does this one. 

Family violence continues to be a problem in this country. Execution, decades later, is of limited value in addressing it. More executions in August.