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O'Malley Voices Support of Bill to End Death Penalty
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Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George's) said he could not support a repeal because he had a gun held to his head three years ago.
Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert), the House minority leader, said he would not support a repeal and said he is certain that many share his position, across party lines. "We need the death penalty for the most heinous cases," he said.
Gladden and Rosenberg said they expected support from O'Malley, who has consistently said he opposes the death penalty. But O'Malley also has said that his views would not prevent him from following the law and signing death warrants.
O'Malley rarely mentioned the death penalty in his primary campaign against then-Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) or in the general election race against Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R).
O'Malley has argued that the death penalty is not a deterrent and that money spent on prosecuting death penalty cases could be better spent fighting violent crime.
Rosenberg said that a sentence of life without the possibility of parole would be an "enormous deterrent" to committing murder.
"The time and effort litigating these cases, that goes into legislating this issue, could be spent on preventative measures that make each and every citizen more safe in their home," Rosenberg said.
The death penalty repeal was not part of the 13-bill legislative agenda that O'Malley issued this week.
"There are good people who have strong feelings on both sides of the issue," he said.
