Virginia lawmakers outlaw death penalty

Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has said he will sign a bill that would make Virginia the 23rd state to stop executions. The Virginia House and Senate approved identical but separate bills repealing the death penalty on Monday.

Will the change affect any current prisoners? The state has two men on death row. They would instead face life in prison without parole. Anthony Juniper received a death sentence in the 2004 killings of his ex-girlfriend, two of her children, and her brother. Thomas Porter was convicted in the 2005 killing of a Norfolk police officer. Virginia has used the death penalty more than any other state dating back to its days as a colony. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, Virginia, with 113 executions, is second only to Texas.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in Liberties about the debate over whether to allow clergy in the execution room.