Senior Associate
According to a report by Boston.com, a proposed law could make convicted cop killers eligible for the death penalty in Massachusetts.
Proposed by Republican state reps. Shaunna O’Connell and David DeCoste, the bill would give state prosecutors the option to seek capital punishment in cases involving a defendant (of at least age 18) convicted of murdering a law enforcement officer. According to the drafted legislature, anyone who murders an officer “either knowing that the victim was a law enforcement officer engaged in the performance of his or her duties or in retaliation for the performance of his or her duties, or both.”
“The people who committed these crimes, there’s no question of their guilt and we need to really stand with law enforcement and send a strong message that we do not tolerate the murder of any of our law enforcement officers.” – O’Connell
“I don’t believe that the authors of our constitution ever intended for us to be limited in terms of what we can apply the death penalty to, certainly not to protect law enforcement officers.” – DeCoste