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Judge Stays Execution Of Soldier Held On Death Row
December 3, 2008
In July, I wrote a post about a Soldier who had been convicted of multiple rapes and murders at Fort Bragg, NC in the 1980s. That Soldier, Sgt Ronald Gray was convicted by a Court Martial panel at Fort Bragg. At that time, he was and continues to be held on death row. His execution was scheduled to be held on December 10th at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In an order from Judge Richard Rogers, a US District Court Judge, that was dated November 26th, the order for the execution to be stayed until further order from the court. Since his conviction in 1988, Gray had been held on death row and on July 28, 2008, President Bush approved the order for him to be put to death. Gray is the longest serving inmate to be held at the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.1
When President Bush signed the order to execute Gray, it was the first time since 1957 that a President has approved a military death sentence. Bush didn’t sign the order until the Supreme Court upheld Gray’s conviction and death sentence. During the appeals process, there were two petitions to the Supreme Court, which were denied by the court. Currently, there are four other military members on death row at Fort Leavenworth, with another who is under a death sentence, moved to Camp Lejeune, NC pending ongoing litigation.2
Having worked in law enforcement, and seeing the horrible crimes that some people commit against others, I agreed with President Bush’s signing of Gray’s death warrant. When he brutally raped and murdered the people that he did, Gray gave no thought to their rights as human beings, no thoughts to the friends and family that were left behind to mourn their loss. I wholeheartedly disagree with Judge Rogers’s decision to stay his execution and hope that his decision will be overturned. The streets of our cities would be a much safer place without predators like this lurking and preying on innocent people.
- http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/army_gray_120208w/ [↩]
- http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/12/army_gray_120208w/ [↩]
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Judge Rogers has no legal say in this matter. It has been to the highest court already, the exicution can go on legally and no lower court Judge can stop it. His say means nothing and this monster will be put to death soon.