Death Penalty

Washington County State's Attorney Charles P. Strong Jr. filed notice Wednesday that he will seek the death penalty for Brandon Morris if a jury convicts the inmate of first-degree murder in the Jan. 26 shooting that resulted in the death of Roxbury Correctional Institution Officer Jeffery Alan Wroten. Read the full story in Thursday's Herald-Mail newspapers.

ANNAPOLIS -- Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley says the death penalty does nothing to prevent crime and is an outdated form of punishment. He's pushing legislation that would abolish the death penalty -- a proposal not supported by any members of Washington County's delegation to the Maryland General Assembly. "I support the death penalty," said Sen. Donald F. Munson, R-Washington. "And I will not vote for the repeal under any circumstances. " Munson said he also would support a filibuster if the issue is debated before the full Senate.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Maryland's new death penalty statute likely will not apply to Douglas Wayne Pryor, who is accused of murdering two Washington County residents, based on an interpretation of the law by the Maryland Attorney General's Office. State officials said earlier this month they were unsure whether the bill would be retroactive, making it unclear if Pryor would qualify for the death penalty under restrictions in the new law. Pryor has been charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Alison Munson, and Smithsburg Police Officer Christopher Shane Nicholson in 2007.

ANNAPOLIS -- Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley once again is asking state lawmakers to ban the death penalty. Previous attempts have failed, and it remains unclear if the bill will be successful this year. Sen. Alex X. Mooney, R-Frederick/Washington, is considered a key swing vote and could be the deciding factor on whether the legislation moves forward. He sits on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, which heard the bill Wednesday. No action was taken. Under the bill, life without parole would replace the death penalty as the most severe punishment for criminal acts.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Considering the number of slayings recently in the Eastern Panhandle, a local lawmaker said he believes there is support for bringing back the death penalty in West Virginia. Del. Larry Faircloth, R-Berkeley, said the violence is proof that the current system of punishment does not work. Faircloth said he believes the idea of the death penalty should be put before the voters for a decision. "I personally believe it would prevail," said Faircloth. There have been two shooting deaths in Berkeley and Jefferson counties since November.

HAGERSTOWN-The defense team for a Roxbury Correctional Institution inmate charged in the 2006 slaying of a correctional officer has filed a motion challenging the state's intent to seek the death penalty. Brandon T. Morris, 21, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, assaulting a Department of Corrections employee, robbery, first-degree escape, using a handgun during a violent crime, disarming an officer and other counts in the slaying of Roxbury Correctional Officer Jeffery Alan Wroten.

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. - Lawyers for a Roxbury Correctional Institution inmate charged in the 2006 slaying of a correctional officer on Friday asked a Howard County circuit judge to strike the state's notice of intent to seek the death penalty. Brandon T. Morris, 21, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and other charges in the slaying of Roxbury Correctional Officer Jeffery Alan Wroten. Wroten, 44, of Martinsburg, W.Va., was shot in the face with his own gun while guarding Morris at Washington County Hospital on Jan. 26, 2006, police have said.

The Franklin County District Attorney has filed a notice that will give him the option to pursue the death penalty in the case against a Waynesboro, Pa., man charged with fatally shooting his wife and two other people in July. District Attorney Matt Fogal said Friday during a press conference in the Franklin County Courthouse annex that the filing of the notice of aggravating circumstances will allow his office - if it chooses - to request at a later time to seek the death penalty for Kevin M. Cleeves.

ANNAPOLIS ? While rounding up support for the death penalty on Wednesday, two relatives of slain Smithsburg Police Officer Christopher Shane Nicholson ran into Gov. Martin O'Malley outside the State House and chatted with him. The chance encounter led to O'Malley mentioning them at the start of his State of the State address. They might not have found a like mind in O'Malley, but Kimmy Armstrong and Carole Ingram - Nicholson's aunt and great aunt - said they thanked the governor for coming to Nicholson's funeral.

Gov. Martin O'Malley testified Thursday at hearings in front of the House and Senate judicial committees in support of his bill to repeal the death penalty, but a majority of Washington County legislators still support the death penalty. “Is the death penalty consistent with our values as people?” asked Gov. O'Malley at the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee hearing Thursday. “Capital punishment is expensive. It does not work.” At the senate hearing, Sen. Christopher Shank, R-Washington, who is a member of the Senate committee, asked O'Malley what the ultimate punishment would be for an inmate who would kill a correctional officer if the death penalty was not an option in the state.