Executions Resume: Federal Government Restarts Capital Punishment for Death Row Inmates
Execution of Alabama inmate for heinous rape and murder of girlfriend's relative
In an unexpected move, Attorney General William Barr announced the federal government would reinstate the death penalty for death row inmates. Jonathan Morris anticipates this decision will be used as a resource for Democrats to claim the 'moral high ground.'
Last Thursday, an inmate in Alabama was executed following his conviction for the 2010 sexual assault and fatal stabbing of 44-year-old mother Tracy Lynn Wilemon in Chilton County. James Osgood, 55, was declared dead at 6:35 p.m. Thursday after receiving a lethal injection at a south Alabama prison.
Before the execution, Gov. Kay Ivey declined to exercise her clemency powers, instructing corrections Commissioner John Hamm to proceed with the death sentence. "The murder of Tracy Wilemon was premeditated, gruesome and disturbing, and tonight, the state carried out the death sentence of James Osgood," Ivey stated.
James Osgood, along with his accomplice Tonya Vandyke, was found guilty in 2014 of cutting Wilemon's throat after sexual assault in 2010. The Associated Press reported that Wilemon was Vandyke's cousin.
"From the moment they were inspired by a Hollywood torture scene, Mr. Osgood and his accomplice set out to commit this heinous crime," Ivey wrote. "And let's be clear: At the end of all of this, Mr. Osgood robbed Ms. Wilemon of her life, something that can never be reversed for her or her family. I pray that her loved ones can feel some sense of closure today."
Prior to his execution, Osgood expressed remorse to the Associated Press, admitting his guilt and acknowledging the pain and suffering he caused. He further apologized to the victim's family while not explicitly asking for forgiveness.
The victim's family supported the death sentence at trial, although it remains unclear if any relatives were in attendance during Osgood's execution, the 14th carried out in the U.S. this year.
Before Osgood was put to death, a man in Texas was executed for killing a young mother and setting her body on fire close to two decades ago. Moises Sandoval Mendoza, 41, was condemned for the March 2004 death of 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson.
Looking back at the federal death penalty's history, it has gone through periods of pause and intense activity. The modern application of the federal death penalty began in 1988 after it was deemed constitutional, following its initially being deemed unconstitutional in 1972. The Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994 expanded eligible offenses to around 60. Since 1988, only 16 federal executions have taken place, with 13 occurring within a six-month period from July 2020 to January 2021.
President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates as of December 23, 2024, leaving 3 individuals on federal death row. However, no recent executions or new death sentences have been documented for federal cases post-2021.
It is important to note that state-level death rows remain active, with 63 inmates in Nevada, including James Biela who has been on death row since 2007 for a kidnapping and murder. Additionally, despite New Hampshire officially abolishing capital punishment in 2019, 1 inmate still awaits execution.
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- Following the federal government's decision to reinstate the death penalty, Jonathan Morris believes this move could be exploited by Democrats to assert a 'moral high ground' in politics.
- In an Alabama case, James Osgood was reportedly executed in 2020, a year in which the federal government resumed capital punishments, following his conviction for a 2010 sexual assault and fatal stabbing.
- The Associated Press reported that Tracy Lynn Wilemon's family supported the death sentence for James Osgood, the man convicted of her murder, although it remains unclear if any relatives were present during the execution.
- The modern application of the federal death penalty, deemed constitutional in 1988 following its initial unconstitutionality in 1972, has experienced periods of pause and intense activity, with only 16 federal executions taking place since 1988, 13 of which occurred within a six-month period from July 2020 to January 2021.
