There have been several high-profile death penalty cases over recent years that have prompted discussion about the practice and whether it should continue. There are valid arguments on both sides of the issue, but some of these cases illustrate why I oppose capital punishment and argue for its abolition.
We can start with the recent case of Robert Roberson in Texas, who was scheduled to be executed on Thursday. The execution was delayed after some legal maneuvering among a bipartisan group of state lawmakers. But he remains on death row for the time being.
Roberson was convicted for allegedly killing his two-year-old daughter, Nikki. The prosecution used the largely discredited “shaken baby syndrome” theory to convict him in 2003. Since then, this theory has been questioned by numerous experts and shown to be an unreliable argument for convicting Roberson and others.
Even Brian…
