The execution of a serial killer who has become the strongest advocate for his own death was postponed at the last moment early yesterday, delaying what would be the first execution in 45 years in the northeastern US.
The decision came hours after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Connecticut to put Michael Ross to death, rejecting pleas by the man's father to spare his life.
But state officials postponed the lethal injection until 9pm Monday (0200 GMT Tuesday) to address a possible conflict of interest with Ross' attorney, T.R. Paulding.
"The request made by Mr. Paulding today is appropriate and we have no choice but to honor it," Chief State's Attorney Christopher Morano said.
Ross, an Ivy League graduate who terrorized eastern Connecticut and New York in the early 1980s, had been scheduled to die by injection at 0701 GMT (2am Saturday). Ross hired Paulding last year to help expedite his execution.
Ross confessed to eight killings and decided last year to drop all appeals, but his father and public defenders who have fought to save his life won a brief delay this week, arguing that he is not mentally competent to decide his fate.
The Supreme Court on Friday lifted an order blocking Connecticut from putting him to death, but Ross' attorney requested the delay hours later.
Family members of Ross' victims said they were shocked by the sudden delay.
"He's guilty. He wants to die. So if he isn't executed, whom would you execute?" said Lan Manh Tu, whose sister, Dzung Ngoc Tu, was Ross' first known victim.
Officials would not discuss the suspected conflict yesterday, but the decision came after a federal judge scolded Paulding for helping Ross end his life.
"I see this happening and I can't live with it myself, which is why I'm on the phone right now," US District Judge Robert Chatigny said Friday afternoon in a telephone conference with Paulding, according to court records. "What you are doing is terribly, terribly wrong."
Paulding would not say what he needed to consider this weekend.
"I feel that it is imperative I take the appropriate steps," Paulding said. "I will be taking those steps with all due diligence in the next two days."
Ross, who was to be executed at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers, Connecticut, has confessed to killing eight women in all.
Death penalty opponents have warned that an execution in liberal northeastern states could have a domino effect across the region and make it easier for other states to put criminals to death.
"Part of me says it's a one-time thing, and we're not Texas," said Robert Nave, head of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty. "However, I continue to think this will leave a psychic imprint on the collective psyche that says this wasn't so bad."
There have been four executions so far this year in the US. There were 59 last year.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS