PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The discussion of the death penalty in Pennsylvania is one that sees many people landing on either side of the fence.
To try to understand this more, Newswatch 16 sat down with a county official and area defense attorney to hear their arguments on why capital punishment should stay or go.
Eric Frein was one of the most recent death penalty cases in Pennsylvania.
In 2017, he was convicted of shooting and killing one Pennsylvania State Trooper and injuring another.
Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin was heavily involved in the case and still stands by that verdict.
"There is evil that is in our society, and Eric Frein was the face of evil in doing what he did," Tonkin said.
Governor Josh Shapiro announced Thursday afternoon that he will be continuing a moratorium on executions in Pennsylvania.
Tonkin disagrees with that decision.
"Certainly, the governor is entitled to his own opinion. My belief is that capital punishment has a place in our society that there are individuals who are evil that morally just deserve to die for what they have done," Tonkin added.
Criminal defense lawyer Al Flora has worked six capital punishment cases; he says the death penalty does more harm than good.
"You're finding today that jurors really don't want to impose the death penalty," Flora said. "They have serious concerns that they may end up sentencing to death an innocent person."
Flora says capital punishment cases can be strung out for years, never offering final answers for victims.
"I can tell you, in capital cases, they don't get closure cause those cases can go on for 10, 15, 20 years. If you look at the George Banks case that started in 1982 and that case was still going on in 2004," Flora added.
In addition to not signing any execution warrants, Governor Shapiro is also calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to repeal the death penalty in the Commonwealth for good.
Right now, there are more than 100 people on death row in Pennsylvania. The next inmate scheduled to be executed is serial killer John Eichinger on March 7, 2023.
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