Martin O’Malley Calls Death Penalty ‘Ineffective’ in Statement on Tsarnaev

Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley became one of the first likely presidential candidates to speak out today about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev getting the death penalty.

And while O’Malley said he “respect[s] the verdict of the jury” and said his prayers go to the victims and their loved ones, he used the occasion to affirm his strong opposition to use of the death penalty.

“The death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent,” he said, “and the appeals process is expensive and cruel to the surviving family members.”

And to really hammer home the point, O’Malley said that “the vast majority of public executions” happen in the U.S., North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, and China; a list he said the U.S. should not be on.

[h/t The Hill]
[image via U.S. Air Force]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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