By C1 Staff
CHEYENNE — House Bill 97, which would abolish the death penalty in Wyoming, was defeated in the House Judiciary Committee.
The Casper Star Tribune reports that the bill lost 5-4.
Advocates for the bill said the death penalty isn’t a useful deterrent against crime and that the state shouldn’t decides who lives and who dies.
But supporters of capital punishment said that the death penalty can be a comfort for families of victims and ensures that no one else can be hurt by the perpetrator.
Wyoming hasn’t executed a prisoner since 1992 and currently only has one prisoner on death row.