By Margot Sanger-Katz
Concord Monitor
NEW HAMPSHIRE — The 22 men and women who will be considering what the New Hampshire Legislature should do about the death penalty made their introductions yesterday at an initial meeting.
The group was established by law last year, which called for members with diverse backgrounds to debate issues surrounding the controversial punishment and recommend whether the Legislature should expand, reduce or eliminate the death penalty from the books.
Members of the group include legislators, the police, prosecutors, defense attorneys and the families of murder victims. Walter Murphy, the former chief justice of the state’s Superior Court, was elected chairman.
“This is a daunting task,” Murphy told his fellow committee members, citing the hundreds of articles written for and against the death penalty.
“I am glad that you are all here and willing to pitch in to give this legislation a fair hearing,” he said.
Last year, the House passed a bill to abolish the death penalty, but the Senate tabled that bill and pushed forward the study commission instead. Under the legislation, the group will be asked to determine whether the death penalty serves a “legitimate public interest,” whether it is fairly applied, whether it encompasses the right types of murders and whether it is a cost-effective use of resources, among other questions.
The bill was inspired, in part, by the recent case of Michael Addison, who last year became the first New Hampshire man to receive a death sentence in nearly 50 years. Addison was found guilty of shooting Manchester police Officer Michael Briggs, a crime which was eligible for the sentence. Addison’s lawyers are appealing his conviction and sentence to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The debate may also be influenced by an ongoing murder case in Mont Vernon, Murphy suggested. Two young men are accused of robbing and murdering a woman and attacking her daughter, while two others have been charged with helping them. Those crimes are not eligible for the death penalty under current law.
Members agreed the commission will meet monthly, will hear testimony from interested parties and will deliver a report to the Legislature by December 2010.
Copyright 2009 Concord Monitor