Clemency Plea for North Carolina Death Row Inmate

Tuesday, January 23 2007 @ 08:50 AM EST

Clemency Plea for North Carolina Death Row Inmate

Tuesday, January 23 2007 @ 03:03 AM EST Vigil Against Scheduled Execution at NC State Capitol PFADP via BBSNews 2007-01-23 -- RALEIGH - A vigil for clemency for death row prisoner James "JT" Thomas will be held today at noon in front of the State Capitol Building in Raleigh. The vigil, organized by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, coincides with Thomas's clemency hearing Tuesday morning. Thomas is scheduled for execution on February 2. The vigil will take place outside the south side of the State Capitol building facing Fayetteville St. Thomas was sentenced for the 1986 murder of Teresa Ann West. His execution has been scheduled without any meaningful review of whether his death sentence is appropriate. As a child, Thomas suffered beatings from his father and was raped, beaten, and given drugs by his stepfather, which led to his addiction to heroin by the time he was a teenager. The execution of James Thomas comes as ten states around the country have halted executions to examine the death penalty system, and as the North Carolina Medical Board has limited doctor's roles in executions. He will be executed using the same method that caused Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to issue a moratorium on executions in that state, and caused legislators here to ask Gov. Mike Easley to do the same.