Monday, July 28, 2008
George W. Bush Jr. agreed to have an army inmate on death-row to be executed. This has not been done for over 47 years back in 1961. Ronald A. Gray was convicted in a connection with a case surrounding four murders and eight rapes located in Fayetteville, N.C. in the late 1980's while he was stationed at Fort Bragg, according to Associated Press. White House press secretary Dana Perino commented on this event by relaying “While approving a sentence of death for a member of our armed services is a serious and difficult decision for a commander in chief, the president believes that facts of this case leave no doubt that the sentence is just and warranted”.
It is the president's duty to either approve of disapprove a death sentence against a U.S. armed forces personnel, Gray has resided in the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks located in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since April of 1988. Bush had to use his moral judgment just as Eisenhower did when approving of a military execution back in 1957 against John Bennett whom was a Army private convicted of raping and attempt of murder towards a 11-year-old Austrian girl; the sentence was carried out in 1961.
Gray still has a long way to go through the judicial system; although Bush approved of the military execution there are still litigations to be carried out. These legal litigations can takes years before being resolved. It is unclear where Gray's execution will be held considering the Federal Bureau of Prisons is in charged of these areas of decisions.
