Tim Kaine Sets Virginia’s Brutal Murderers Free

From the moment Tim Kaine set foot on the campaign trail back in 2005, he has been vehemently against the death penalty.  As Governor, he has not backed down from this campaign promise, unlike his other proposals which have fallen to the wayside.  Kaine has only punished one criminal by allowing a lethal injection to take place, and that was in the case of Kevin Greene. 

 

However, he allows the most brutal murderers to walk free.  In the cases of Percy Walton (who brutally murdered three people) and Edward Bell (who murdered a police officer in Winchester in 1999), he issued stays of execution on both criminals.  (Source:  Richmond Times Dispatch)   

 

Bell’s execution was issued a stay, because Kaine was waiting for a decision from The Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of the lethal injection.

 

The reasoning behind Walton’s stay was that “he lacked mental competence,” and Kaine does not believe in executing the mentally ill, even though Walton was deemed by the Court able to stand trial without any evidence of Walton’s mental illness. (Source:  Richmond Times-Dispatch)

 

Is this the type of behavior we expect from our Governor?  If someone goes out and kills someone, shouldn’t they be held accountable for their crimes through the actions of a jury?  I guess in Tim Kaine’s Virginia, the answer would be no.