Capitol Coverage: Judiciary Committee to hear measure to repeal death penalty

Lawmakers serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear a measure to repeal Colorado’s death penalty Wednesday.  Bente Birkeland has more from the state capitol.

Democrats have tried three times in the last decade to repeal the death penalty. Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman is the main sponsor of this year’s measure. And even if it won’t pass the Republican controlled Senate– she says she at least wants to have the discussion. The proposal would impact cases for crimes committed after July 2017. Advocates say the death penalty is unfairly applied, ineffective, ethically wrong and inconsistent. The issue largely falls along party lines with a few exceptions. Last year one Republican joined with Democrats to defeat a bill that would have made it easier to impose the death penalty by not requiring a jury’s unanimous consent.