Georgia executes its oldest death row inmate, age 72

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By KATE BRUMBACK

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) — Georgia executed a 72-year-old man, the state's oldest death row inmate, early Wednesday for the killing of a convenience store manager during a robbery decades ago.

Brandon Astor Jones was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m. (5:46 GMT) Wednesday after an injection of barbiturate pentobarbital at the state prison in Jackson. He was convicted in the 1979 shooting death of suburban Atlanta store manager Roger Tackett.

Jones declined to make a final statement in front of witnesses but agreed to have a prayer read.

Georgia doesn't announce exactly when lethal injections begin, and the injection isn't visible to observers. But the warden left the execution chamber at 12:30 a.m. (5:30 GMT), and records from past executions show the lethal drug generally begins to flow within a minute or two of the warden's departure.

FULL story at link.


This undated photo provided by the Georgia Department of Corrections shows Brandon Astor Jones in Georgia. Jones, a 72-year-old death row inmate, is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016. He was convicted in the 1979 killing of a convenience store manager. (Georgia Department of Corrections via AP)

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0d6dddcb357241d7b2f2b620d9eea01d/georgia-executes-its-oldest-death-row-inmate-age-72

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OS has a new place for fun: http://jackpineradicals.org/forumdisplay.php?39-The-Wizard-Room

[rug]

1. 36 years on death row and then they kill him.

Capital punishment is insanity.

[Judi Lynn]

16. To think at one time the country appeared to be evolving, overcoming an evil practice.

It really looked as if we were becoming civilized for one brief time, before the reactionaries won.

[secondwind]

2. what is the EFFING point of this? sheesh. n/t

[potone]

6. Yes, exactly.

This is sheer vindictiveness. It serves no legitimate purpose.

[delrem]

3. What a bunch of fucking assholes.

These people carry assholery into another dimension.
They are also no doubt proud of themselves.

[Fast Walker 52]

5. yeah, it's unreal. Hard to believe they are a member of the same species as most of us.

[7962]

4. His partner was executed in '85. Ridiculous that he got an extra 30 yrs.

[TipTok]

11. Agreed...

[840high]

19. Yes.

[onehandle]

7. Now we can relax.

I've been worried about this guy breaking out, traveling 700 miles, and murdering me in my sleep.

[restorefreedom]

8. thank gods the u.s. is the beacon of justice and humanity....

[marble falls]

9. Why are we executing a 79 year old man? Why are we caging people ...

for forty years? Why wasn't he paroled after 20?

[TipTok]

12. Probably because of the murder...

Just a guess...

[7962]

13. Why wasnt he paroled? Probably because he's a MURDERER.

The real question is, why did it take so long? If it had been done when it should, he wouldve been in his 40s!

[marble falls]

14. Why isn't 20 years enough for murder?

[7962]

15. If you'd be satisfied with the person who killed your child doing just 20 yrs, fine.

You'd have input at the sentencing hearing.
Most people Would want someone like that off the streets for good, or strapped to a gurney.

[marble falls]

18. Two things:

1. Justice for my child is done for society and not me.
2. That's why I don't expect to be on the posse that arrests my child's killer, be in on the prosecution, judging, jurying, sentencing, executing of that killer.

I understand your appeal to my emotions: I have children and grandchildren. But fact is that most of the first world don't execute or jail for as long as the US does. And at the same time there is less murder without all the life sentences and executions than we have for all the executions and over-sentencing we do.

[Xithras]

10. The guy was a jackass who deserved to rot in prison, but executing him accomplished nothing.

He was 72. Any savings to the state was going to be trivial. Any life you'd be taking from him would be minimal. There wasn't really any point to the execution.

But I certainly do think this guy should have remained behind bars. He and his buddy robbed a convenience store after hours. The owner offered them all the cash in the register and office, but told them that he couldn't open the time-locked safe. Instead of just taking the money and running, he shot the store owner dead out of spite.

[olddad56]

17. so basically life in prison and the death penalty.