Last chance at life as Montana governor meets with Ronald Smith’s family

[discocrisco01]

Source: Associated Press

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer met on Friday morning with the family of the Alberta man whose fate is in his hands.

Schweitzer has the final say in whether Ronald Smith’s death sentence will be carried out or whether he will grant Smith’s clemency bid that would change his sentence for two murders in 1982 to life in prison.

A spokesperson for the governor said Schweitzer met with Smith’s sister Rita Duncan, father Nelson Smith, daughter Carmen Blackburn, grandson Myles Blackburn and granddaughter Nycole Blackburn in the governor’s reception room.

The meeting lasted an hour.

According to the local CBS television affiliate, Schweitzer told the family members, “Damn him to hell for forcing the state of Montana for making them sentence him to a state-assisted suicide death,” referring to Smith originally asking for the death sentence before changing his mind


Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/alberta/Last+chance+life+Montana+governor+meets+with+Ronald+Smith/6931554/story.html

[Kennah]

1. Sounds like Gov. Schweitzer is considering a commutation to life

[demosincebirth]

2. Schweitzer is a decent man. Can't imagine any republican Governor ever being torn over a situation

like that. I hope he does commute his sentence

[alp227]

3. this prisoner is Canadian. What if he were Mexican, would the governor think differently?

[Paulie]

7. No he wouldn't.

He's a good man and a good D by all accounts (though he likes. "clean coal&quot

[blackeyeblue]

4. 20 years too late.

Couple things:

First, the citizens of Montana overwhelmingly support the death sentence for this guy, as does the family of the victims.

Smith murdered two young men for no reason other than "I wanted to see what it would be like."

Lastly, Schweitzer is a Democrat who is termed out, so politics plays no part in the decision, unless Schweitzer decides to run for another office (which would be awesome).

Now, we can argue about the death penalty for as long as you want, but there is no denying the basics: Smith wanted to die at one point, and the people of Montana do not want to support him for the rest of his life. Now, are you advocating that a Governor should listen to a political party rather than the constituents of the state? Nothing is ever simple and if you think it is, you will find yourself painted into a corner.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. I don't think Montana is planning on executing anybody any time soon

Given their execution facilities were demolished a few years ago and last I heard not even budgeted for replacement.

[Tom Ripley]

6. Smith was just continuing the tradition of white men murdering Native Americans