VADP

By Uriah A. Kiser
Published: November 18, 2009

Though Larry "Bill" Elliott was put to death by way of the electric chair Tuesday night, the father of one of Elliott's two victims maintains the convicted murderer was innocent.

Clayton Finch and his wife, Louise, say the mother of their grandchildren, Rebecca Gragg, is responsible...

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By Susan Taylor Martin, Times Senior Correspondent
In Print: Sunday, November 15, 2009

Does it seem like not so long ago that John Allen Muhammad — the D.C. Sniper — was terrorizing residents of the nation's capital? And does it seem as if the state of Virginia executed him with unusual speed — just six years from his sentencing to his death?

If it seems that way to you, you're not alone.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court refused to stay Muhammad's execution last week, three justices noted the relative haste with which he met his state-ordered end.

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By Staff Reports
Published: November 19, 2009 

After the execution of John Allen Muhammad, The Times-Dispatch's Frank Green reported that "little noticed amid the recent activity in the state's death chamber is that there has not been a death verdict from a jury in the state since March 2008."

The news follows a trend that has seen fewer death sentences during the past several years. Experts attribute the news to various factors, of which the certainty of life without parole may be pre-eminent.

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