Bills abolishing the death penalty within the Commonwealth have passed both houses of the General Assembly, and Governor Ralph Northam has already expressed his support. His signature will make Virginia the 23rd state to abolish the death penalty. Virginia will become...
Virginia House and Senate Advance Bills to Abolish Death Penalty
Governor Northam has voiced his support for abolishing the death penalty in Virginia, and now both houses of the General Assembly have voted in favor of abolishing it as well. After over 400 years of conducting more executions than any other state, Virginia may become...
Navy Veteran Recalls His Encounter With DC Snipers
After 17 years, Harley Peterson has broken his silence about his run-in with the so-called Beltway Snipers who terrorized Virginia, Maryland and Washington in 2002 — and about the lasting effect the memory and ensuing survivor’s guilt had on him. After 27 years in the...
Advocates Call on General Assembly to Abolish Death Penalty
A group led by family members of murder victims is petitioning the General Assembly to abolish Virginia's death penalty, arguing that capital punishment "fails victims' families." Christiansburg resident Rachel Sutphin mourns the loss of two men’s lives every day: her...
Bill would make electrocution the default punishment for death penalty
RICHMOND – Death penalty opponents lost a battle this week when a House committee endorsed a bill to make electrocution the default punishment if lethal injection is unavailable. RICHMOND – Death penalty opponents lost a battle this week when a House committee...
SUBSCRIBE TO THE RVAMAG NEWSLETTER