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Death penalty stands in jury Bible reading case
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by Tina Kells | October 6, 2008 at 01:03 pm
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Reading the Bible, and quoting scripture, during jury deliberations in death sentence trials was deemed acceptable when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the death penalty appeal of Jimmie Lucero, an Amarillo, Texas, man convicted in 2003 of murdering three of his neighbours in cold blood.
The basis for Lucero's death penalty appeal was in the actions of one jury member, who was said to have read scripture as a means of convincing the jury to vote for the death penalty in his case. The passage that was read, Romans 13: 1-6, reads:
1) Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2) Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3) For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4) For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5) Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6) This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.
The position of the state of Texas is that the reading of scripture was a minor error that had no bearing on the outcome of Lucero's trial, or the jury's decision to impose the death penalty. The refusal to hear the case ends Lucero's chance to appeal on these grounds.
The state of Texas argued that the Bible passage merely duplicated instructions of the trial court. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found the introduction of the Bible into the jury room to be "harmless error."
A Texas jury took about five hours to decide on the death penalty for Lucero.
The two jurors who switched their votes said the reading of the scripture and its content had no impact on their votes.
During deliberations, the foreman read aloud from Romans 13:1-6, which states that everyone must submit to authority and that those who do wrong should be afraid, for a ruler is "God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment to the wrongdoer."
Lucero was convicted of the brutal shot gun slaughter of his three neighbours; Pedro Robledo, 71, his wife Maria, 72, and heir daughter, Fabiana, 31. Various jury members have sworn that the Bible reading had no influence on their decision to recommend the death penalty in this case.
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Tina Kells
Vancouver, Canada
rjvamp
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 13:36 on October 6th, 2008
Tina Kells, I like this story. It's good stuff.