Latest news with #Sepulvado
CNN
24-02-2025
- Health
- CNN
81-year-old death row inmate dies weeks before his scheduled execution
An 81-year-old Louisiana death row inmate died Saturday, several weeks before he was scheduled to be put to death for his young stepson's murder in what would have been one of the state's first two executions in 15 years as it shifts posture on capital punishment. The inmate, Christopher Sepulvado, had long been unwell, attorneys said: He was confined to a wheelchair and suffered from a variety of chronic conditions and illnesses, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an occluded – or blocked – artery to his brain and gangrene that led to sepsis in his leg. Days before his execution warrant was signed, doctors had recommended Sepulvado enter hospice care, his attorneys said. He was hospitalized last week in New Orleans, they said, and returned Friday to the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. 'Christopher Sepulvado's death overnight in the prison infirmary is a sad comment on the state of the death penalty in Louisiana,' his attorney Shawn Nolan said Sunday in a statement, describing the prospect of the state executing 'this tiny, frail, dying old man' as 'simply barbaric.' The state Department of Public Safety and Corrections confirmed Sepulvado's death in a statement, noting, 'He died from natural causes as a result of complications arising from his pre-existing medical conditions.' Sepulvado's death comes as Louisiana moves to resume executions after more than a decade. To that end, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry two weeks ago announced the state had finalized a new execution protocol that includes nitrogen hypoxia, a new execution method it adopted last year. The method – which in Louisiana involves forcing an inmate to breathe 'pure' nitrogen gas through a mask, depriving him of the oxygen needed to live – has so far been used only in Alabama; it also is legal in Oklahoma and Mississippi. Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in the 27 US states with the death penalty. Louisiana officials have not said whether they intend to use nitrogen gas or lethal injection when they restart executions next month. Within days of the governor's announcement of the new protocol, warrants were signed scheduling the executions of Sepulvado and another inmate, Jessie Hoffman, for March 17 and 18, respectively. Landry cast the protocol as a step toward securing justice for the death row inmates' victims, saying the state had 'failed to uphold the promises made' to them. No executions have been carried out in Louisiana since 2010 due to the state's struggles to get the drugs necessary for lethal injection and scant political will (Landry's predecessor, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, was opposed to the death penalty). 'The time for broken promises has ended; we will carry out these sentences and justice will be dispensed,' Landry said in his statement. Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill echoed that sentiment in commenting on Sepulvado's death: 'Justice should have been delivered long ago for the heinous act of brutally beating then scalding to death a defenseless six year old boy.' 'The State failed to deliver it in his lifetime,' Murrill said Sunday in a post on X, 'but Christopher Sepulvado now faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter.' Sepulvado was sentenced to death in 1993 for the killing of 6-year-old Wesley 'Allen' Mercer, his stepson. The boy had come home in March 1992 having had a bathroom accident at school, according to the inmate's 2023 clemency petition. Sepulvado and his wife refused to let the child change his clothes – or eat – for two more days. Sepulvado finally told the boy to take a bath, but when he hesitated, Sepulvado struck Allen with a screwdriver handle until he was unconscious. Allen was then put in a bathtub of scalding water, the petition says. By the time Sepulvado and his wife took the boy to the hospital, he had already died as a result of burns, the petition says. Sepulvado's attorneys had argued executing him served no purpose. Aside from the fact he was already dying, they pointed to his efforts to redeem himself on death row. They described Sepulvado as a remorseful model inmate known for helping others and committed to his Christian faith, which was the catalyst for his rehabilitation, the 2023 petition says. He often led other inmates in prayer and served as a praise and worship leader, and he studied the Bible in correspondence courses, it says. To his attorneys, this was evidence Sepulvado deserved mercy, particularly when considered alongside his myriad health issues. 'Such pointless cruelty in scheduling his execution in the face of all this overlooked the hard work Chris did over his decades in prison to confront the harm he had caused,' Nolan said Sunday, 'to become a better person, and to devote himself to serving God and helping others.'
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
81-year-old death row inmate dies weeks before his scheduled execution
Editor's Note: This story includes graphic descriptions of violence some readers may find disturbing. An 81-year-old Louisiana death row inmate died Saturday, several weeks before he was scheduled to be put to death for his young stepson's murder in what would have been one of the state's first two executions in 15 years as it shifts posture on capital punishment. The inmate, Christopher Sepulvado, had long been unwell, attorneys said: He was confined to a wheelchair and suffered from a variety of chronic conditions and illnesses, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an occluded – or blocked – artery to his brain and gangrene that led to sepsis in his leg. Days before his execution warrant was signed, doctors had recommended Sepulvado enter hospice care, his attorneys said. He was hospitalized last week in New Orleans, they said, and returned Friday to the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. 'Christopher Sepulvado's death overnight in the prison infirmary is a sad comment on the state of the death penalty in Louisiana,' his attorney Shawn Nolan said Sunday in a statement, describing the prospect of the state executing 'this tiny, frail, dying old man' as 'simply barbaric.' The state Department of Public Safety and Corrections confirmed Sepulvado's death in a statement, noting, 'He died from natural causes as a result of complications arising from his pre-existing medical conditions.' Sepulvado's death comes as Louisiana moves to resume executions after more than a decade. To that end, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry two weeks ago announced the state had finalized a new execution protocol that includes nitrogen hypoxia, a new execution method it adopted last year. The method – which in Louisiana involves forcing an inmate to breathe 'pure' nitrogen gas through a mask, depriving him of the oxygen needed to live – has so far been used only in Alabama; it also is legal in Oklahoma and Mississippi. Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in the 27 US states with the death penalty. Louisiana officials have not said whether they intend to use nitrogen gas or lethal injection when they restart executions next month. Within days of the governor's announcement of the new protocol, warrants were signed scheduling the executions of Sepulvado and another inmate, Jessie Hoffman, for March 17 and 18, respectively. Landry cast the protocol as a step toward securing justice for the death row inmates' victims, saying the state had 'failed to uphold the promises made' to them. No executions have been carried out in Louisiana since 2010 due to the state's struggles to get the drugs necessary for lethal injection and scant political will (Landry's predecessor, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, was opposed to the death penalty). 'The time for broken promises has ended; we will carry out these sentences and justice will be dispensed,' Landry said in his statement. Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill echoed that sentiment in commenting on Sepulvado's death: 'Justice should have been delivered long ago for the heinous act of brutally beating then scalding to death a defenseless six year old boy.' 'The State failed to deliver it in his lifetime,' Murrill said Sunday in a post on X, 'but Christopher Sepulvado now faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter.' Sepulvado was sentenced to death in 1993 for the killing of 6-year-old Wesley 'Allen' Mercer, his stepson. The boy had come home in March 1992 having had a bathroom accident at school, according to the inmate's 2023 clemency petition. Sepulvado and his wife refused to let the child change his clothes – or eat – for two more days. Sepulvado finally told the boy to take a bath, but when he hesitated, Sepulvado struck Allen with a screwdriver handle until he was unconscious. Allen was then put in a bathtub of scalding water, the petition says. By the time Sepulvado and his wife took the boy to the hospital, he had already died as a result of burns, the petition says. Sepulvado's attorneys had argued executing him served no purpose. Aside from the fact he was already dying, they pointed to his efforts to redeem himself on death row. They described Sepulvado as a remorseful model inmate known for helping others and committed to his Christian faith, which was the catalyst for his rehabilitation, the 2023 petition says. He often led other inmates in prayer and served as a praise and worship leader, and he studied the Bible in correspondence courses, it says. To his attorneys, this was evidence Sepulvado deserved mercy, particularly when considered alongside his myriad health issues. 'Such pointless cruelty in scheduling his execution in the face of all this overlooked the hard work Chris did over his decades in prison to confront the harm he had caused,' Nolan said Sunday, 'to become a better person, and to devote himself to serving God and helping others.'
CNN
24-02-2025
- Health
- CNN
81-year-old death row inmate dies weeks before his scheduled execution
An 81-year-old Louisiana death row inmate died Saturday, several weeks before he was scheduled to be put to death for his young stepson's murder in what would have been one of the state's first two executions in 15 years as it shifts posture on capital punishment. The inmate, Christopher Sepulvado, had long been unwell, attorneys said: He was confined to a wheelchair and suffered from a variety of chronic conditions and illnesses, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an occluded – or blocked – artery to his brain and gangrene that led to sepsis in his leg. Days before his execution warrant was signed, doctors had recommended Sepulvado enter hospice care, his attorneys said. He was hospitalized last week in New Orleans, they said, and returned Friday to the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. 'Christopher Sepulvado's death overnight in the prison infirmary is a sad comment on the state of the death penalty in Louisiana,' his attorney Shawn Nolan said Sunday in a statement, describing the prospect of the state executing 'this tiny, frail, dying old man' as 'simply barbaric.' The state Department of Public Safety and Corrections confirmed Sepulvado's death in a statement, noting, 'He died from natural causes as a result of complications arising from his pre-existing medical conditions.' Sepulvado's death comes as Louisiana moves to resume executions after more than a decade. To that end, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry two weeks ago announced the state had finalized a new execution protocol that includes nitrogen hypoxia, a new execution method it adopted last year. The method – which in Louisiana involves forcing an inmate to breathe 'pure' nitrogen gas through a mask, depriving him of the oxygen needed to live – has so far been used only in Alabama; it also is legal in Oklahoma and Mississippi. Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in the 27 US states with the death penalty. Louisiana officials have not said whether they intend to use nitrogen gas or lethal injection when they restart executions next month. Within days of the governor's announcement of the new protocol, warrants were signed scheduling the executions of Sepulvado and another inmate, Jessie Hoffman, for March 17 and 18, respectively. Landry cast the protocol as a step toward securing justice for the death row inmates' victims, saying the state had 'failed to uphold the promises made' to them. No executions have been carried out in Louisiana since 2010 due to the state's struggles to get the drugs necessary for lethal injection and scant political will (Landry's predecessor, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, was opposed to the death penalty). 'The time for broken promises has ended; we will carry out these sentences and justice will be dispensed,' Landry said in his statement. Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill echoed that sentiment in commenting on Sepulvado's death: 'Justice should have been delivered long ago for the heinous act of brutally beating then scalding to death a defenseless six year old boy.' 'The State failed to deliver it in his lifetime,' Murrill said Sunday in a post on X, 'but Christopher Sepulvado now faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter.' Sepulvado was sentenced to death in 1993 for the killing of 6-year-old Wesley 'Allen' Mercer, his stepson. The boy had come home in March 1992 having had a bathroom accident at school, according to the inmate's 2023 clemency petition. Sepulvado and his wife refused to let the child change his clothes – or eat – for two more days. Sepulvado finally told the boy to take a bath, but when he hesitated, Sepulvado struck Allen with a screwdriver handle until he was unconscious. Allen was then put in a bathtub of scalding water, the petition says. By the time Sepulvado and his wife took the boy to the hospital, he had already died as a result of burns, the petition says. Sepulvado's attorneys had argued executing him served no purpose. Aside from the fact he was already dying, they pointed to his efforts to redeem himself on death row. They described Sepulvado as a remorseful model inmate known for helping others and committed to his Christian faith, which was the catalyst for his rehabilitation, the 2023 petition says. He often led other inmates in prayer and served as a praise and worship leader, and he studied the Bible in correspondence courses, it says. To his attorneys, this was evidence Sepulvado deserved mercy, particularly when considered alongside his myriad health issues. 'Such pointless cruelty in scheduling his execution in the face of all this overlooked the hard work Chris did over his decades in prison to confront the harm he had caused,' Nolan said Sunday, 'to become a better person, and to devote himself to serving God and helping others.'
CBS News
24-02-2025
- CBS News
Louisiana's oldest death row inmate dies less than month before execution date
A terminally ill man who spent over 30 years on death row in Louisiana for the killing of his stepson died days after a March date was scheduled for his execution by nitrogen gas. Christopher Sepulvado, 81, died Saturday at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana, "from natural causes as a result of complications arising from his pre-existing medical conditions," according to the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. He was the oldest of the 57 inmates on death row as the state weighed resuming executions after a 15-year pause, CBS affiliate WWL-TV reported. Sepulvado was charged with the 1992 killing of his 6-year-old stepson after the boy came home from school with soiled underwear. Sepulvado was accused of hitting him on the head with a screwdriver and immersing him in scalding water. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1993. His attorney, federal public defender Shawn Nolan, said in a statement Sunday that doctors recently determined Sepulvado was terminally ill and recommended hospice care. Nolan described his client's "significant" physical and cognitive decline in recent years. "Christopher Sepulvado's death overnight in the prison infirmary is a sad comment on the state of the death penalty in Louisiana," Nolan said. "The idea that the state was planning to strap this tiny, frail, dying old man to a chair and force him to breathe toxic gas into his failing lungs is simply barbaric." According to Nolan, Sepulvado had been sent to New Orleans for surgery earlier in the week but was returned to the prison Friday night. According to WWL-TV, Sepulvado's health had sharply declined, and COPD and gangrene led to a recent leg amputation. Louisiana officials decided to resume carrying out death sentences earlier this month after a 15 year pause driven by a lack of political interest and the inability to secure legal injection drugs. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry pushed to proceed with a new nitrogen gas execution protocol after the state's GOP-dominated Legislature last year expanded death row execution methods to include electrocution and nitrogen gas. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement that "justice should have been delivered long ago for the heinous act of brutally beating then scalding to death a defenseless six-year-old boy." Murrill added that Louisiana failed to deliver justice in his lifetime "but Christopher Sepulvado now faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter." Sepulvado's execution was scheduled for March 17. Another man, Jessie Hoffman, was convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and slated for execution on March 18. Hoffman initially challenged Louisiana's lethal injection protocol in 2012 on the grounds that the method was cruel and unusual punishment. A federal judge on Friday reopened that lawsuit after it was dismissed in 2022 because the state had no executions planned. The country's first execution using nitrogen gas was carried out last year in Alabama, which has now executed four people using the method.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
Louisiana death row inmate Christopher Sepulvado dies before execution date
Christopher Sepulvado, an 81-year-old Louisiana man who was scheduled to be executed, died Saturday night according to his lawyers, just days after a judge handed down an execution date. Sepulvado was to be executed on March 17 for the murder of his 6-year-old stepson in 1992 after a judge granted a death warrant on Feb. 11. He died at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, located in the eastern part of the state. Lawyers for Sepulvado in a statement announcing his death said he suffered from severe physical and mental decline in recent years. "The idea that the State was planning to strap this tiny, frail, dying old man to a chair and force him to breathe toxic gas into his failing lungs is simply barbaric," Shawn Nolan, Sepulvado's attorney, said in the statement. Lawyers said Sepulvado was sent to a hospital in New Orleans to amputate a leg that contracted gangrene leading to sepsis but was returned to the prison Friday to be prepared for the execution. A statement from the Louisiana Department of Safety and Corrections said that Sepulvado died, "from natural causes as a result of complications arising from his pre-existing medical conditions." Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill argued Sepulvado should have been executed sooner in a statement to USA TODAY. "Justice should have been delivered long ago for the heinous act of brutally beating then scalding to death a defenseless six-year-old boy," Murrill said. Sepulvado would have been the first person executed in Louisiana in 15 years and the first person executed in the state by nitrogen gas. Jessie Hoffman, 46, will now be the first to face the new execution method on March 18. Hoffman was convicted for the 1996 murder of Mary 'Molly' Elliot. Hoffman, Sepulvado and seven other inmates are plaintiffs in a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Louisiana's death penalty. Lawyers for the group filed an emergency effort in the case to stop the nitrogen gas method after Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry announced its implementation, citing a lack of critical information about sourcing the gas and training for staff, according to the Louisiana Illuminator. Landry said in a statement announcing the implementation that "justice will be dispensed" with the controversial new execution method. 'For too long, Louisiana has failed to uphold the promises made to victims of our State's most violent crimes," Landry said. The use of nitrogen gas in executions has drawn critics. The Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual advisor for death row inmates and anti-death penalty activist, was a witness to the first nitrogen gas execution in the United States − that of Kenny Eugene Smith on Jan. 25, 2024 − and described it as "horrific." With nitrogen hypoxia is used, the inmate breathes pure nitrogen through a mask that displaces oxygen in their system. Proponents claim it is an almost instant and painless method. Opponents, including Hood, claim it is largely untried and amounts to torture. Some opponents have argued the use of nitrogen gas is a breach of Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment Hood accused Landry of "cowardice" for approving the method in a statement to USA TODAY when it was announced. The U.S. has executed five inmates so far this year, with six executions scheduled in March. There are 57 inmates on death row in Louisiana, according to the Shreveport Times − a part of the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Greta Cross This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LA death row inmate Christopher Sepulvado dies before execution date
