My thoughts have taken a morbid turn, as I contemplate the incredible pain being experienced by my client's children, family, and friends as we approach Edward Bell's execution date -- tomorrow February 19.
One small comfort is the incredible messages people have left on the Online Petition. I pray that these messages have the power to persuade Governor Kaine to spare Eddie. I know that the messages are a comfort to Eddie, his family, and friends.
One of the most frustrating things about working on one of these cases is that no one seems to be listening. The Virginia courts ignore valid claim after valid claim; then the federal courts ignore still more, their initial reluctance magnified by the constraints of the AEDPA. Finally you come to this moment, when you have to convince a governor who has already presided over 8 executions since taking office, to see what everyone before him has refused to see.
But the messages on the Online Petition help us all realize that someone is listening.
Help stop the execution -- sign this Online Petition. Leave a comment, and share your favorite ones with us.
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