The best decision for us

It's important to remember that even some victims' family members who are for the death penalty in principle may decide that they are not in favor of it because of the stress that the death penalty process places on their family. Here's a news item from yesterday's WCBD News website (Charleston, SC) illustrating this:

Family of murder victim Constable Robert Bailey speak out about plea deal

It was an emotional day for the family of Constable Robert Bailey. Rather than face the death penalty, Walter Fayall the Third pled guilty to murdering Constable Bailey, accepting the sentence of life in prison without parole.

It’s a deal his family asked the solicitor to make happen. His son, Robert Bailey Junior, read a statement after court. He said, “We the family also have a life sentence. We have the rest of our live to life with what he did to ur father. This was also the best decision for us for health reasons, a life or death sentence isn’t going to bring our dad back.“

In court Tuesday, Robert Bailey’s grandson told his grandfather’s killer Walter Fayall he forgives him. Last Saturday, Bailey’s family says they begged Solicitor Scarlet Wilson to end it, and give Walter Fayall a deal to spend the rest of his life in prison, without parole, and no appeals. The family says although they believe in the death penalty, they want this ordeal to be over, and did not want to go through countless appeals. Carmine Deamato is Bailey’s son-in-law and former partner. He says, “It’s over, it’s over.“ He says initially he wanted the death penalty. Deamato says, “He was my partner, not only my father in-law, my partner and friend. Yes, I wanted it, but soon as the gavel comes down, and sentences you to death, his attorney is going to jump like a jumping bean and say appeal, and then we have to live through that.“ The family says they know appeals could linger on for years. The average death penalty case takes 12 years from sentence to execution.