Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. In what is now the commonwealth of Virginia, the first execution in the future United States was carried out in 1607. It was the first of 1,371 executions, the highest total of any state in the Union. For a full list of those executed since 1982 see the list of individuals executed in Virginia. Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted felon as a punishment for a crime (often called a capital offence or a capital crime). ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... // Definition and linguistics The original phrase common wealth or the common weal is a calque translation of the Latin term res publica (public matters), from which the word republic comes, which was itself used as a synonym for the greek politeia as well as for the republican (i. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Official languages English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner (D) Tim Kaine (D-Governor Elect) Senators John Warner (R) George Allen (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 35th 110,862 km² 7. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A total of 94 individuals convicted of murder have been executed by the state of Virginia since 1976: Frank Coppola, d. ...

History

Hanging was the predominant method for executions before 1909. Other methods had been used during this time — three people convicted of piracy in 1700 were gibbeted, four pirates were hung in chains in 1720, and a female slave was burned in 1737. From 1909 until 1994, the electric chair was used for all but one execution (that of Joel Payne on April 9, 1909). On February 2, 1951, eight African Americans were executed for rape--the most executions held on a single day in Virginia. The youngest person to have been executed in Virginia was Percy Ellis, who at the age of 16 was electrocuted on March 15, 1916. 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... A pirate digging…perhaps to bury treasure, perhaps a grave. ... Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ... // Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The first electric chair, which was used to execute William Kemmler in 1890 The electric chair is a device used in some states in the United States for execution of criminals convicted of capital crimes. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ... March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ...

Post-Gregg

After the Supreme Court of the United States upheld Georgia's "guided discretion" laws in Gregg v. Georgia, Virginia's laws were modified along the same lines. The first person executed after being sentenced to death under these laws was Frank Coppola on August 10, 1982. He was the first of 94 individuals executed by the state, the second highest total post-Gregg behind Texas. Scotus redirects here. ... Holding The imposition of the death penalty does not, automatically, violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment, lower courts judgement is affirmed. ... August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The electric chair continued to be solely used until 1994, when prisoners were given the choice of lethal injection or the electric chair, with lethal injection the default method if no choice was made. Several people have subsequently been executed on the electric chair; the last was Earl Conrad Bramblett on 9 April 2003. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Lethal injection is used as a method of capital punishment that involves injecting the condemned with fatal doses of drugs to cause death. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Executions and the death row are located at the Sussex I State Prison.

A legal precedent in the United States was created after the U.S. Supreme Court case Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304 (2002). It ruled that executing the mentally retarded violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishments. Daryl Atkins had been involved in a murder and robbery. He was "mildly mentally retarded" and had an IQ of 59. The ruling did stay the executions of several people on death row. Atkins was later ajudged to have an IQ of over 70 and has an execution scheduled for December 2, 2005, though a stay is considered likely in the case. 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Amendment VIII (the Eighth Amendment) of the United States Constitution, which is part of the U.S. Bill of Rights, prohibits excessive bail or fines, as well as cruel and unusual punishment. ... The statement that the government shall not inflict cruel and unusual punishment for crimes is found in the English Bill of Rights signed in 1689 by William of Orange and Queen Mary II who were then the joint rulers of England following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. ... Mental retardation (also called mental handicap and, as defined by the UK Mental Health Act 1983, mental impairment and severe mental impairment) is a term for a pattern of persistently slow learning of basic motor and language skills (milestones) during childhood, and a significantly below-normal global intellectual capacity as... IQ redirects here; for other uses of that term, see IQ (disambiguation). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Public opinion

In 2001, a poll of Virginians found that 69.5% support the use of the death penalty, with 25.2% opposition. The same poll found that if given the option of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the support for the death penalty dropped to 45.2%, with 50% supporting life without parole. Life imprisonment is a term used for a particular kind of sentence of imprisonment. ...

A controversial aspect of the legal system in Virginia is the 21-day rule. If convicted of any felony, a person only has 21 days to submit new evidence. The same poll as above found that only 15.8% of Virginians agree with the law.

Capital offenses

Before the 20th Century, along with murder and rape, a variety of offenses could merit a death sentence — arson, burglary, horse rustling, robbery. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Skyline Parkway Motel in Afton, Virginia after an arson fire on July 9, 2004. ... Cattle rustling is the act of stealing cattle. ...

Under Virgina's Criminal Code, the following offenses carry the possibility of death:

• murder in the commission of abduction, terroristic act, robbery or attempted robbery
• murder by a person engaged in a continuing Criminal Drug Enterprise
• murder in the commission of rape or attempted rape or sodomy, or attempted sodomy, or object sexual penetration
• murder of a person under the age of 14 by a person over the age of 21
• contract killing
• murder of a law enforcement officer
• murder of more than one person
• murder of a pregnant woman
• murder of a prisoner

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References

• Virginia death penalty information from Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
• Summaries of Recent Poll Findings from Death Penalty Information Center