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Death penalty repeal bill dead in Colorado Legislature

Bill sponsor Sen. Julie Gonzales asked for the bill to be laid over to May 4 -- one day after the legislative session would end.

DENVER — The bill that would repeal Colorado's death penalty - a law on the books since 1974 - is dead on the state's legislative floor Tuesday morning.

Sen. Julie Gonzales (D-Denver), one of the bill's sponsors, has asked the bill be laid over until May 4, which is a day after the legislative session would end.

Another sponsor, Sen. Angela Williams (D-Denver), said there were still 4-5 democrats who won't tell her where they stand on the bill. 

“We wouldn’t know the outcome," she said. "There was uncertainty." 

Rather than risk the bill failing, she said she plans to bring it back for the sixth time in 2020. 

"The first step that I’ve taken is that I’ve already called in a title for 2020," Williams said. " And I commit that we’re gonna bring it back, and we’re gonna bring it back, and we’re gonna bring it back until we repeal this barbaric piece of legislation."

Senate Bill 19-182 would have repealed the option to sentence someone to death for offenses charged after July 1 of this year.

RELATED: Colorado Dems announce legislation that would repeal the death penalty

In the nearly 45 years since the death penalty was reinstituted, it's been used once: in 1997 in Cañon City. Gary Lee Davis died by lethal injection for the 1986 kidnapping, rape and murder of neighbor Virginia May. 

Proponents argued the death penalty doesn't deter violent crime and affects people of color disproportionately. Repeal opponents urged lawmakers to refer the issue to voters, and some crime victims admonished bill sponsors for not reaching out to them before introducing the bill.

RELATED | Murder victims' families decry death penalty

There are three inmates currently on death row in the state:

  • Nathan Dunlap, who killed four people at a Chuck E. Cheese (previous Gov. John Hickenlooper stayed his death and decided to leave it up to his replacement - Gov. Jared Polis has made no moves to expedite his execution).
  • Sir Mario Owens, who murdered a young couple (both witnesses in another murder trial involving Owens).
  • Robert Ray, who ordered the hit on Owens' witnesses.

There are also two current death penalty cases moving through the Colorado criminal court. The first, in El Paso County, has the district attorney seeking the death penalty for Marco Garcia-Braco, accused of having a hand in killing two Coronado High School students.

Adams County prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty for Dreion Dearing, the accused killer of Adams County Deputy Heath Gumm.

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