NH House Passes Death Penalty Repeal

CONCORD -- A repeal of the death penalty in New Hampshire looks increasingly likely Thursday after House Bill 455 overwhelming passed. The 279-88 margin is more than the two-thirds majority needed to override the expected veto of Gov. Chris Sununu.

With the Senate also expected to have votes necessary to override a veto, it appears the death penalty is on its way to repeal after legislators failed to come up with the votes to override the governor's veto last year when the House vote was 223-116.

Under the proposed law, capital punishment would be replaced with a penalty of life in person without the possibility of parole.

New Hampshire has one person on death row for murder of a police officer, and has not had an execution since the 1930s.

According to the Manchester Union-Leader, 16 of the 24 senators have indicated opposition to the death penalty through either votes or campaign statements.

Supporters of the appeal argued on Thursday that the death penalty is not a deterrent to murder, and that the lack of closure involved with a murderer being on death row for many years through the appeals process is more harmful to victims’ families than a life sentence without parole.

Those wishing the keep the death penalty said capital punishment is the only acceptable penalty for crimes such as the killing of a police officer, which Sununu argued when he vetoed last year's bill.

Today I vetoed SB 593. Abolishing the death penalty in New Hampshire would send the wrong message to those who commit the most heinous offenses within our State's borders. We are not, nor will we ever be a safe haven for those who commit the most unthinkable crimes. pic.twitter.com/l0ii1ZN6yg

— Chris Sununu (@GovChrisSununu) June" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/GovChrisSu... 21, 2018

The repeal would not apply retroactively to Michael Addison, who killed Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs in 2006, the state’s lone person on death row. But those opposed to the bill said they fear repeal of the law could be taken into considered in court during the appeal process.