Special counsel @PhillipsBlackPr; Director, DP Policy Project; adjunct prof. @TempleLaw. B.A. @Penn; J.D. @GeorgetownLaw. Formerly @DPInfoCtr Exec. Dir.
Philadelphia, PA
- Tweets 57,513
- Following 490
- Followers 11,990
- Likes 285
Pinned Tweet
On the front steps of Leonardo da Vinci's house, the Château du Clos Lucé, in Amboise, France in 2006 (left) and yesterday. Always good to take a refresher course on his brilliance.
1
2
37
11,082
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey spares death row prisoner Toforest Johnson, citing doubts about evidence. apnews.com/article/toforest-… @AP @StatehouseKim @innocence @WTIUSA @PHADP @AlabamaArise @eji_org @uscedp @CCATDP #deathpenalty
1
38
Attorney thanks Alabama governor for commuting Toforest Johnson’s death sentence.
“We are grateful to Governor Ivey for diligently reviewing Toforest’s case and taking action to spare an innocent man from execution,” said Ty Alper, one of Johnson’s attorneys, “This significant milestone was made possible by Alabamians from all sectors of society united in their belief that Toforest does not belong on death row. That list now includes Governor Ivey.”
“Toforest Johnson is innocent,” his attorney said. “Now it is up to the courts to overturn his conviction and grant him a new trial. We will keep fighting until he is home with his family.”
wsfa.com/2026/10/20/gov-ivey… @wsfa12news @JessicaUmbroTV @eji_org @PHADP @AlabamaArise @uscedp @WTIUSA @innocence @CCATDP #deathpenalty
33
‘This is just the beginning’: Daughter of Toforest Johnson reacts after death sentence commuted to life. wbrc.com/2026/10/21/this-is-… @WBRCnews @TaylorPollock96 @PHADP @eji_org @AlabamaArise @uscedp @WTIUSA @innnocence @CCATDP #Alabama #deathpenalty
40
Alabama man on death row for 3 decades gets clemency: 'Thank you, Lord.' usatoday.com/story/news/nati… @USATODAY @AmandaLeeUSAT @PHADP @AlabamaArise @eji_org @uscedp @WTIUSA @innocence @CCATDP #ToforestJohnson #deathpenalty
1
1
60
Alabama Man’s Death Sentence Is Commuted as Governor Cites Thin Evidence. nytimes.com/2026/10/20/us/de… @nytimes @byEduardoMedina @eji_org @PHADP @AlabamaArise @WTIUSA @innocence @uscedp @CCATDP #ToforestJohnson #deathpenalty
35
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey commutes death sentence of Toforest Johnson. al.com/news/birmingham/2026/… @aldotcom @IvanaSuzette @PHADP @AlabamaArise @eji_org @WTIUSA @innocence @uscedp @radleybalko #deathpenalty
59
International human rights law prohibits extraditing, deporting, or otherwise transferring a person in custody of a country that does not have the death penalty to a country that does unless the country seeking custody provides assurances that the death penalty will not be sought or carried out.
That is the policy of Australia and New Zealand, every European democracy, and every country in the western hemisphere that does not have the death penalty. What Italy required as a condition of extraditing Lee Gilley to the United States is what all the countries whose company the U.S. would normally like to keep routinely require.
The non-transference doctrine was set out in a decision by the U.N. Committee on Human Rights in 2003 in the case of Philadelphia death row prisoner Roger Judge. You can read the decision in Judge v. Canada here. files.deathpenaltyinfo.org/d…. @TexDefender @TCADPdotORG @uscedp @amnesty @hrw @UNHumanRights @IACHumanRights
Italy grants extradition of Houston man accused of killing pregnant wife, but only on charge that does not carry the death penalty. khou.com/article/news/crime/… @KHOU @HollyinHouston @rklein1010 @MeganReynatv @TexDefender @TCADPdotORG @texasccatdp @uscedp @ItalyinUS #Texas #LeeGilley
1
85
Italy grants extradition of Houston man accused of killing pregnant wife, but only on charge that does not carry the death penalty. khou.com/article/news/crime/… @KHOU @HollyinHouston @rklein1010 @MeganReynatv @TexDefender @TCADPdotORG @texasccatdp @uscedp @ItalyinUS #Texas #LeeGilley
174
.@FADPorg released this statement in connection with William Reaves’ execution. It says, in part:
“There are two stories of William’s life. In the prevailing narrative, he’s a monster who shot a good cop as the man begged for his life. In the untold story, he’s a victim of circumstance—a sweet kid from a small town who was sent to war, trained to kill in the service of his country, and returned home a psychological ruin. Both stories are true. Only the first has been given moral weight in popular memory. The second—the tale of William the war hero—explains his crime.”
@FLDeathPenalty @uscedp #Florida #deathpenalty
103
My note: Prosecutors were unable to persuade Mr. Reaves’ jury to unanimously vote for death. He never should have been on death row, let alone executed.
14 of the 18 men Florida has executed this year were sentenced to death despite non-unanimous votes by the sentencing jury. That’s 78% of the state’s executions. Florida is not only an extreme outlier in the number of people it executes, it is an extreme outlier in how the people it executes got to death row in the first place.
@FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp @CCATDP @ABAdueprocess @amnesty @hrw @IACHumanRights @WCADP @AssoECPM @DeathPenaltyAct #deathpenalty
“It’s finally over”: William Reaves Jr., a Vietnam vet who killed a Florida sheriff’s deputy, is executed.
“The execution of came over the strong objections from a group of military veterans who argued that Reaves deserved mercy because of trauma he endured during Vietnam.” usatoday.com/story/news/nati… @USATODAY @AmandaLeeUSAT @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp @DAVHQ @VFWHQ @NAMICommunicate @taccommunicate @MentalHealthAm @amnesty @hrw @UNHumanRights #deathpenalty
1
2
146
“It’s finally over”: William Reaves Jr., a Vietnam vet who killed a Florida sheriff’s deputy, is executed.
“The execution of came over the strong objections from a group of military veterans who argued that Reaves deserved mercy because of trauma he endured during Vietnam.” usatoday.com/story/news/nati… @USATODAY @AmandaLeeUSAT @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp @DAVHQ @VFWHQ @NAMICommunicate @taccommunicate @MentalHealthAm @amnesty @hrw @UNHumanRights #deathpenalty
1
279
William Reaves' execution will be the 18th in Florida this year, and the 37th since Jan. 1 , 2025. Before the current execution meltdown, Florida had averaged 2.3 executions per year since carrying out its first execution in 1979.
Seven states account for 75% of all executions conducted in the U.S. since the 1970s. One of them, Virginia, no longer has a death penalty, but after tonight, the remaining six states will account for 30 of the 32 executions carried out in the U.S. this year (93.75%). The rest of the country is near historic lows for executions.
@uscedp @CCATDP @DeathPenaltyAct @amnesty @WCADP @AssoECPM #deathpenalty
Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied William Reaves' application to stay his execution, which is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Eastern today in Florida. supremecourt.gov/orders/cour… @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp
1
2
2
511
Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied William Reaves' application to stay his execution, which is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Eastern today in Florida. supremecourt.gov/orders/cour… @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp
1
4
3
827
Contrast this story with Governor Abbott’s persistent denial of clemency in death penalty cases:
Her fiancé and caretaker was murdered by a far-right extremist. Then Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned the killer. @radleybalko’s interview with Whitney Mitchell. radleybalko.substack.com/p/h… @TCADPdotORG @uscedp
1
4
455
Florida is set to carry out 18th execution this year and moving closer to tying record. apnews.com/article/florida-e… @AP @DavidWFischer @FLDeathPenalty @FADPorg @uscedp #WilliamReaves #deathpenalty
1
3
4
374
Commentary by former Jewish prison chaplain Michael J. Zoosman — Christa Pike has corresponded with me for over a year. She is not a monster. jpost.com/opinion/article-91… @JPostOpinion @Jews4Abolition @PFADP @Tndeathpenalty @CCATDP @uscedp #deathpenalty
1
5
370
“Killing someone is not dignified in any way, but it must be done with the most dignity possible,” former Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel says. “Where it is legal, how it is done says more about society than anything else.”
To avoid a failed execution, Wetzel strictly followed the law. ... “I was not going to break the law and find the required drugs from an unauthorized source in order to execute someone for breaking the law,” Wetzel says.
Wetzel commented on the inherent brutality of the death penalty. “That’s the thing. Everyone is traumatized — families, witnesses to the crime, court workers and corrections officers, anyone associated with the execution — from the moment of the murder to the very end.”
community.triblive.com/news/… @padp_org @Atlantic_Ctr @uscedp @Journey0fHope @CCATDP @amnesty @WCADP @AssoECPM @DeathPenaltyAct
4
8
408
Commentary by @DuqKlineLaw criminal law professor Joseph Sabino Mistick: The trauma of public executions. community.triblive.com/news/… @TribLIVE @padp_org @Atlantic_Ctr @PACDLawyers @PBA #deathpenalty
3
2
316
.@Reuters/@Ipsos poll reports support for capital punishment at 55%, down from 63% in 2017 poll. 31% said they opposed the death penalty. 13% either did not know or did not answer the question.
The poll results are similar to last year's @Gallup poll that placed support for capital punishment at 52% and suggest that the recent @pewresearch poll that said 66% of Americans support the death penalty is an outlier.
Gallup conducts its annual crime survey each October. With the gap between the Reuters/Ipsos and Pew polls, it be interesting to see what Gallup reports this year. @uscedp @amnestyusa @DeathPenaltyAct @WCADP @AssoECPM
One in three Americans back second attempt to execute Christa Pike after initial one failed. 39% favor life in prison. reuters.com/world/one-three-… @Reuters @langejason @Tndeathpenalty @nationalnow @CCATDP @uscedp #Tennessee #deathpenalty
2
248
One in three Americans back second attempt to execute Christa Pike after initial one failed. 39% favor life in prison. reuters.com/world/one-three-… @Reuters @langejason @Tndeathpenalty @nationalnow @CCATDP @uscedp #Tennessee #deathpenalty
1
3
498