Iowa ended the death penalty after it hanged 2 men in 1962. A GOP bill would bring it back

Several Republicans legislators are renewing their push to bring back the death penalty in Iowa — this time for people convicted of the first-degree murder of police or correctional officers.

Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965, but lawmakers have repeatedly drafted proposals to bring it back in some limited instances — with little success.

A bill proposed during the last legislative session would have allowed capital punishment only if an adult defendant was found guilty of kidnapping, sexually abusing and murdering a minor. That bill advanced through a committee but never received a debate on the floor.

Why do some lawmakers want to bring back the death penalty?

A three-person panel of lawmakers on Monday debated new legislation, Senate Study Bill 3085, and voted to advance it to a full committee.

“I know there's a lot of conversation about (how) this doesn't deter anybody” from committing murder, said Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf. “But that closure that those parents need, or the wife or the husband or the kids need, should be considered also. I agree with that. This is a difficult situation. And I believe that we should back our police officers and our peace officers.”

Webster said the bill will be amended to make it clear that only adults convicted of killing police officers and correctional officers would be subject to the death penalty.

What are opponents saying about restoring the death penalty?

The legislation was opposed by a wide range of religious leaders, including Wendy Abrahamson, who spoke on behalf of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa.

“We follow a God who was executed by the state. And so fundamentally, we don't believe the state has any role in doing that,” Abrahamson said. “It also is not appropriate for the state to be acting in vengeance. If we're talking about community safety, Iowa already has the possibility of life in prison without parole. So this does not really seem to be doing anything for deterrence or safety.”

Sen. Tony Bisignano, D-Des Moines, criticized Republicans’ efforts, accusing them of playing politics by focusing the legislation on people who kill cops rather than other groups of offenders.

He questioned why the legislation wouldn’t also apply to people convicted of murder in school shootings, like the one that occurred at Perry High School earlier this month. Police say the shooter there died by suicide.

“When you can tell me that the governor wants it and that the governor will sign it, then I think it’s a live round,” Bisignano said of the bill. “Right now I think it’s a political round. We keep playing with politics in election years. And this seems to be the 'cop killer' bill. It seems to be that thing that you want to put in your brochure. But I hope you put along with that that you excluded children killed in school shootings.”

What do Iowans think about the death penalty?

In previous years, House Judiciary Chair Steven Holt, R-Denison, has resisted legislation that would have revived the state’s death penalty.

He said Monday that his concerns about the manner in which the death penalty is administered have not changed.

"Morally, I believe that there are crimes for which the death penalty should be given," he said. "However, the data clearly shows that people of means do not receive the death penalty proportionately when compared to people with little means who must rely on a public defender. This is deeply concerning to me. Additionally, DNA tests have clearly demonstrated that sometimes the wrong person is convicted. A life sentence allows this wrong to be corrected. A death penalty does not."

Polling conducted by the Des Moines Register shows a majority of Iowans support capital punishment in some instances. When last included in the Iowa Poll in 2018, 58% of Iowa adults said they favored a potential initiative to revive the death penalty.

When was the last person executed in Iowa?

Iowa's last execution was in 1963 at the Iowa State Penitentiary. Victor Harry Feguer was hanged for murder and kidnapping under federal law.

The last people executed in Iowa under state law were Charles Noel Brown and Charles Edwin Kelley. Known as the "Mad Dog Killers," the two were hanged in 1962 after they killed three people and wounded three others in a murder spree that enveloped three states over five days in 1961.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa lawmakers consider allowing the death penalty for killing cops