Saturday, August 4, 2007

Murder Victim's Family Furious Over New Death Penalty


The family of a murder victim is furious with the idea of a kinder, gentler death penalty in Florida.

The state just changed its execution rules to make sure Florida's most violent killers die a humane and dignified death, WESH 2 News reported.

Local killer Mark Schwab will be the first to die under the new rules.

The father of one of Schwab's victims said his son didn’t die a human or dignified death.

"Where is justice? Where is it?" Junny Rios Martinez said.

Martinez said he was angry when he read about the new method to put to death his son's killer.

"I just want to scream. I can't believe it," he said. "New procedures, standards of decency, concept of dignity and advances of science. Where was that when this maggot kidnapped, tortured and murdered my son?"

Schwab has been awaiting death for 15 years.

"We need to have some lawyers who are willing to really go out on a limb… and we need to start suing for our own rights as victims," Vicki Rios Martinez, the victim's mother said.

"This maggot robbed my son of his last breath. Why is anybody concerned that these guys may feel a little pain, that we have to do it in a dignified and humane way?" the victim's father said.

The new method calls for state-certified medical professional to standby and make sure Schwab feels no pain.

"All the rights are for the criminal, all the rights. None for the victim," Martinez said.

Schwab is scheduled to be executed Nov. 15.

To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Dan Billow.

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