BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is issuing
calling for Governor John Bel Edwards to support Calcasieu Parish District
Attorney John Derosier in his death warrant filing for convicted child rapist
and murderer Jason Reeves.
Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the following statement:
“It has been almost 20 years since this despicable man raped and murdered a four-year old girl. During this time - he has had multiple new and unsuccessful trials, hearings, and appeals with both the Louisiana and United States Supreme Courts upholding his death sentence.
Now while the victim’s family seeks justice - the only remaining obstacle to justice may be the willingness, or unwillingness, of the Governor to allow it.
I stand with District Attorney Derosier in seeking to follow through on the promise our State has made to the victim’s family. I urge the Governor to be as steadfast in delivering justice to this rapist and murderer as he has been in releasing other criminals early under the guise of reform.
I have repeatedly given the Governor multiple options to move forward on capital punishment. It is a shame that his allies in the Senate thwarted legislation which would have helped. And Angola still has a compounding pharmacy by which the drugs for lethal injections can be concocted.
It is also critical the public understand that the law does not mandate any particular drug protocol - it simply mandates a death sentence be carried out by lethal injection. As I noted in a Legislative Hearing earlier this year, there are other drugs which could be administered.
We must move forward to hold this criminal accountable. I hope the Governor chooses an option soon so this family and countless others do not have to wait another 20 years to get justice for their loved one.”
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Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the following statement:
“It has been almost 20 years since this despicable man raped and murdered a four-year old girl. During this time - he has had multiple new and unsuccessful trials, hearings, and appeals with both the Louisiana and United States Supreme Courts upholding his death sentence.
Now while the victim’s family seeks justice - the only remaining obstacle to justice may be the willingness, or unwillingness, of the Governor to allow it.
I stand with District Attorney Derosier in seeking to follow through on the promise our State has made to the victim’s family. I urge the Governor to be as steadfast in delivering justice to this rapist and murderer as he has been in releasing other criminals early under the guise of reform.
I have repeatedly given the Governor multiple options to move forward on capital punishment. It is a shame that his allies in the Senate thwarted legislation which would have helped. And Angola still has a compounding pharmacy by which the drugs for lethal injections can be concocted.
It is also critical the public understand that the law does not mandate any particular drug protocol - it simply mandates a death sentence be carried out by lethal injection. As I noted in a Legislative Hearing earlier this year, there are other drugs which could be administered.
We must move forward to hold this criminal accountable. I hope the Governor chooses an option soon so this family and countless others do not have to wait another 20 years to get justice for their loved one.”
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