CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Repealing the death penalty, a non-starter in Wyoming each of the past five years, got a serious look Wednesday from a legislative committee that voted to advance the idea to the full Senate for what could be a last dash to the governor’s desk.
Repeal proponents significantly outnumbered opponents in over an hour of testimony before the 4-0 Senate Judiciary Committee vote.
The high cost to the state of giving people charged with capital murder an adequate defense, along with the higher cost of housing death-row inmates, don’t justify the reasons for having capital punishment, advocates for repeal argued.