Utah death penalty repeal is 'not if, but when,' says GOP former lawmaker

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Hours after Taberon Honie was executed by lethal injection, a former Utah lawmaker who tried but failed to repeal the death penalty said an eventual repeal is "not if, but when."

Lowry Snow, an attorney who served as a Republican state representative from Washington County, introduced HB 147 two years ago to hike prison time for aggravated murder, but get rid of the death penalty.

"I came to the realization that it's not working in our state," Snow said. "It's not working for victims. It's not working in the pursuit of justice. It's broken."

RELATED:Taberon Honie executed for brutal murder of ex-girlfriend's mother in 1998

He said legal proceedings from sentencing to the execution room that take too long — 25 years for Honie — are painful for loved ones of victims, and cost too much money.

Snow said a task force should be appointed for "a deep dive" into the death penalty and its impacts.

"I don't see any potential for repeal," said Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, who voted against Snow's legislation in 2022 in a legislative committee, where the plan died.

Schultz recounted a story of a person who was murdered, and a prosecutor used the death penalty as leverage to get the accused to reveal the location of remains.

"I'm adamantly opposed to repeal (of the death penalty)," said Schultz. "It helps solve cases. It's a deterrent for people to commit crimes. I don't want to take that tool away from prosecutors and families of victims."

Six convicts remain on Utah's death row.

A family member of one called the death penalty "barbaric," but said "it's difficult to say" if legal executions will remain in Utah.

"Violent crime is still happening," the family member said. "They (criminals) know there's a death penalty, and they still do the crime."

On Main Street, two people said the death penalty is a difficult topic; one expressed unease with it, calling it "absolute", and another said if a convict is judged by a group of peers, "not the government," he has "no issue with the death penalty."

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