Military death penalty: execution approved, appeals apparently still left
President Bush today greenlighted the military to execute Army Pvt. Ronald A. Gray.
For the first time in nearly half a century, a president has approved the execution of a member of the armed services.
President Bush this morning approved the death penalty for a soldier from Fayetteville who was stationed at Fort Bragg.
Army Pvt. Ronald A. Gray was convicted in military court of two murders, an attempted murder and three rapes during the 1980s, the White House confirmed today.
The case now appears to be headed for federal court, despite media coverage to the contrary. Col Dwight Sullivan, USMC(R), has a great background piece on “what happens next” entitled The Last Line of Defense: Federal Habeas Review of Military Death Penalty Cases written, presciently, over a decade ago, as well as some of the issues that may pop-up during the course of litigation.
