Supreme Court lifts stay of execution in Virginia man's case

Published: 2008-05-22

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The commonwealth of Virginia ranks second to Texas when it comes to the number of executions carried out since 1976, the year the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty. Now, after a Supreme Court ruling May 19, Virginia will have three more executions in the near future, raising concern from the Catholic community. The first two were previously scheduled, one for May 27 and another for June 10. Christopher Scott Emmett was added to that list when the Supreme Court lifted a stay on his execution, though Virginia officials have not set the date. Emmett challenged Virginia's lethal injection method, claiming that the commonwealth failed to supply enough anesthetic prior to injecting the lethal drugs. In 2001 Emmett was charged with capital murder and robbery for attacking and killing his former co-worker in Danville, Va. Jeff Caruso, executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference, said the court's ruling prompted his concern about "the bigger picture." Caruso said Virginia has had 98 executions since 1976, which is second only to Texas' 405.

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