Connecticut Senate set to vote on repeal of death penalty
Connecticut's Senate was set to vote on Wednesday on whether to repeal the death penalty, a measure that if approved could make it the fifth U.S. state in five years to abandon capital punishment. - A vote was expected in the afternoon in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where observers said it remained unclear how much support it had. If approved, the bill would go to the majority Democratic House of Representatives, where it is likely to pass, and Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy has promised to sign it into law. The measure would replace the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole. An amendment added on Tuesday provided that future felons, convicted of life sentences without parole, would be subject to the same harsh conditions as those inmates currently on Death Row. The proposal to repeal the death penalty is "prospective," meaning the 11 men currently on Connecticut's Death Row would still face execution.