Join a distinguished group of Kentuckians for a robust discussion of the death penalty and its use in Kentucky.
- Professor Michael Mannheimer co-chaired the Kentucky Assessment Team that spent two years studying how the process works in Kentucky. Assisted by staff of the American Bar Association this group issued its 500 page report in 2011. Professor Mannheimer will describe what they found lacking in our system and the recommendations made to improve it, none of which have been implemented.
- Thomas More College President David Armstrong brings a unique perspective to the discussion. Before his current job, he was a prosecutor and will share his insights about that role and how it led him to conclude the death penalty should be abolished.
- Ed Monahan, a northern Kentucky native and current Public Advocate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, brings years of legal experience to this event. As a trial lawyer who tried cases where the death sentence was asked for he has seen first hand how the system works. As Public Advocate his job is to insure defense for the indigent and justice for both the public and those charged with capital murder.
- Ben Griffith advocates on behalf of those who lost loved ones to murder and who do not want to see anyone sentenced to death. He lost a brother to violence and knew the death penalty would not bring him any comfort. Ben has testified before the members of the Senate and House Judiciary committee and serves on the board of the coalition.
- Mike VonAllmen spent many year in a Kentucky prison and on parole for a crime he did not commit. False witness identification, the leading cause of wrongful convictions, put him in prison. His story has fascinated audiences throughout Kentucky and his meetings with legislators have raised their interest in abolishing the death penalty, because what happened to Mike can happen to someone facing death.
Please join us: Gateway Community and Technical College, Edgewood Campus, Room E-101, 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
For more information about the evening’s event and for complete bios of the presenters click here.
Graphic: courtesy Gateway Community and Technical College
