FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) — Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman joined a push Monday calling on Gov. Andy Beshear to authorize the execution of more than a dozen inmates on death row.
The push stems from a case dating back to 1994, when Ralph Baze was convicted of killing two law enforcement officers and sentenced to death.
That sentence has not been carried out, and Coleman said he wants to see that change.
Speaking on the steps of the Franklin County Courthouse, Coleman said enough is enough when it comes to delaying Baze’s execution. Baze was convicted in the 1992 killings of Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Deputy Arthur Briscoe.
Since then, about a dozen Kentucky death row inmates have challenged the state’s execution protocol, resulting in a temporary injunction.
"It is time for this case to end," Coleman said. "Not to sweep anything under the rug, but to uphold the rule of law and to recognize this is needless delay."
Kentucky has not carried out an execution since 2008.
"If the court dismisses this case as we are seeking, it will pave the way for around a dozen death row inmates to finally receive their sentence, and the surviving families in each case will receive the justice they have long awaited," Coleman said.
However, during a hearing Monday, attorneys for the inmates said changes to the state’s procedures are needed.
"One example is that counsel be allowed to view the insertion of the IV so if something goes awry, as they often have across the country, they are aware of it in time, if need be, to contact the courts," attorney David Barron said.
It is up to Beshear to commute death sentences.
Coleman said Beshear needs to sign off on Baze’s execution to provide closure for these victims’ families.
"Our Commonwealth promised these families, these law enforcement officers and their communities that we would deliver justice," he said. "We will not give up on them."
There is no timeline on when a judge could rule on the dismissal.Â
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