April 15, 2008

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Rape a child, pay with your life, Louisiana argues

Who: Patrick Kennedy
What: He is not a killer, but the state of Louisiana is determined to execute for his crime.
When: April 15, 2008
Where: ANGOLA, Louisiana
Why: The New Orleans native faces that reality as he sits on death row at Louisiana's maximum security prison, the largest prison in the nation. The Louisiana State Penitentiary, or Angola Prison, is the size of Manhattan and surrounded on three sides by the Mississippi River.
Unlike the 3,300 inmates awaiting execution nationwide including the 94 other men at Angola Kennedy, 43, is a convicted rapist. The victim was his 8-year-old stepdaughter.
How: For the first time in 44 years, a state is preparing to execute a man for a felony other than murder. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday on whether Louisiana can use capital punishment in child rape cases. The constitutional question before the justices is whether the death penalty for violent crimes other than homicide constitutes "cruel and unusual" punishment. The high-profile examination of the death penalty also raises anew a national debate over selective prosecution and race.