This post has been updated
Action Alert from the United Church of Christ
Philip Workman has been assigned an execution date of Sept. 22, 2004, based on a trial held in Tennessee in 1982 in which he was sentenced to death for the fatal shooting of a police officer. This trial has been widely publicized as fundamentally unfair because of prosecutorial misconduct, withheld evidence, and ineffective defense counsel.
The critical "eyewitness," Harold Davis, was not at the scene of the crime, and later admitted that his testimony was not true. Medical and scientific evidence establishes that Philip did not fire the fatal bullet. Five of the jurors have signed affidavits that they would not have sentenced Philip to death if they had heard all of the evidence. A single juror could have prevented a death sentence.
One innocent life taken by execution is one too many. Significant evidence indicates that death penalty sentences across the country have been imposed unjustly and without a fair trial. Recognizing this reality, the United Church of Christ General Synod, in 1999, unanimously reaffirmed its longstanding opposition to the death penalty, citing racial and socioeconomic disparity in its application, and inadequate legal representation of people accused of capital offenses that contradict the use of the death penalty as an instrument of justice.
This is Philip Workman's fifth scheduled execution date. Each one takes a severe emotional toll. Contact Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and urge him to grant clemency for Philip Workman. To send a fax or e-mail message, click here.
Update: "On September 20, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals of the State of Tennessee denied a motion by the state's attorney general to vacate the stay of execution of Philip Workman. As a consequence, Philip Workman will not be executed this week. God is Good." - UCC
