Fri Jul 13, 2012, 11:39 PM

Last chance at life as Montana governor meets with Ronald Smith’s family

Source: Associated Press

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer met on Friday morning with the family of the Alberta man whose fate is in his hands.

Schweitzer has the final say in whether Ronald Smith’s death sentence will be carried out or whether he will grant Smith’s clemency bid that would change his sentence for two murders in 1982 to life in prison.

A spokesperson for the governor said Schweitzer met with Smith’s sister Rita Duncan, father Nelson Smith, daughter Carmen Blackburn, grandson Myles Blackburn and granddaughter Nycole Blackburn in the governor’s reception room.

The meeting lasted an hour.

According to the local CBS television affiliate, Schweitzer told the family members, “Damn him to hell for forcing the state of Montana for making them sentence him to a state-assisted suicide death,” referring to Smith originally asking for the death sentence before changing his mind

Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/alberta/Last+chance+life+Montana+governor+meets+with+Ronald+Smith/6931554/story.html

7 replies, 2025 views

Reply to this thread

Always highlight: 10 newest replies | Replies posted after I mark a forum

Replies to this discussion thread

7 replies	Author	Time	Post
Last chance at life as Montana governor meets with Ronald Smith’s family (Original post)	discocrisco01	Jul 2012	OP
Sounds like Gov. Schweitzer is considering a commutation to life	Kennah	Jul 2012	#1
Schweitzer is a decent man. Can't imagine any republican Governor ever being torn over a situation	demosincebirth	Jul 2012	#2
this prisoner is Canadian. What if he were Mexican, would the governor think differently?	alp227	Jul 2012	#3
No he wouldn't.	Paulie	Jul 2012	#7
20 years too late.	blackeyeblue	Jul 2012	#4
I don't think Montana is planning on executing anybody any time soon	Sen. Walter Sobchak	Jul 2012	#5
Smith was just continuing the tradition of white men murdering Native Americans	Tom Ripley	Jul 2012	#6

Response to discocrisco01 (Original post)

Fri Jul 13, 2012, 11:55 PM

Kennah (6,739 posts)

1. Sounds like Gov. Schweitzer is considering a commutation to life

Reply to this post

Response to Kennah (Reply #1)

Sat Jul 14, 2012, 12:44 AM

demosincebirth (8,890 posts)

2. Schweitzer is a decent man. Can't imagine any republican Governor ever being torn over a situation

like that. I hope he does commute his sentence

Reply to this post

Response to discocrisco01 (Original post)

Sat Jul 14, 2012, 01:05 AM

alp227 (20,445 posts)

3. this prisoner is Canadian. What if he were Mexican, would the governor think differently?

Reply to this post

Response to alp227 (Reply #3)

Sun Jul 15, 2012, 11:44 AM

Paulie (5,827 posts)

7. No he wouldn't.

He's a good man and a good D by all accounts (though he likes. "clean coal")

Reply to this post

Response to discocrisco01 (Original post)

Sat Jul 14, 2012, 04:11 PM

blackeyeblue (1 post)

4. 20 years too late.

Couple things:

First, the citizens of Montana overwhelmingly support the death sentence for this guy, as does the family of the victims.

Smith murdered two young men for no reason other than "I wanted to see what it would be like."

Lastly, Schweitzer is a Democrat who is termed out, so politics plays no part in the decision, unless Schweitzer decides to run for another office (which would be awesome).

Now, we can argue about the death penalty for as long as you want, but there is no denying the basics: Smith wanted to die at one point, and the people of Montana do not want to support him for the rest of his life. Now, are you advocating that a Governor should listen to a political party rather than the constituents of the state? Nothing is ever simple and if you think it is, you will find yourself painted into a corner.

Reply to this post

Response to blackeyeblue (Reply #4)

Sun Jul 15, 2012, 05:00 AM

Sen. Walter Sobchak (5,673 posts)

5. I don't think Montana is planning on executing anybody any time soon

Given their execution facilities were demolished a few years ago and last I heard not even budgeted for replacement.

Reply to this post

Response to discocrisco01 (Original post)

Sun Jul 15, 2012, 11:41 AM

Tom Ripley (2,642 posts)

6. Smith was just continuing the tradition of white men murdering Native Americans

Reply to this post

Latest Breaking News (Forum)