Former Supreme Court Judge Calls for Death Penalty Moratorium

A former member of the State Supreme Court calls for a moratorium on the death penalty. Retired Judge Charles Blackmar, who was on the court from 1982 to 1992, has told a Columbia audience he thinks a “fair number” of people have been executed who were not guilty. Blackmar points to the case of Joseph Amrine, who was finally released after 17 years under a death sentence when three witnesses recanted their testimony against him. Blackmar says that makes him wonder how many others were wrongly convicted. Blackmar allowed six executions during his time on the State Supreme Court. Blackmar says he had taken an oath to uphold the laws of the state and fulfilled his oath despite his personal feelings.