Oregon death penalty on hold; jury to decide Lara’s fate

The death penalty is a complicated law, as many states have moved away from enforcing it, including here in Oregon.

The law is back in the spotlight as Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel announced Wednesday is seeking the death penalty for Edwin Lara.

A moratorium on executions was put in place by former Gov. John Kitzhaber back in 2011, calling the death penalty morally wrong.

Gov. Kate Brown has said she’ll uphold the moratorium on carrying out the death penalty.

The state has 34 inmates awaiting execution at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.

Shawn Kollie, an attorney with DeKalb and Associates, told NewsChannel 21 on Thursday the death penalty has outlived its time.

Studies have show that the death penalty law doesn’t deter crime, and it’s still in on the law books in Oregon, Kollie said.

He said some studies show it costs the state more money to execute a person than having the inmate serve out a life sentence.

Kollie said if Edwin Lara is convicted for the murder of Kaylee Sawyer, it would be up to the jury to determine if he would serve a life sentence of be put to death.

Here is a statement provided to NewsChannel 21 by Gov. Brown’s office.

Governor Kate Brown will continue Oregon’s death penalty moratorium, because after thoroughly researching the issues, serious concerns remain about the constitutionality and workability of Oregon’s lethal injection law. Specifically, Oregon’s ability to get the necessary execution drugs required by statute is uncertain, and it is unclear whether or not, in its current form, Oregon’s three-drug protocol is constitutional given recent court cases in other states.