Shapiro Tells Pennsylvania Lawmakers to Abolish Death Penalty

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he won’t sign any death warrants for inmates facing execution.

Further, he called on the General Assembly in Pennsylvania to send him a bill to sign that would abolish the death penalty in the state.

Pennsylvania has carried out just 3 executions since the death penalty was reinstated back in 1976. All 3 executions happened in the 1990s. The last execution was on July 6, 1999, when double murderer Gary Heidnik was killed by lethal injection.

“Pennsylvania should do what 25 other states have done in outlawing the death penalty or refusing to impose it, including many of our neighbors such as New Jersey, Maryland, and West Virginia. This is a fundamental statement of morality — of what’s right and wrong,” Shapiro wrote in a Twitter thread.

“I will not issue any execution warrants during my term as Governor — and when an execution warrant comes to my desk, I will sign a reprieve each and every time,” the Governor added.