Haugen's execution request up to Ore. Supreme Court
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Convicted murderer Gary Haugen's request to be executed will be heard by the state Supreme Court next week.
The seven justices will hear oral arguments Thursday on whether the twice-convicted murderer can legally reject an unconditional reprieve issued by Gov. John Kitzhaber in 2011. Kitzhaber's action blocked the execution two weeks before it was scheduled to take place.
The Statesmen Journal reports Haugen won the first round in Marion County Circuit Court. The Supreme Court accepted Kitzhaber's appeal directly.
Kitzhaber argues Haugen has no legal right to reject a reprieve because of the Oregon Constitution; the historical circumstances of clemency; and previous court decisions about the governor's clemency powers.
Haugen's lawyers say Kitzhaber's reprieve deprives him of federal constitutional rights such as a ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
maybe they should just accidently let him out with a ticket to Kitzhabers home! Two birds one stone.
The kitz - for killing future grand -children but against the death penalty for those who kill
@Bert You're saying he supports a woman's right to choose but, at the same time, opposes the death penalty? I don't see those as the same thing. The death penalty is society sanctioning killing. People who can walk, talk and have actually been born have a right to life.Â
I am against the death penalty. We should not be killing people. I do find it odd that part of Haugen's argument seems to be that life in prison would be cruel and unusual but killing him is not.
Women, in my view, have a RIGHT to choose.Â
@jbloe killing unborn children is still killing people, so how can you be against one and for the other?  Its just hypocritical.
@franksbeansI don't see it that way but I do understand how you might be confused. When I live and vote in a state, that state and what it does represents me to some extent. Therefore, if we allow state sanctioned killings via the death penalty, I am involved in that. When it comes to a woman's right to choose, I am not involved unless I am the father.
I remember in biology class seeing little sperm swimming and moving. They appeared to be alive to me. If you are going with the idea that a woman's right to choose is violating human life, the question appears to be the definition of when life begins. I would say little sperm that swim are alive. Maybe condoms should be illegal since they help end that life.
Do you personally support the death penalty? My personal experience seems to indicate that most people who oppose a woman's right to choose also support the death penalty. When they oppose women's rights, they usually do so based on the same concept you're putting forward - that embryos are human and have the same rights as everyone else. Somehow, those same people are OK with state sanctioned killings. That does seem inconsistent to me.
The Supreme Court ruled on a woman's right to choose in the 1970s and it will likely have to rule again in the not-too-distant future.
Just interested but if you think Kitzhaber should be run out of Office hit like.
If Governor Palpatine wants to keep these Killers and Rapists alive to appease his conscience then let him pay to take care of them. I think old Kitz should have to explain in person, alone to Haugen why he should continue living.
Kitz - just execute your authority under Oregon's constitution and use clemency to change his sentence to life without parole. End of story.
@ShallowEnder Probably would be simpler than this freak taking up time in Oregon's court system.
Haugen, this is oregon. I swear You would have an easier chance of being released from prison than trying to be put to death. You should have tried for that. I would hope whatever the ruling is, that this puts an end to his appeals.
I can see it now ... even if the Oregon State Supreme Court rules in Haugen's favor, Kitzhaber will appeal to the United States Supreme Court thus ensuring a continual waste of taxpayers' money. Recycling is a good thing. Recycling politicans? Not so much.
Let me draw you a picture so you can understand this: Say I'm in prison for the rest of my life, you (or maybe a family member) comes in for a two year stay, but I don't like your face, I Take You Out, what are they going to do to me, put me in jail? We have a death penalty in Oregon, too bad we don't have a Governor that is here to serve the people instead of his own agenda.
For those who recommend he commit suicide, you have never known someone who chose to do this and you were left behind to wonder why or what you could have done or said to maybe change the outcome, ok so this convicted murder wants the death sentence, suicide give him control and I don't go for that, Kitz needs to put his personal agendas aside and follow the will of the people.
I bet if we sent this guy a rubix cube he would change his mind, those things are hours of entertainment!
@Richard GoezinyahÂ
Or a pair of Chinese handcuffs. Â He could spend the next 20 - 30 years trying to figure out how to get out of those suckers..
Life in prison is not "cruel and unusual punishment". I'm so sick of hearing this loser's name in the news, and I can't believe that the taxpayers keep cutting checks to his effing attorneys. No more appeals, no more news stories, just send him back to prison (which he apparently thinks is a fate worse than death) and give all his lawyers pink slips.
Just hang yourself with your underwear like any other decent death-row inmate.Â
All he has to do to die is to looky scary to a portland cop.
No brainer, flip the switch.
uhhhh........one can read about inmates committing suicide all the time, what is wrong from a "do it yourself suicide" Gary you worthless crybaby........if you want to die so bad........a simple razor blade should do it, very easy to come by you punk
@Joe Blow He's an attention w h o r e and a coward. So is Haugen. lol
your a schmuck and so is Haugen.....lol
@Joe Blow I disagree.  He'd be a 'good guy' in general population.  First of all, he killed his gf's mother (kinda like a mother-in-law, most men would agree with the thought!).  His second murder was of a fellow inmate, probably someone who "needed killing" according to prisoner mentality.  He needs to sit in his lonely cell on death row until he dies a natural death.  THAT would be justice for him. Â
@badcat @Joe Blow lol you are right! my bad, I am sick of seeing that guys mug on tv smirking away as we pay, just let him out in open population for a while and someone would do the states work for almost nothing
@Joe Blow I thought that was a clever slam on Kitzhaber. Sorry if you were offended. Also, I think you meant "you're".Â
What's going to be really interesting is if the Oregon Supreme Court rules against Lord Kitzhaber, what's he going to do?
Just for that, irrelevent of Haugen, I sincerely hope that he wins the appeal and the courts order the state to execute him.Â
...it will be truly interesting to see his royal highness be put in check.
@MarkKpic The Oregon Court of Appeals allready put a stop to his Gillnet Ban until they can review the case which once started will take at least 18 months. It will be interesting to see what kind of Scientific Evidence the Gov. can come up with to support his plan because there is none.
@MarkKpic ironic that you call him lord when you pray to a magical skygod everyday
@Trickledown @MarkKpic Aaaaaw, how sweet. I've got a stalker.Â
Haugen, I know you're getting a ton of attention from this, which you love. Â But if you are seriously wanting to be executed, do us all a favor, rip a stip off your sheet tonight and discretely tie it around your neck. Â Then enjoy hell. Â It's really not that difficult, even for a scum sucking slime ball murderer like yourself.
@trololol He doesn't want to die, he wants to waste as much time and money as possible. And he's succeeding.
The liberals who put Kitz into office must feel very proud that they don't believe in punishing murderers. Â
@Shadow Sucks when your side keeps losing elections, doesn't it?
@Sundowner @Shadow Sucks for all of us.
Look....all he wants to do is waste taxpayer money, laughing it up the whole time.......If he really wanted to die I'm sure he could find the means to do it or have one of his "friends" take him out!!!!! He's a big wannabe tuff guy who does not have the guts to take care of it himself, playing a game.......please just pull the switch already!!!! and then see what he's got to say!! lol!
Haugen is certainly enjoying his time in the spotlight. There is something wrong with that.
This story brings up an interesting point to me. Â If Haugen wants to be executed so badly, that right there is the reason he shouldn't have his wish granted. Â Keep him alive as long as possible -- the more he dislikes it, the better. Â I'd like to see him at least forced to wait out the 2 years until Kitzhaber is no longer in office. Â Every day this low-life killer sits on death row twiddling his thumbs serves him right....why should he get what he wants? Â Â
@Sundowner Yep. Re-read the last paragraph.Â
"Haugen's lawyers say Kitzhaber's reprieve deprives him of federal constitutional rights such as a ban on cruel and unusual punishment."
He seems to be claiming that sitting in jail for the rest of his life is cruel and unusual punishment. Seems a fitting punishment to me. Oh, and take away his television. Let him rot.
@Sundowner ......you've got a good point there.
@Rob C 503Â If you ask me (which you didn't, I'm aware!), this whole debate is about Governor Kitzhaber's moratorium on the death penalty -- with valid arguments on both sides. Â Personally I'm anti-death penalty, but that doesn't influence my feelings on this story. Â Here's a convicted double-murderer and people on this forum are wanting him to get his way?? Â Screw that. Â Whatever he wants, I want the exact opposite for him.
@Sundowner @Rob C 503 So what if he is using Reverse Psychology?
@SundownerÂ
Brer rabbit and the briar patch comes to mind.
Thanks governor for tying up the court system to validate your morals.
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@feral Tell that to all the murderers. Oh, that's right. Murder is illegal.Â
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@Welfair Chick Just doin' my job!  LOL!
@Welfair Chick Whoa -- my friend Dr. Rawdog has been known to say that too!  =)
This whole thing is turning into a joke. Thanks, Gov K!
How about we lock Haugen and Kitzslobber in a room together. Give the governor a gun and give the killer a bunch of meth and a baseball bat. Maybe the gov would get his act together?
@Harry Merkin I think the governor has his act together enough to ensure something like that never happens..Â