KDKA Talk Show Host Says PA Should Get Rid of Death Penalty

Wow! Conservative Pittsburgh talk radio host, KDKA's Robert Pratte just said live on air that if a legislator is brave enough to introduce a bill to abolish the death penalty in Pennsylvania, that he would support him. He said it several times. I think he means it and I couldn't agree more.

Rob's reasoning goes something like this: it's a waste of money and we shouldn't be wasting money on it at a time when important things, like education, are being cut from PA's budget. He says we can't shorten the appeals process and that he doesn't want to see an innocent person executed.



With the abolition of the death penalty in Connecticut, there are five states in five years that have abolished it. We're now at a total of 17 states without capital punishment. And there's more coming. I want to make sure that PA is one of the next to end this barbaric practice.


We can do this. We must.

Ray Krone: Charges Dismissed

On April 24, 2002, nearly 10 years after he was first convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, Ray Krone was cleared of all charges.

Ray, who was once a supporter the death penalty, now speaks against it. He now speaks publicly about his experiences on death row and in prison and hopes to educate audiences on the flaws in the justice system and why the death penalty should be abolished. Ultimately, he doesn’t want another person to endure the same experiences he did.

I hope this series of posts serves as a commemoration of Ray Krone and all the work he’s done against the death penalty since his release. On the day of his release, when Ray told the reporter that his life was about the “next 10 years” rather than the 10 years he spent in prison, I feel he really meant what he said. 

Ray Krone: The Real Killer Was Still on the Loose

While police and prosecutors focused on finding ways to convict Ray Krone of murdering Kim Anacona, there was something else going on: The real killer was still walking around freely. Luckily, the man suspected of killing Kim was arrested several days later on a molestation charge. But what if he hadn’t been?

Most of the attention of the police was set on Ray. The true killer, had he not been caught, could have committed numerous crimes while he roamed free of suspicion. The point here reflects back to the post on the police. Law enforcement officials and prosecutors need to do their best to keep an open mind until they are 100 percent certain they have the right person. When they don’t, it clouds their judgment and they become so caught up in the person they’re trying to convict that they disregard evidence that not only refutes their beliefs but also potentially points to another person.

Ray Krone: Convicted Twice

When Ray Krone was first convicted of the rape and murder of Kim Anacona the evidence was weak. The prosecution relied mostly on bite marks found on the victim’s neck and breast, and because an “expert” claimed the bite marks matched those found on the victim.

After spending two years and eight months on death row, Ray was granted another trial, but was once again convicted of the same crime despite the fact that other experts disputed and disproved the original experts claims. However, the judge, who knew the bite mark evidence was weak, reduced Ray’s sentence to 46 years in prison (which was essentially life considering Ray was 35 years old at the time).

After spending 10 years in prison (2 years and 8 months on death row), Ray now walks free with his charges dismissed. There is, however, something to be said about Ray being falsely convicted two times.

If the United States justice system screwed up Ray’s case twice because of junk science, prosecutorial misconduct and other things, how many of the other 3,000 plus other death row inmates have also been falsely convicted? Ray’s story should serve as an example and should also raise the question, “Is it worth it?” Is it worth it to risk executing an innocent person? What purpose will lowering ourselves to murder serve in the end? The death penalty serves no purpose in our justice system other than a “justified” form of murder. It is a money eating, broken and immoral system that must be abolished.

Ray Krone: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

One of the most widely discusses issues regarding the death penalty, especially in Philadelphia, is an ineffective assistance of counsel.

When a defendant is at risk of being sentenced to death, he or she should be defended by the best lawyer(s) possible to ensure they have the best chance of not receiving the death penalty. However, this isn’t always the case. In fact, most of the time the defense is unprepared, unsuitable to working on a capital case and ultimately ineffective at creating a strong defense for the accused.

Ineffective assistance of counsel can occur many ways. For instance, in Philadelphia many of the defendants cannot afford a lawyer so they are appointed one by the city. Studies have shown that these lawyers are severely underpaid, overburdened and unfit to defend someone in a capital case. This puts the accused at a huge disadvantage, and can often lead to a false conviction.

In other instances, defense lawyers may not follow proper protocol for a capital case. Some lawyers may not investigate an alibi or submit evidence to a forensics expert to be evaluated.

In the end, the outcome is always the same. The defense is weak and the defendant is easily convicted. In capital cases, this means the defendant is at risk of being executed without having gone through a truly fair trial.

The risk of wrongfully convicting someone runs much higher when his or her defense is poor. When ineffective assistance of counsel occurs, the fairness of a trial is no longer present.

Ray Krone: Religion

On the day Ray Krone was released from prison a reporter asked him how he justified God leaving him in prison for 10 years. Krone response to the reporter? “Maybe it’s not about the 10 years I spent in prison. Maybe it’s about what I have to do the next 10 years. I want to be a survivor and not a victim.”

As a man of faith, Ray held onto his beliefs throughout the 10 years he was incarcerated. He is now a staunch advocate of abolishing the death penalty and speaks alongside religious leaders with hopes of convincing others that the death penalty is wrong.

Opposing the death penalty isn’t a rare idea when it comes to religion. The Roman Catholic Church, which is the highest populated in the United States, are against the death penalty. The United Methodist Church, American Baptist Church, Presbyterian Churches, Episcopal Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches all support abolition.

There is often debate about the Conservative Protestant view on the death penalty. Most Conservative Protestants are in favor of the death penalty, but also hold a pro-life stance. They rationalize their beliefs by stating that to take an innocent human life is wrong, but to take the life of a person who has been committed of a heinous crime is justifiable. Despite their attempts at rationalization, I still find their quite contradicting. Who are we as humans, just as those who we sentence to death are humans, to take the life of another person? Guilty or not, human life should be held in the highest, most sacred manner. When there are other methods to ensure those guilty of crimes can never commit a similar crime again, there is absolutely no reason for the death penalty. There is absolutely no justification to the taking of another human being’s life.

Ray Krone: Police

When an individual is convinced of an idea, such as a homicide suspect, it may be hard to persuade the individual of anything other than what they already believe. This can be a dangerous for the wrongfully accused because the person investigating the crime may refuse to investigate other leads and may even ignore evidence that contradicts what they already believe.

This was prevalent during the investigation of Ray Krone. Despite evidence such as the bite marks not matching Ray’s or the shoe size found at the crime scene being a different size than Ray’s, those investigating the murder continued pursuit on Ray until he was convicted of the crime he didn’t commit.

This is a frightening concept. We as humans possess the ability to think freely, but once we set our minds on an idea it can become difficult to convince us otherwise. This is especially dangerous with law enforcement. The police investigating Ray Krone’s case were presented with numerous facts that disputed their claims that Ray raped and murdered Kim Anacona. Those investigating an incident and even the prosecutors working on a case must be as open minded as possible and not zero in on someone until they are 100 percent sure they are correct.