Kaine denies clemency, inmate put to death

Convicted killer Dexter Lee Vinson was put to death Thursday night after his petition for clemency was denied by Governor Tim Kaine, who said:

Having carefully reviewed the Petition for Clemency and judicial opinions regarding this case, I find no compelling reasons to doubt Mr. Vinson’s guilt or to invalidate the sentence recommended by the jury and imposed, and affirmed, by the courts.

It is of no surprise to me that Kaine denied clemency. Kaine said repeatedly during the campaign that although he was morally opposed to capital punishment, he would uphold the law and permit the executions. Charging that Kaine would commute all sentences, his opponent Jerry Kilgore in a now infamous TV ad said that Kaine would have prevented Hitler from being executed. So with all eyes on him for his first clemency petition, Kaine couldn’t possibly do anything other than what he did.

Kaine kept his word. It is good to see a politician keep his word.