Gov. Ralph Northam
JARRATT, Va. (AP) – Gov. Ralph Northam is set to sign historic legislation abolishing the death penalty in Virginia. Northam scheduled a tour Wednesday of the death chamber at the Greensville Correction Center, then planned to sign the land mark legislation. It marks a dramatic shift in a state that has put to death nearly 1,400 people since its days as a colony. In modern times, Virginia is second only to Texas in executions carried out, with 113 since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. Virginia’s new Democratic majority won a major political battle last month when House and Senate approved the legislation to end capital punishment.
