The Death Penalty in New Hampshire

New Hampshire has not executed anyone since Howard Long in 1939. Now, with the murder of a Manchester police officer, the Attorney General's Office is pursuing the death penalty for the alleged perpetrator. We'll look at New Hampshire's long history with the death penalty, how complicated these types of cases are and try to get an idea of where Granite Staters are in terms of the ultimate capital punishment. Laura's guests are Richard McNamara, civil attorney who is President of the NH Bar, author of numerous books on criminal procedure and a former State Prosecutor with the AG Office and Barbara Kershen, Staff Attorney for the NH Civil Liberties Union, former member of the Public Defender's Office and former Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Justice Bureau in the 90's. Kershen was part of the defense of Gordon Perry in 1997, the last person to have capital murder charges brought against him in the state of New Hampshire. We'll also hear from New Hampshire Union Leader Reporter Kathryn Marchocki who has been covering the story of Officer Michael Briggs.