Welcome to my Crime and Justice blog! I am a 19 year old criminal justice student at the University of Winnipeg. I advocate for prisoners' rights, human rights, equality and criminal justice/prison system reforms.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Stop the execution of Johnnie Baston on March 10th in Ohio!

Johnnie Baston #A308-174
878 Coitsville- Hubbard Rd
Youngstown, OH 44505



Greetings Governor Strickland,
I am writing to you to express my concerns regarding the scheduled execution for Johnnie Baston on March 10th, 2011. Research shows that the death penalty is ineffective at deterring and reducing crime. All killing is wrong, whether performed by an individual or in the form of state sanctioned executions by the government. The death penalty is unnecessary, as prison accomplishes the same goal (public safety) in a much less violent and invasive manner. The death penalty does not solve or accomplish anything positive and is discriminatory, vengeful, immoral, inhumane, cruel and uncivilized.

The sentencing court considered improper aggravating factors and when determining the appropriateness of the death sentence, failed to consider correct mitigating factors such as: Baston's young age at the time of the crime (age 20) and lack of criminal history, the fact that Baston had an unstable childhood and was viewed favourably by his church youth counselor, his minister and his family.

I urge you, Governor Strickland, to commute Johnnie Baston's death sentence. Another death will neither heal nor resolve this tragedy.

Killer of Toledo store owner gets execution date

by Amulya Raghuveer
Posted: 05.12.2010 at 2:13 PM

TOLEDO, OHIO -- The Ohio Supreme Court has set an execution date for the man who killed a downtown Toledo store owner in 1994.

Johnnie R. Baston, 36, is scheduled to die on March 10, 2011 for the murder of Chong Mah, the owner of Continental Wigs N'Things, on March 21, 1994.   The store owner was found dead inside the business which he owned with his wife.  He was found with a gun shot wound to the back of the head, later determined to have been inflicted from a range of two to three inches.

Baston was arrested days after the murder and was found carrying the gun used in the murder along with stolen merchandise from inside the store.  The then suspect initially confessed to robbing the store owner, but blamed the murder on an accomplice named "Ray".

Just 21-years-old at the time, Baston was found guilty on two counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated robbery with a gun specification in Feb. 2005, the same month a panel sentenced the killer to death.

In 2005, Baston was denied appeal of his sentence.  He is scheduled to die via the state of Ohio's lethal injection method.

Johnnie Baston was convicted of the 1994 murder of Chong Mah and sentenced to death.  The sentencing court considered improper aggravating factors and when determining the appropriateness of the death sentence, failed to consider correct mitigating factors such as:
            -Youth and lack of criminal history – Baston was only 20 at the time of the crime
-Improper consideration of victim-impact evidence, especially with the testimony of the victim’s brother allowing the brother to describe him as a “cold-blooded murderer” who showed no remorse
-Baston had an unstable childhood and was viewed favorably by his church youth counselor, his minister, and his family.

We, the undersigned, together with the family and friends of Johnnie Baston, urge Governor Strickland to commute Baston’s death sentence. 

Johnnie Baston was convicted of the 1994 murder of Chong Mah and sentenced to death.  The sentencing court considered improper aggravating factors and when determining the appropriateness of the death sentence, failed to consider correct mitigating factors such as:
    -Youth and lack of criminal history – Baston was only 20 at the time of the crime
-Improper consideration of victim-impact evidence, especially with the testimony of the victim’s brother allowing the brother to describe him as a “cold-blooded murderer” who showed no remorse
-Baston had an unstable childhood and was viewed favorably by his church youth counselor, his minister, and his family.

We deeply sympathize with the family and friends of Loretta Foster, but we respectfully offer that another death will neither heal nor resolve this tragedy.
 
Action petitioned for:  We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge Governor Strickland to commute the sentence of Johnnie Baston to life without parole.

Name and Address: Johnnie Baston #A308-174
878 Coitsville- Hubbard Rd
Youngstown, OH 44505
BIRTHDATE: 02/08/1974
AGE: 36

     
RACE: Black GENDER: Male
HEIGHT: 5'8" WEIGHT: 229
EYE COLOR: Dark Brown HAIR COLOR: Black

     
CONVICTED OF: Aggravated Murder/Aggravated Robbery RELEASE DATE: Death Row
       
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