RICHMOND—Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement today on the scheduled execution of Robert Charles Gleason, Jr. Gleason is scheduled to be executed on January 16th.

“In 2008 Robert Charles Gleason, Jr. was convicted of the murder of Michael Kent Jamerson in Amherst, Virginia. He was sentenced to life without parole. While in prison he committed the brutal murders of both Harvey Watson, his cellmate at Wallens Ridge State Prison, and Aaron Cooper, a fellow inmate at Red Onion State Prison. Gleason strangled both men to death.

Gleason has expressed no remorse for these horrific murders. He has not sought to appeal his convictions and has not filed a petition for clemency. He has consistently rejected any offers of legal assistance. Gleason has said that he wants the January 16th execution to ‘go as is.’ He has been found competent by the appropriate courts to make all of these decisions.

Despite the fact that he has not filed a petition for clemency, I have still reviewed the procedural history and the facts surrounding the convictions. I have found no compelling reason to intercede.

Accordingly, I decline to intervene.”

Federal Judge Glen Conrad has declined to halt the execution of Robert Gleason scheduled for next Wednesday, January 16 at 9 PM. While Mr. Gleason’s attorneys plan to appeal, we believe it is unlikely that another court will intervene to halt the execution.

Mr. Gleason was sentenced to death for the murder of two fellow prison inmates while he was already serving a life sentence for another murder. Mr. Gleason stated that he killed the inmates because he wants to be executed and threatened to keep killing if Virginia does not execute him. VADP opposes all executions. There are no circumstances that justify the state killing its own citizens. Mr. Gleason’s case particularly illustrates the folly of capital punishment. Mr. Gleason killed the two inmates in order to receive a death sentence. If Virginia did not have the death penalty, those two inmates would likely be alive today.

VADP will hold a vigil at the Greensville Correctional Center on the evening of the execution, and there will be other vigils that evening throughout the Commonwealth. Go to our website for details about all the vigils (the link is under the “Get Involved” menu).

By PAUL TULLIS

Published: January 4, 2013

At 2:15 in the afternoon on March 28, 2010, Conor McBride, a tall, sandy-haired 19-year-old wearing jeans, a T-shirt and New Balance sneakers, walked into the Tallahassee Police Department and approached the desk in the main lobby. Gina Maddox, the officer on duty, noticed that he looked upset and asked him how she could help. “You need to arrest me,” McBride answered. “I just shot my fiancée in the head.” When Maddox, taken aback, didn’t respond right away, McBride added, “This is not a joke.”