Restoring the Death Penalty in DC Act

Key Points

• The bill creates a new DC death penalty for specific crimes including first-degree murder, killing a law enforcement officer, terrorism, using a weapon of mass destruction, first-degree child sexual abuse, and drug distribution to a minor that results in the minor's death.
• A separate sentencing hearing would weigh aggravating factors, like extreme cruelty or planning, against mitigating factors, like impaired judgment or minor participation, before a jury or judge decides on a sentence.
• Electrocution would be the default execution method, but a person sentenced to death could instead choose lethal injection, firing squad, lethal gas, or nitrogen hypoxia.
• The death penalty could not be carried out on a pregnant woman, a person under 18, or someone who lacks the mental capacity to understand the punishment due to mental disability.
• The new death penalty would only apply to crimes committed after the bill is signed into law, so it would not affect anyone already convicted or currently facing charges.