U.S. To Seek Death Penalty In All DC Homicide Cases, Trump Says

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. authorities will begin searching for the dying penalty in Washington, D.C., murder circumstances, U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday.

“If someone kills someone within the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be searching for the dying penalty, and that’s a really robust preventative,” Trump stated at a White Home cupboard assembly. “I don’t know if we’re prepared for it on this nation, however we’ve it. It’s – we’ve no selection.”

The transfer would additional develop the Republican’s efforts to hunt the mantle of law-and-order president and to exert energy over the nation’s capital, whose residents are largely Democrats.

Trump declared an emergency, deployed lots of of Nationwide Guard troops and federal regulation enforcement officers within the nation’s capital to complement native police coping with what he stated was an unacceptable degree of violent road crime.

Metropolis officers have rejected the declare that violent crime is rampant, pointing to federal and metropolis statistics that present it has declined considerably since a spike in 2023.

He has threatened to develop the hassle to different cities, together with Chicago.

Washington is a novel federal enclave, established within the U.S. Structure and falling beneath the jurisdiction of Congress, not belonging to any state.

In 1973, Congress handed the District of Columbia Residence Rule Act, permitting residents to elect a mayor and council members. Trump has threatened to take over the administration of town to cope with crime and vagrancy.

Washington has outlawed the dying penalty for native crime, but it surely stays permissible for sure crimes beneath federal regulation.

The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace in Washington prosecutes each native and federal crimes within the U.S. capital, and the Trump administration has just lately inspired prosecutors to deliver federal expenses in opposition to these arrested as a part of its crackdown on crime in Washington.

Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi in February lifted a Biden-era pause on most federal executions and the Justice Division beneath Trump has already stated it is going to search the dying penalty within the case of Luigi Mangione, who’s accused of gunning down UnitedHealth govt Brian Thompson final 12 months.

In search of the dying penalty for homicides in Washington would probably drastically improve the variety of defendants on federal dying row. Such circumstances usually take a few years to work by means of the courtroom system given the variety of appeals accessible to defendants.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Modifying by Invoice Berkrot)