AZ legislators to Ray Krone: Sorry about that

Arizona Daily Star: Wrongfully convicted man gets apology after two years on death row

The chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee said all the right things...

Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, called the 1992 conviction of Ray Krone "a truly tragic case." He said none of the evidence readily available pointed to him as a suspect, much less the murderer.

"In a way, it's a lesson for us all that this can happen in a modern society," Huppenthal said in the public apology on the floor of the Senate.

"When we think we have foolproof systems where this would never, never happen, it has happened. And we need to be aware that it truly could happen again and is likely happening again."

But Senator Huppenthal is still willing to risk executing an innocent person.

Krone said his situation proves the death penalty should be abolished. But Huppenthal said he's not willing to go that far, saying only that maybe there should be "guidelines" about when to seek the ultimate sanction.

The death penalty is like an addiction for some of these politicians. Even when they know how horrible it is, they'll still go with it. Amazing.