PrintJune 1, 2013
Exploiting Nathan Dunlap
In the granting of a temporary, and not soon to be revisited, reprieve in the Nathan Dunlap case, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has reignited the national debate over the death penalty. On the surface this is but a worn-out and hackneyed opportunity for wing nuts, left and right, to cook up some red meat for the politically ambitious come 2016. While this is demonstrably the case on certain corners of the internet, here in Colorado the death penalty debate is more prescient and authentic, not because this case is from Arapahoe County, but because of the political revelations brought to light by this specific case.
The case itself is pretty simple. Roughly two decades ago Nathan Dunlap shot five people at a Chuck E Cheese, killing four. He was tried, convicted, sentenced to death, and since has run the full course of appeals. The current debate hinges almost exclusively around the distinction between him being executed for his crimes, or serving life without the possibility of...(Read Full Article)
