Catholic bishops urge Scott to stay execution

_Catholic bishops urge Scott to stay execution


Bishop Felipe Estevez of the Diocese of St. Augustine and 5 other Catholic
leaders in Florida have signed a letter to Gov. Rick Scott asking him to stop
the scheduled execution Wednesday of convicted murderer Robert Waterhouse.

While acknowledging sympathy for the victims, the bishops told Scott, "We ask
that the sentence for Robert Waterhouse be commuted to life in prison without
possibility of parole.

"Such action would manifest belief in the unique dignity of every individual
and the sacredness of human life," the letter said. "It would acknowledge God
as the Lord of life and it would be more consonant with the spirit of the
Gospel."

In addition to Estevez, the other bishops to sign were Thomas Wenski of the
Archdiocese of Miami, Gerald Barbarito of Palm Beach, Robert Lynch of St.
Petersburg, Frank Dewane of Venice and John Noonan of Orlando.

Waterhouse, now 65, was sentenced to death for the 1980 rape and bludgeoning
death of Deborah Kammerer, whose nude body was dumped into a Tampa Bay mud
flat.

His would be the 3rd death sentence carried out under Scott.

(source: Florida Times-Union)