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American Morning

Man Cleared From Death Row, Murder Victim's Mother Discuss New Report on Capital Punishment

Aired June 27, 2001 - 10:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: With me are two people very familiar with this issue of capital punishment: Paula Kurland, who witnessed the execution of her daughter's killer, and Kirk Bloodsworth, the first person freed from death row as a result of DNA testing.

Kirk, let me start with you. Had these recommendations been in place, how would it have changed your case?

KIRK BLOODSWORTH, FORMER DEATH ROW INMATE: I may not have spent eight years, 10 months, and 19 days in prison and two years on death row and lose all that time in my life.

MESERVE: What would have been the thing that would have changed it for you: the matter of effective counsel?

BLOODSWORTH: Indeed. We should be entitled -- people like myself and others -- to proper defense counsel. We should have a right to have a lawyer who's awake in trial.

MESERVE: You didn't?

BLOODSWORTH: There have been cases in Texas, I believe, where attorneys slept through most of this capital case, and also lawyers on drugs and other things. We need this in this society, and I believe their recommendations and the Innocence Protection Act would help greatly for people like myself.

MESERVE: Paula Kurland, would any of these recommendations have changed the case against your daughter's killer?

PAULA KURLAND, MOTHER OF MURDER VICTIM: No, they wouldn't have. I was very fortunate, in so much as the defense, for the defense attorneys for the person who murdered Mitzi were excellent. But that's not true with everyone.

MESERVE: You support the death penalty, yet you support these reforms. Explain to me why you want to the see the system changed.

KURLAND: People like this. I think that in my case there was no doubt, and the death penalty was the right sentence, because Jonathan murdered my daughter and another person and almost killed a third person. It was a heinous crime. I feel that some crimes warrant the death penalty, and some warrant life without the possibility of parole, and I think that everyone needs to have the choice.

MESERVE: Kirk, you oppose the death penalty, yet you say you're for these reforms. Do you think these reforms would ever end the opposition to capital punishment that we see in this country.

BLOODSWORTH: That's not for me to decide one way or the other. I think people have personal opinions on the death penalty, by and large, and what have you, but these things that the panel had discussed -- and also the Innocence Protection Act, which is being spoken of right now in the Senate, three honorees speaking on behalf of it -- I think we need a thing like the Innocence Protection Act and these reforms put into action today, or as soon as possible, so there's not another Kirk Bloodsworth.

MESERVE: Kirk Bloodsworth and Paula Kurland, we have to leave it there. Thank you both for coming in today -- a meeting of the minds on a controversial issue.

KURLAND: Thank you.

BLOODSWORTH: Thank you -- glad to do it.

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