After family members of murder victims testified both for and against a bill that would eliminate the death penalty in Utah, a legislative committee on Wednesday advanced the bill to the full House for consideration.
Layton resident Christine Stenquist told lawmakers that after her sister was murdered in Georgia in 2010, her family was asked whether they wanted the death penalty for her killer. In the end, they asked that an execution not be sought, knowing they would spend decades waiting and reliving the crime.
The case instead came to a quick resolution, Stenquist said. Her sister’s killer was sentenced to life in prison.