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By JOHN GOOLRICK
Rappahannock Newa Special Writer
Since taking office in January of 1990, Gov. L. Douglas Wilder has been confronted with some of the most widely publicized capital punishment cases in the state’s history.
Even his worst critics would probably have to admit that Wilder has handled the matter as well as anyone could have considering it is the only literal life or death issue that comes before a governor.
Generally, Wilder’s attitude has been to accept the judgement of the jury that meted out the death sentence. Just recently he declined to intervene in the case of Roger Coleman whose attorneys and supporters sought to plant doubts about his guilt in a wave of worldwide publicity.
The governor did allow Coleman to take an 11th hour state police administered polygraph examination which examiners said he failed. That was enough to convice most of the public of his guilt, though some skeptics argued the terrible stress Coleman was under could have skewed the results.
In one notable instance, Wilder commuted the death sentence of Joseph Giarratano to life in prison. He did so on grounds he was not totally convinced of Giarratano’s guilt. Wilder acted after receiving thousands of calls and letters asking him to stop the execution.
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