STATEMENT OF MARK CORALLO, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, ON THE DEATH PENALTY IN U.S. V. DARRELL DAVID RICE

“The Justice Department has a responsibility to promote justice and protect the integrity of the legal system. With that responsibility in mind, the Department today directed prosecutors in Western Virginia to withdraw the government's intention to seek the death penalty in the case of U.S. v. Darrell David Rice.

“In 1996, Julianne Marie Williams and Laura 'Lollie' S. Winans were savagely murdered in the mountains of Virginia in the Shenandoah National Park. Their bodies were found days later, bound and gagged, with their throats cut. The discovery of their brutalized bodies set off a multi-jurisdictional manhunt in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Park Service joined forces to follow up on an estimated 15,000 leads and contacts. In 2002, based on the totality of the evidence available at the time, Darrell David Rice was indicted in the Western District of Virginia on four counts of capital murder in their deaths and a notice of intention to seek the death penalty was filed.

“Additional investigation into these murders since the time of this indictment has yielded evidence that makes the current prosecution of this matter as a capital case inappropriate at this time. Our commitment to the highest standards of justice leads us, out of prudence, fairness and an abundance of caution, to withdraw the intention to seek the death penalty as we continue to examine the evidence and investigate these brutal murders.

“The Department's commitment to the fair and consistent implementation of justice makes necessary our daily and constant vigilance. The decision to seek justice daily does not change, but what justice requires in each case sometimes does. When justice demands that the government re-evaluate previous prosecutorial decisions in light of changes in the weight of evidence - including decisions regarding the death penalty - we do so routinely. The death penalty is the ultimate punishment for heinous crimes, and it's particularly important that these cases receive dispassionate evaluation of evidence and facts. The law must be applied evenly and consistently to the facts of each case to insure equal justice and to maintain confidence in the administration of justice.

“Even as our commitment to justice leads us to take today's action, our commitment to aggressively investigating and prosecuting crimes of violence motivated by hate does not waver and our commitment to the victims of this horrible crime remains firm. The Justice Department will not rest until justice for the victims and their families is done."

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04-076