The movement to end the death penalty is not theoretical. It is not abstract. It is unfolding in real time — in courtrooms, in prison cells, in governors’ offices, and in the moral conscience of this country.
At Sustainable Action Now (SAN), sustainability is not limited to climate, conservation, or clean energy. It is about sustaining human dignity, constitutional integrity, and systems rooted in accountability rather than irreversible harm. The death penalty sits at the intersection of racial disparity, wrongful convictions, prosecutorial misconduct, flawed forensic science, inadequate defense, and systemic inequity. It is a justice system failure with permanent consequences.
This moment demands clarity, urgency, and informed action.
Join Us: Death Penalty Focus Webinar – March 3 at Noon PT
On Tuesday, March 3, at noon Pacific time, Death Penalty Focus presents a critical webinar:
“Why is Toforest Johnson on Alabama’s Death Row?”
DPF Board Member Dan Kupetz will be joined by investigative journalist Beth Shelburne for an in-depth conversation examining one of the most troubling capital cases in the Deep South.
This is not merely a discussion. It is an examination of how a capital conviction can unravel — and yet still stand.
REGISTER to attend and be part of the national conversation.
The Case of Toforest Johnson: When a Prosecution “Disintegrates”
For 27 years, Toforest Johnson has been incarcerated on Alabama’s death row for the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy William G. Hardy.
In 1998, Johnson was convicted and sentenced to death based largely on testimony from a witness who claimed she overheard him confess during a three-way phone call. That witness was later revealed to have been paid for her testimony — a fact undisclosed to prosecutors for nearly two decades.
The credibility of the case has since eroded dramatically. Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr and even former Assistant District Attorney Jeff Wallace, who originally prosecuted Johnson, have called for a new trial.
Yet Johnson remains on death row.
Beth Shelburne’s critically acclaimed investigative podcast, Earwitness, dissected the wrongful arrest, conviction, and death sentence of Johnson with granular reporting. The series has now been re-released as Season Four of the hit podcast Bone Valley, bringing renewed national attention to the case.
This is precisely why sustainable justice requires persistent scrutiny. Wrongful convictions do not correct themselves. Systems do not reform themselves. Silence does not produce accountability.
Florida’s Accelerating Execution Schedule: A System Under Strain
While Johnson’s case highlights wrongful conviction concerns, Florida presents another urgent front.
The State plans to execute Melvin Trotter for the 1986 murder of Virgie Langford. His case is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. His attorneys have raised documented concerns that during 19 executions last year, the Florida Department of Corrections used expired drugs, incorrect dosages, and drugs not included in official execution protocols.
The Florida Supreme Court dismissed these claims as “speculative,” despite the State not meaningfully refuting them for over 83 days. Florida has proceeded with executions at an average pace of one every eight days — four executions in 32 days.
This is not a sustainable justice model. It is an accelerated machinery of irreversible punishment.
Melvin Trotter, a Black man convicted of killing a white woman, is scheduled for execution in a state where racial disparities in capital punishment are well documented. Black Floridians comprise roughly 17% of the state’s population but represent approximately 35% of those on death row.
Governor Ron DeSantis holds sole authority to issue a stay. The same pen that signs a death warrant can halt one.
Action is not symbolic. It is consequential.
- Sign the petition
- Send a letter
- Attend a vigil (in person or online)
- Learn the facts
Billy Kearse: Youth, Disability, and a 30-Day “Fire Drill”
Just one week later, Florida intends to execute Billy Kearse for the 1991 murder of Sgt. Danny Parrish.
Kearse was 18 years and 84 days old at the time of the crime. His case includes documented concerns regarding intellectual disability, inadequate trial representation, and due process violations during Florida’s 30-day death warrant period.
Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente has publicly reaffirmed her long-standing dissent: Kearse should not be executed. She has described Florida’s 30-day warrant process as a constitutional “fire drill” — rushed, chaotic, and incompatible with the heightened reliability required in capital cases.
Capital punishment is supposed to meet the highest constitutional threshold. When former justices publicly question proportionality and due process, the threshold is not being met.
This is not about minimizing the gravity of the underlying crimes. It is about ensuring the State does not compound tragedy with procedural injustice.
Veterans and Extreme Punishment: The Weight of War
The systemic failures do not stop there.
A powerful webinar examining veterans and extreme punishment brings additional urgency. Participants include:
- Captain Art Cody (USN Ret.), Director of the Center for Veteran Criminal Advocacy
- Sergeant Ron “Ralph” Wright Jr. (USAF Ret.), Florida’s 27th death row exoneree
- Seaman Christina Heady (USCG Ret.), Co-Founder of Light After Life Florida
Their work exposes how untreated trauma, insufficient mitigation, and systemic neglect funnel veterans into life without parole or death sentences. Second-look legislation, sentence review, and mitigation reforms are not leniency — they are mechanisms for sustainable accountability.
Michael King: Another Warrant Signed
Governor DeSantis has also signed a death warrant for Michael King, scheduled for execution on March 17.
The death penalty does not resurrect victims. It does not resolve systemic failures. It does not address racial inequity. It does not repair broken investigative procedures.
What it does is foreclose correction.
Why This Matters to Sustainable Action Now
The death penalty is a sustainability issue.
- It disproportionately impacts marginalized communities.
- It reflects systemic racial disparities.
- It drains public resources.
- It entrenches flawed prosecutorial incentives.
- It risks irreversible error.
True sustainability requires systems that can self-correct. The death penalty eliminates that possibility.
At Sustainable Action Now, we believe justice must be transparent, evidence-based, equitable, and accountable. When prosecutors, former judges, investigative journalists, and even original trial attorneys question the integrity of capital convictions, we are obligated to pay attention.
We are in a heavy stretch. But heavy moments define movements.
Take Action Now
Your engagement is not performative — it is measurable.
- Register for the March 3 webinar on Toforest Johnson.
- Sign petitions opposing the executions of Melvin Trotter and Billy Kearse.
- Send letters to Governor Ron DeSantis.
- Join a vigil in person or online.
- Listen to Bone Valley Season Four and understand the investigative reporting behind these cases.
Justice reform is not episodic. It is sustained.
This is the moment to show up.
Sustainable systems do not execute their mistakes. They correct them.
Stay informed. Stay engaged. Stay relentless.
