"Anyone who commits murder in the capital should face the death penalty. We will propose the death penalty. It's a very strong deterrent," President Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on August 26. "I don’t know if we’re ready for this in America, but we have no other choice."
This is the latest move in the federal government’s effort to enhance security in Washington. The day before, Trump signed several executive orders banning the desecration of the American flag and ending a program that allowed cashless bail for arrested suspects.
Decades ago, Washington applied mandatory death sentences for particularly severe murders. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1972 that such sentences were being applied arbitrarily and were unconstitutional.
In 1976, the Court allowed Washington to reinstate the death penalty with clearer guidelines, but the Washington City Council abolished it in 1981.
The last execution in Washington occurred in 1957, with Robert Carter, who was convicted of killing a police officer. Since then, the city has not implemented the death penalty, and most residents oppose it.
Washington recently recorded a 12-day stretch with no reported murders during the federal government’s crime crackdown. This streak ended on the morning of August 26 when the D.C. Police Department reported the murder of a 31-year-old man in the city’s southeast.
On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Attorney General to seek the death penalty in cases involving the murder of law enforcement officers or "serious crimes committed by illegal immigrants."