Die Todesstrafe existiert in den USA seit der Kolonialzeit im 17. Jahrhundert, wobei die allererste dokumentierte Hinrichtung im Jahr 1608 in der Kolonie Virginia stattfand (Bild: Todestrakt, San Quentin Gefängnis)
REUTERS/Clay McLachlan
A October 25, 2004 file photo shows a guard at San Quentin prison checking doors of cells housing death row inmates inside San Quentin prison. A California judge March 16, 2005 sentenced former fertilizer salesman Scott Peterson to death for the murder of his wife and unborn son in a case that attracted nationwide attention. Superior Court Judge Alfred Delucchi sentenced Peterson after calling him "cruel, uncaring, heartless and callous." Earlier, Laci Peterson's family emotionally condemned the shackled prisoner, prompting Scott Peterson's parents to leave the courtroom. In November, a jury convicted Peterson, of Modesto, California, of killing his pregnant, 27-year-old wife, Laci, and unborn son on Christmas Eve 2002. A October 25, 2004 file photo shows a guard at San Quentin prison checking doors of the Adjustment Center group of cells housing death row inmates inside San Quentin prison. REUTERS/Clay McLachlan/files