The UNH School of Law hosted a symposium Wednesday on the death penalty in New Hampshire.
Top-ranking officials from the New Hampshire criminal justice system gathered to discuss the logistical and political challenges the state would face if it had to implement capital punishment for the first time in more than 70 years.
Chief Justice Tina Nadeau of the New Hampshire Superior Court says the task of trying a capital case is daunting for a state with no relevant experience.
“It’s sort of like due process on steroids. So, everything gets litigated, everything is weighed, everything is researched and everything is considered thoughtfully.”
Other speakers included Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn, Chris Keating, the head of the New Hampshire Judicial Council and former Attorney General Phil McLauglin.
Due to the case of Michael Addison, the state may soon deal with the task of carrying out the death penalty for the first time in recent memory. Addison, who is convicted of killing a Manchester police officer, is presently appealing his case to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.