Speculation around Wednesday’s Senate vote on the death penalty has largely centered on undecided Sens. Edith Prague, Carlo Leone, and Joseph Crisco. But a vote to repeal capital punishment will come from an unexpected source: Sen. Gayle Slossberg.
Slossberg, a Democrat from Milford who voted against the measure when the Senate passed it in 2009, said she had a change of heart after some soul searching.
“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this issue, researching it, discussing it with family, with friends, with strangers. I’ve listened very carefully to all the information out there. This is a vote of conscience. I think I’ve just come to the conclusion that voting for repeal is the right thing to do,” she said outside the Senate chambers.
Slossberg said she’s planning on speaking about her position on the Senate floor at some point during Wednesday night’s debate.
On Tuesday, Prague said she would support the repeal as long as she could be assured that it would not impact the sentences of the 11 men currently on death row. Crisco and Leone have yet to indicate how they will be voting.
