州长凯·艾维减刑死刑犯托弗里斯特·约翰逊：证据不足，改判终身监禁
阿拉巴马州州长凯·艾维10月20日宣布，将死刑犯托弗里斯特·约翰逊的死刑减为不得假释的终身监禁，理由是案件直接证据不足。约翰逊1995年被裁定谋杀杰斐逊县副警长威廉·哈迪罪成，哈迪当时在酒店做兼职保安时头部中两枪身亡。
约翰逊多年来坚称无罪，称案发时自己身处城里另一头。艾维在声明中说："看到约翰逊先生的案卷时，我担心直接证据不足以执行死刑这一最严厉的刑罚。
我的决定不是认定无罪，而是认为本案的情况足以将其死刑减为不得假释的终身监禁。"她还表示，"死刑对阿拉巴马州而言是太重要的工具，不能不谨慎严肃对待"。
值得注意的是，杰斐逊县现任地方检察官丹尼·卡尔已公开支持为约翰逊重审，一位前州检察长和两位前州最高法院首席大法官也持同样立场。约翰逊的律师泰·阿尔珀称当事人无罪，减刑后仍将继续争取推翻定罪。
这是艾维任内的第三次死刑减刑，此前她已主持执行27起死刑。
Gov. Ivey Commutes Toforest Johnson's Death Sentence, Citing Insufficient Direct Evidence
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced on October 20 that she was commuting the death sentence of Toforest Johnson to life in prison without parole, citing insufficient direct evidence in the case. Johnson was convicted of the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy, who was shot twice in the head while working off-duty security at a hotel.
Johnson has long maintained his innocence, saying he was on the other side of town at the time. In a statement, Ivey said: "When presented with Mr.
Johnson's case, I had concerns there was not enough direct evidence to carry out the most serious punishment, death. My decision is not a determination of innocence, but a recognition that the circumstances of this case justify commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment, without possibility of parole." She added that capital punishment is "too important of a tool for Alabama to not approach it carefully and seriously." Notably, Jefferson County's current District Attorney, Danny Carr, has publicly supported a new trial for Johnson, as have a former state attorney general and two former state supreme court chief justices.
Johnson's attorney, Ty Alper, says his client is innocent and will keep fighting to overturn the conviction even after the commutation. It is the third death-sentence commutation of Ivey's tenure; she has previously overseen 27 executions.
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图片来源：图：阿拉巴马州州长凯·艾维官方肖像。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons / Photo: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, official portrait. Source: Wikimedia Commons
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
