Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 13, 1994 TAG: 9405180006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A15 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SHERYL McCARTHY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
One day in 1980, when he knew the house would be empty, he broke in with larceny on his mind and was fortunate not to trigger the burglar alarm on the way in. He wasn't so lucky on the way out. The alarm went off and, in a terrible coincidence, Wayne Shinn and his father were nearby. They returned home and surprised Lawson.
For this, Lawson shot the younger man dead and ordered his father into the house, where he shot him too. ``I can't believe the old man didn't die,'' Lawson said later, when he learned the older Shinn had survived.
David Lawson was no gentleman at the time, but 14 years on death row, his lawyers say, have mellowed him into a hell of a nice guy. Now Lawson, who is scheduled to be executed next month, says he wants to educate the public about the meanness of the death penalty. He has asked the ``Donahue'' show to televise his execution, and he and the Donahue people are fighting in the courts for the right to show it.
We now know there is no limit to what people will do to get attention. In North Carolina, people who are executed can choose lethal injection over going to the gas chamber.
If Donahue is allowed to tape his execution, Lawson says, he will choose gassing, which will be more dramatic and leave a lasting impression.
Phil Donahue, who used to have tasteful shows on intelligent subjects, has already proved that he will stoop to any depth to get back at Oprah and prove he's still in the game. His people stress that Lawson approached them about airing his execution, but you can hear Donahue salivating in the background at the prospect of bringing off this media coup.
It is my personal view that Lawson, who led the life of a cipher until he shot Wayne Shinn, is seeking a few minutes of fame before his untimely demise and the audience that has always been denied him. His lawyers say what he really wants to do is educate people.
``He feels if people get to see what really happens behind prison walls at 2 o'clock in the morning when capital punishment is carried out, that most people will be appalled by what they see, that it will take them from an abstract concept to the reality,'' said Jim Marino, one of the lawyers representing Lawson. ``David wants to do something positive to make up for the injury that he's done,'' says William Bowers, who is also representing him. ``If the public wants to see David Lawson dead, then he feels they should see what they're getting for their tax dollars, and then make a decision about whether they want the death penalty.''
By all accounts, witnessing an execution is a gruesome experience, although death by lethal injection has taken away some of the drama. While most Americans say they want to execute the worst criminals, we find the courage to do so only in near seclusion and at the darkest hour of the night.
We are ambivalent about putting people away. We know the death penalty is unfair, arbitrary and racially administered, that some are executed while others go to prison for the same crime. But we cling to it anyway, believing in its power to deter crime and avenge wrong, despite statistics that tell us otherwise.
Each execution becomes a carnival of the macabre, with last-minute stays, candlelight vigils, praying nuns and protesters for and against the offender's demise.
By comparison, David Lawson's request to be executed in living color on the ``Donahue'' show is honest and straightforward. He wants his execution to be up close and in our faces, so we can see if we really want it or not.
A study by a Boston professor observed what happened during a 58-year period that executions were conducted in the state of New York. There were 600 executions between 1907 to 1963, when the executions stopped.
The professor found that in the month following each execution there were, on average, two more homicides in the state than there were during the months when there were no executions.
As we contemplate the prospect of watching David Lawson's demise in living color, that is something to think about.
Sheryl McCarthy is a New York Newsday columnist.
L.A. Times-Washington Post News Service
by CNB