New York - Antonio Richardson is due today to become the 700th person to be executed since the death penalty was reintroduced in the United States.
The case of the 26-year-old is remarkable on several counts: Richardson is on the border of mental incapacity; he was only 16 at the time of his crime; he was persuaded to turn down a deal that would have kept him off death row; and the parents of his victims are divided on what should happen to him.
He and three others raped Robin Kerry (19) and her sister Julie (20) before pushing them to their deaths in the Mississippi river in St Louis. Richardson called police the next day to tell them of the crimes. All four confessed: one agreed to testify against the others in return for his life, and the other two were sentenced to die.
Richardson was offered a deal that would have given him a life sentence if he pleaded guilty. However, he was visited in jail by a member of the Coalition for Justice. They persuaded Richardson to change his plea and he was sentenced to death.