Before Trump leaves office, his administration is trying to move forward with death row executions. But now one of the men, Brandon Bernard, has Kim Kardashian fighting for him.
According to The Washington Post, “Eight people have been put to death in less than five months, and five more executions are planned before the end of President Trump’s administration. Those numbers stand in harsh contrast to the three people executed by the federal government in the previous 50 years.”
Bernard is scheduled to be executed on December 10.
The 40-year-old was given the death penalty for the 1999 killings of ministers Todd and Stacie Bagley in Kileen, Texas. Bernard was18 years old at the time.
The Washington Post claims Bernard did not shoot the Bagleys but set a car on fire while another teen killed the couple. Bernard was convicted by a nearly all-White jury. Christopher Vialva, who prosecutors claim was the one who killed the Bagleys, was executed in September.
According to the Kileen Herald, the ministers were car jacked by Vialva, Bernard and three other teenagers. Vialva shot Todd Bagley in the head and Stacie Bagley in the face. Bernard allegedly set the vehicle on fire with gasoline.
The Kileen Herald reports, “Todd Bagley died instantly, and Stacie Bagley died of smoke inhalation after the vehicle was set ablaze, police said at the time.”
The other teens did not receive the death penalty.
Bernard’s lawyers are asking not for him to be released but to spare his life from the death penalty.
In a lengthy Twitter post, Kim Kardashian wrote, “First, I want to say that a terrible crime was committed and me fighting for a stay of execution does not take away from the sympathy I have for the victim’s Todd and Stacie Bagley, and their families. My heart breaks for everyone involved.”
She continued, “While Brandon did participate in this crime, his role was minor compared to that of the other teens involved, two of whom are home from prison now. In fact, Brandon was not a part of the initial carjacking that took place and was stunned when the robbery turned into a homicide with one of the other teens shooting both Todd and Stacie in the head.”
Kardashian also added, “The gunman then turned to Brandon, gun still in hand, and told him to light the car Todd and Stacie lay in on fire to destroy the evidence. Brandon believed both were dead, though Stacie was not, and was fearful for his own life, so he made the terrible decision to comply.”
She explained some of the details at the trial, “At trial Brandon’s attorney fell short by not hiring any experts who could have explained to the jury why Brandon decided to leave the video game store that night or how he had grown up in an abusive home, or how his homeless father had left him searching for protection in the streets. His trial attorney also failed to tell the jury how remorseful he was or anything about his background. We now know this testimony would have spared his life.”
