Arnie refuses pardon

Showbiz

09:30 17 January 2006

Arnold Schwarzenegger has refused to pardon a second killer on Death Row in California.

The actor-turned-politician has turned down Clarence Ray Allen's last ditch attempt to avoid execution.

The 76-year-old murderer was sentenced to death in 1982 for planning a triple murder while he was already serving a life sentence in prison for an earlier killing. He is now deaf, blind and in a wheelchair.

Arnold, who is the governor of California, said: "My respect for the rule of law has led to my decision to deny clemency.

"He should not escape the jury's punishment because our system works deliberately and carefully."

Arnold recently refused to lift the death sentence on another Death Row inmate, former gang leader Stanley 'Tookie' Williams, a decision which sparked outrage across California.

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