You know, I have a pretty firm policy of not signing internet petitions, but as a licensed attorney, once I read the story and supporting documentation, I made an exception.

Yeah, I signed that too. Very sad.

Here's my question (and not that I also don't support clemency), but it's related to this part, mentioned in the case history section of the website:

Like so many adolescent victims of sexual abuse, Terry felt intense shame that kept him from talking about what had happened to him. Terry's history of sexual abuse was not presented at his capital trial because Terry’s lawyer failed to conduct any meaningful investigation into Terry's background and ignored obvious evidence of abuse. While courts agreed that Terry's lawyer failed him, those courts also said that evidence of sexual abuse would not have made a difference to the jury. However, in sworn affidavits, jurors who sentenced Terry have acknowledged that they would not have voted for a death sentence had they known about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child, the abuse he suffered at the hands of the men he killed, and the psychological impact of that abuse. In addition, several jurors have stated that they voted for Terry to be put to death only because they mistakenly believed that if they did not sentence Terry to death he would later become eligible for release on parole. In truth, both now and at the time of his sentencing, a life sentence in Pennsylvania meant that Terry Williams would never have been eligible for parole. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is the only state in the country that does not require the judge to instruct the jury that a life sentence means life without the possibility of parole, and no such instruction was given in Terry’s case.

Why didn't Terry appeal? Why didn't his lawyer bargain with the opposing side to get a possible "life without parole" charge/sentence added? The fact that Terry had been sexually abused by his victim totally points to motive and is an integral part of the defense. Why didn't the lawyer push harder to find out why Terry killed the guy?

I'd love to find out more. And his first lawyer needs to be disciplined.

I just finished reading "Surviving Justice," which, though specifically about people who spent significant amounts of time in jail for crimes they didn't didn't actually commit, would still offer insights in response to your question. I recommend it.

I too wonder about an appeal, but in the meantime (or assuming there is some reason beyond my extremely superficial understanding), I signed the petition.

I used to think the death penalty was acceptable if unfortunate, but I've long since been persuaded otherwise. Even if it were a just act in the abstract, it isn't applied in the abstract but within a flawed system. This case is just one example of those flaws.