RICHMOND, Va. – Efforts to end the death penalty in Virginia are moving forward in the General Assembly. “To me, it seems like an unjust system,” said Rachel Sutphin, who supports abolishing the death penalty. Removing the death penalty from Virginia is something she’s been pushing for since the Commonwealth’s most recent execution of William Morva in 2017. On the other side, the Virginia State Police Association is encouraging lawmakers to keep the death penalty as an option for more heinous crimes. Fifty-six percent of Virginia voters support repealing the death penalty, according to a new poll from Christopher Newport University released Tuesday,

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. - Wednesday marks 13 years to the day since Montgomery County Cpl. Eric Sutphin was killed during a manhunt. In 2006, William Morva escaped while being treated at the hospital and shot and killed security guard Derrick McFarland. Sutphin was killed while trying to take down Morva. Sutphin left behind a wife and twin daughters.