NASHUA – State House members representing Greater Nashua overwhelmingly voted to abolish New Hampshire’s death penalty on Thursday, while overriding Gov. Chris Sununu’s May 3 veto of the legislation.

“It is time that we recognize as a state that the government should not be perpetuating a cycle of grief and advocating for the killing of its citizens. If violence triumphs, we all lose,” Rep. Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, prime sponsor of bill to abolish the death penalty, said after the Thursday vote.

Cushing lost both his father and a brother-in-law to murder, yet has been a longtime proponent of abolition.

Capital punishment proved so unpopular in Greater Nashua that three Republican House members from the Hudson/Pelham area – Reps. Tony Lekas, Hershel Nunez and Andrew Prout – joined Democrats in voting to override the GOP governor’s veto.

In total, the House voted 247-123 to override Sununu’s veto of House Bill 455, which “changes the penalty for capital murder to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole.”

The numbers from Greater Nashua were even more clear in opposition to the death penalty, as 45 members voted to outlaw the killing of a convicted murderer. There were 15 votes against overriding Sununu’s veto, which meant those members were voting to keep the death penalty on the books.

Five members from the region – Ken Gidge, Reed Panasiti, Laurie Sanborn, Robert L’Heureux and Alicia Lekas – did not cast votes on the override.

The matter now heads to the Senate for an override vote, which could occur as early as next week. The Senate passed the death penalty ban by a vote of 17-6 on April 11. Overriding the veto will take at least 16 votes in the Senate.

“We remain optimistic that the Senate will follow suit and make New Hampshire the 21st state to abolish capital punishment,” Cushing added.

There have been 26 people executed in the state’s history, and the lone death row inmate, Michael Addison, was sentenced to death for killing Manchester police officer Michael Briggs in 2006. However, the last execution in New Hampshire occurred 80 years ago, in 1939, when Howard Long was executed by hanging.

For his part, Sununu on Thursday called the House action a “rushed, politically motivated process.

“I will always fight for what I believe because it is simply the right thing to do. I hope the Senate will listen to law enforcement, families of crime victims, and advocates for justice and not abolish capital punishment,” Sununu added.

Votes from

Greater

Nashua

Below is how New Hampshire House members representing Greater Nashua voted Thursday on overriding Gov. Chris Sununu’s veto of HB 455.

City of Nashua: From the city, there were 26 yeas, 0 nays and 1 non-vote.

All 27 members of the House of Representatives from the city of Nashua are Democrats.

Ward 1

Jan Schmidt – Y

William Bordy – Y

Bruce Cohen – Y

Ward 2

Ray Newman – Y

Sue Newman – Y

Paul R. Bergeron -Y

Ward 3

Sherry Dutzy – Y

Patricia Klee – Y

Suzanne Vail – Y

Ward 4

Fred Davis Jr. – Y

Manny Espitia – Y

David Cote – Y

Ward 5

Allison Nutting-Wong – Y

Michael Pedersen – Y

Dan Toomey – Y

Ward 6

Mark King – Y

Fran Nutter-Upham – Y

Ken Gidge – Did not vote

Ward 7

Greg Indruk – Y

Deb Stevens – Y

Catherine Sofikitis – Y

Ward 8

Skip Cleaver – Y

Laura Damphousse

Telerski – Y

Latha Mangipudi – Y

Ward 9

Marty Jack – Y

Linda Harriott-

Gathright – Y

Michael O’Brien Sr. – Y

Greater Nashua: From Greater Nashua, there were 19 yeas, 15 nays and 5 non-votes.

Milford

Republican Charles

Burns – N

Democrat Paul Dargie – Y

Democrat Joelle

Martin – Y

Democrat Peter

Petrigno – Y

Amherst

Democrat Megan

Murray -Y

Democrat Julie

Radhakrishnan – Y

Republican Reed

Panasiti – Did not vote

Republican Laurie

Sanborn – Did not vote

Hollis

Republican James

Bellanger – Did not vote

Democrat Michelle

St. John – Y

Democrat Kat McGhee – Y

Brookline

Republican Jack

Flanagan – N

Democrat Brett Hall – Y

Hudson/Pelham

Republican Bob Greene – N

Republican Alicia

Lekas – Did not vote

Republican Tony Lekas – Y

Republican Hershel

Nunez – Y

Republican Andrew

Prout – Y

Republican Andrew

Renzullo – N

Republican Kimberly

Rice – N

Republican Jordan

Ulery – N

Republican Lynne Ober – N

Republican Russell

Ober – N

Merrimack

Republican Richard

Barry – N

Republican Richard

Hinch – N

Republican Jeanine

Notter – N

Republican Robert

L’Heureux – Did not vote

Democrat Nancy

Murphy – Y

Democrat Rosemarie

Rung – Y

Democrat Kathryn

Stack – Y

Democrat Wendy

Thomas – Y

Wilton/

Lyndeborough

Democrat Kermit

Williams – Y

Democrat Chris Balch – Y

Democrat James

Bosman – Y

Democrat Jennifer

Bernet – Y

Litchfield

Republican Ralph

Boehm – N

Republican Richard

Lascelles – N

Republican Mark

McLean – N

Republican Mark

Proulx – N

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.