WNY Coalition Against the Death PenaltyNews
Follow the federal trial context, public actions, and abolition arguments that matter to Western New Yorkers right now.
Top Story · The Buffalo News
Jury selection in Payton Gendron’s federal death penalty trial brings prospective jurors face to face with questions about impartiality, punishment, and life in prison.
Buffalo Federal Trial Update
Prospective jurors are being questioned in Buffalo as the federal death penalty trial of Payton Gendron moves forward.
Federal Trial Update ·
Read about the federal case in Buffalo, the rulings that shape the trial, the defense strategy, and the views of victims’ families and the community.
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Featured Local Coverage
WKBW 7 News and WGRZ TV News spoke with Reverend Risher about the enduring harm caused by racial violence and why life without parole, not execution, is the appropriate response.
Photo courtesy Paul McQuillen
Buffalo federal case
The Buffalo News examines the historic federal death penalty trial of Payton Gendron, with jury selection set to begin at Buffalo’s federal courthouse. Gendron has already pleaded guilty in state court to murdering 10 people and injuring three others.
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National reporting · October 9, 2026
Legal experts say the former Army officer convicted in a 2009 mass shooting could face a narrow, rushed path to appeal a public execution by firing squad.
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The Nation
Christa Pike’s botched lethal injection proves there is no humane form of execution.
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Coalition update
Mayor Sean Ryan welcomed coalition leaders, family members, and advocates to his office for a conversation about justice and community care.
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Photo Courtesy Glenn E. Murray, Attorney, Buffalo
Buffalo federal case
A federal judge ruled that prosecutors cannot use mental-health experts to present the ‘whole story’ of the Tops shooting during the penalty phase of Payton Gendron’s federal trial.
Open SourcePhoto: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Buffalo federal case
WKBW 7 News Buffalo reports on Reverend Risher’s visit and her call for life without parole rather than execution in the federal Gendron case.
Open SourcePhoto Courtesy Glenn E. Murray, Attorney, Buffalo
Buffalo courthouse update
A live video feed will give victims’ families and the public additional access as the federal death penalty case moves toward jury selection.
Open SourceBuffalo federal case
The Justice Department’s victim-notification page lists jury selection in the federal Payton Gendron case for August 17, 2026, with case updates and support contacts for victims and survivors.
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Local action
Local coverage quoted Paul McQuillen and Murray Holman on life without parole, community healing, and better uses for public resources.
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National analysis
A new analysis of more than 9,000 death sentences since Gregg v. Georgia shows the same problems remain: racial disparities, arbitrary outcomes, decades of delay, and innocence risk.
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National policy
The House bill would end federal death sentences and require resentencing for people already on federal death row.
Open SourcePhoto Courtesy Glenn E. Murray, Attorney, Buffalo
Buffalo courthouse watch
As potential jurors reported to federal court, coalition members gathered in Niagara Square to ring the bell and publicly oppose execution.
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National policy
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine urged lawmakers to abolish the death penalty, saying it is not a deterrent to murder and can no longer be morally justified.
Open SourceShort explainers carried over and cleaned up from the coalition’s existing site.