Carol Chambers, the death penalty and the 7-Eleven slaying

It's been a good news-bad news week for Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers. As one of the state's most zealous officials when it comes to pushing for the death penalty, as documented in "Arapahoe County DA Charges Death-Penalty Fees to the State," Alan Prendergast's February 2008 feature, she was...

By Michael Roberts

May 8, 2009

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It's been a good news-bad news week for Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers. As one of the state's most zealous officials when it comes to pushing for the death penalty, as documented in "Arapahoe County DA Charges Death-Penalty Fees to the State," Alan Prendergast's February 2008 feature, she was likely thrilled when the Colorado Senate voted against nixing the ultimate punishment. But even she probably won't be bold enough to argue for the suspect in a high-profile murder case to get the needle. Turns out that Dale Wayne Baylis, who allegedly shot a 7-Eleven clerk over the weekend, has a documented history of mental illness, albeit one that got him branded a "low risk to be of harm to himself, to others or to the community" according to Dr. Mark Diamond, who's now getting the chance to look bad on the front page of the Denver Post. Sorry, Ms. Chambers. Better luck next time.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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