Separate executions set for brothers

Washington - The two German-born brothers sentenced to die in Arizona will be executed one week apart from each other, prison…

Washington - The two German-born brothers sentenced to die in Arizona will be executed one week apart from each other, prison officials say.

Karl LaGrand (35) is set to die in the gas chamber in the prison town of Florence on Wednesday at 2 p.m. His half-brother, Walter (37), is to die one week later on March 3rd.

The brothers were convicted of killing a 63-year-old bank manager with a letter opener during a botched robbery attempt in 1982. The men were born in Germany but have lived in the US since they were infants.

The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schroder, and members of his cabinet have appealed for clemency. The German section of Amnesty International has joined the chorus of German politicians asking for authorities to commute the brothers' death sentences.

READ MORE

Mr Juergen Chrobog, Germany's ambassador to the United States, travelled to Phoenix, the state capital, to ask the Republican Governor, Ms Jane Dee Hull, to spare the LaGrands.

Currently there are 74 foreigners sentenced to death in the United States from 26 countries.