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Governor Corbett Ready To Proceed With Convicted Killer's Execution

By Larry Kane

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia court hearing on a stay of execution for Terrance Williams, the convicted killer facing execution October 3rd, continues on Monday. A major player in the Terrance Williams story is Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett.

Governor Corbett has until October 3rd to make the final decision on Terrance Williams, but he tells us that right now he is preparing to go ahead with the execution.

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(KYW's Larry Kane)

"One of the roles of the governor is to enforce the laws in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And under our laws as they are today, when an individual is sentenced to death by a jury and judge, and it goes through all the appellate areas. I believe it's the duty of the government. We still have the opinion, we can change our mind, but I will tell you at this point and time, I'm not inclined to do that."

By law it's supposed to be unanimous, but Corbett says that the Board of Pardons recommendation for clemency was not unanimous -- the vote was 3-2. Right now, he says he has to follow the law and trust his instincts.

"What my opinion is does not matter. It's what role that I play. The role of the governor does not even come into consideration if that's not a unanimous decision to recommend clemency to the governor, and then the governor gets to make up his mind whether he agrees, or if I agree with the board on that or not."

READ: Life-Or-Death Legal Battle For Terrance Williams On Hold Until Monday

Corbett, speaking in an interview for my Comcast Network show Sunday night, says he has studied the case carefully and is familiar with every aspect of the killing.

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