NH House passes death penalty repeal by a veto-proof margin

he New Hampshire Legislature took a big step toward repeal of the death penalty on Thursday, with a veto-proof vote of 279-88 in support of House Bill 455.The bill revokes the existing capital punishment statute and replaces it with a penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder of a police officer or other capital offenses.New Hampshire currently has one person on death row — Michael Addison. Addison was sentenced to death for the 2006 killing of Manchester police officer Michael Briggs.Opponents of death penalty repeal argued that Addison will never be executed if capital punishment is repealed, while supporters of the repeal said the law would not be applied retroactively.No one has been executed in New Hampshire since 1939.