welcome back here's a recap of the week's top stories and today's made headlines in our libyan rebels have turns out reported offer by of moammar gadhafi to negotiate a power transfer as they prepare a lot of talks on the colonel's home town. there's a big a shake up in the russian space agency after the loss of another automatic mission and scientists now rushing to resupply the international space station after that disaster. north korean leader kim jong il and rolls through powerful russia by craig first moving with president medvedev and see ya once a resumption of international talks that will bring peace to finance

a lot. of probable school my reading leaves over four million people without power along the u.s. eastern seaboard as it slides into new york bringing high winds and heavy downpours a limited trail of destruction it's also claimed at least fifteen markets. all coming up that's the first part of our special report on the capital punishment debate in the united states as we meet the family of a sixteen year old boy who was executed in one nine hundred ninety nine if you stay with us.

south of the united states of america oklahoma. this road leads to macalister penitentiary which houses prisoners condemned to death. this is where just twelve years ago i met sean sellers a young man condemned to death his story created a media star all over the world he was my age and i have never forgotten had it ever since the night of his execution i have been convinced that the death penalty acts like a poison on all those who participated and it now my aim is to meet all the people level involved in the execution of sean sellers.

this is where sean sellers spent the last thirteen years of his life. the cameras cameras in three. parts and three. football players or are we. ok. sean was twenty nine when this interview took place.

most people around here you know all this season here when all they see the chains and warriors crying. in baseball you see is this summer's herzog but. someone is killed somebody. is someone is dangerous. you're the person did person. i don't blame. he said this is what. the only people who are relieved really. have. to was he needed. people for believing her story the first one i didn't i was sixteen years

old those we'll have a right to hate illegal her writing he would be those people who write what they did if i ever heard you might want to. thank. when he was sixteen shawn murdered his mother vonda and his stepfather leave. their birds here in eastern oklahoma. to him

but. i found some archive footage almost tragedy of a local t.v. station. one night while vonda and lee were sleeping in their home shown shot them with his stepfather skunk has always claimed that he committed this crime while under the power of an uncontrollable force. when the teenager was arrested he admitted the double murder and confessed to another crime. six months before he walked into a convenience store with an accomplice and shot dead a cashier. he was only fifteen at the time.

as accomplice in the convenience store shooting was also arrested richard was shawn's friend and post-boys were obsessed with satanism. the two teenagers would tell the police that they killed the grocer just to see what it would feel like. richard accepted to testify against sean in exchange for a lighter sentence. when mrs evidence even shown sellars own confession everything was in place for a trial but the legal system was hesitant should this teenager be judged as an adult fully conscious of his acts. shawn's court appointed lawyer presented as evidence psychological evaluations that diagnosed severe personality disorders in the defendant. but the prosecutor was adamant in demanding the death sentence.

figure through a tragedy hit in the united states a sixteen yo when he commits a crime to be put. in one thousand nine hundred seven sean sellers was sentenced to death and first became the youngest person condemns to death in the united states in the past fifty years. over the thirteen years following his

sentencing sean grew up an adult in the macalister penitentiary and he's half buried buildings the cells which are underground have no natural light. as the years pass shaun's lawyers try in vain to get a retrial. psychiatrist him to have brought to light psychological disorders that were on no one of the time of the trial shown now in adults writes books attacking occultism. thousands of letters and maintains correspondence with hundreds of teenagers. when i met him thirteen years after his condemnation it exhausted all legal recourse. we deliberately it is the. key. to the strings to believe.

you know. the truth. three days after meeting show i sit in on my clemency hearing that takes place in this small chapel near the penitentiary. is jones last chance to have his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. with. steve press and shown so you lawyer is working day and night to prevent the execution.

of five members of the jury selected by the state governor are to offer recommendations as to whether or not sean sellers should be pardoned. if. in the end the governor makes the decision on his own activists like hence the death penalty and friends of show our president to ask but his life be spared. to me this state. signifies whether me. first the origin or inner city and after they always show. first ones i had for ten years. all of my is one should be great to see. and if used in i'd mercy i feel it is justice for you i fear for our state yes it's

right there it's ok to murder a sixteen year old. or so. or something hurt right. right right fear fear for what it's go we are not the wild wild west it's time to realize the better way stray and old ways to execute. exterior. story rest the world things it's a. fun song so hours of turning as i'm sure you've heard of no man should ever have to shoulder rather monstrous early in life. and as you know sean was sixteen years old when he committed these murders that's not to say that song sellers should not be punished for his crimes sean is being no rational person can deny that each day for the last thirteen years john slept on

a concrete slab just inches from a mile toilet and a wunderlist room smaller than most of our own closets there he spends twenty three hours a day off and twenty four and if he's not executed health will spend the rest of his life in just such an existence is it better than the boy gave his victims many say not but no one from credibly argue that a prison man is not a national sean has been punished is being punished and will be honest. i ask you about clemency if not now when. not so excited on sellers. and dark. as some of the throw very dark on that road leads to finding. things don't extinguish on. you.

during the hearings the families of the victims get to say their piece. the parents and children of leave belafonte to shawn stepfather are here to demand that the execution be carried out. among them or lorna know well at least son and daughter. i'm here to die. just for my father for almost thirteen years.

for most stylish allowing the just this. and the courts. to now after all this time we are shocked to find ourselves in your presence pleading to you throughout the deaths. of song hours to go forward and executed. the execution of sellers will not bring my father back or my stepmother can never fill the void in my heart. by sellers must be executed for the brutal crime who committed this is a punishment this is not. that

convention is a lot of fifteen minutes to plead his case. hard fortunately. for her that i. know something of what you've heard her to do and then you come. after her. another year. can imagine. right and save the day. because you don't have been immersed know me whatsoever.

no i didn't come here to ask for justice. came here to beg for mercy. and. i don't think you will live with it. i'm not. so illusion of that i think about making up people's minds. to try in time to keep on. in this type of hearing the jury does not perturbed deliberating the verdict is

announced directly. this time. i will call on each member of the board alphabetically are there. now. i'll stick my. primer now on my list now. this time the clemency hearing for sun sellers is a term. that .

sean is dead. for the state of oklahoma because it is being closed for a long time. but for all those who witnessed his execution life is going on. now twelve years later i am going to meet with one of the witnesses of the execution in this nature reserve in the eastern part of the state. i think clemency hearing lauren belafonte son of lee belafonte will ask that sean be executed lauren is a true man of the south. he has always been in favor of capital punishment i didn't decide to punish and see that you've got to remember that other people

decided that was his punishment that was a fitting punishment for a crime you committed. because i happen to agree with it. uses as a side subject that's that's. that's good for me. it's well bellefonte lawrence sister lives in the town of lawton and center of oklahoma. she also waited thirteen years impatiently for sean to be executed. homa the families of victims have the right to view the execution. noel and her

family came to the penitentiary to watch shawn being put to death. if. he was struck down to a table with his arms out to his side and they had run an i.v. which was how they were a point too. to commit the execution it was lethal injections that was all done through. it was altered intravenously he was prepped and ready to go on lying down and the warden was in there and some doctor and saw a few prison guards i believe there was no fear

he was happy because it seemed like and that to me it was totally he didn't like a friend perhaps he came to terms with his fate he gets a list of everyone who's there changing his execution both for his guests and the prison and his family members and the victim's family members it's a it's the only opportunity you're going to have to go see my crotch and he didn't get away with it now or even i've reached a point where i guess i did humanized him and i had to for my own

peace of mind i had to look at him for what he was a killer. or as one of the guy could have ever gone through it was painless for him he didn't suffer he was sleep like an animal like euthanize a dog or a cat but it was actually probably far more humane.

noel than lauren to realize that the execution would also claim other victims sean's family. shawn's biological father who had abandoned him when he was two heard about his son's coming execution. he sent them a video message from california. there they go to the future for. certain in terms of its kind of third day of. i just can't get back there. i don't think i could almost have the. honor of where you stay want of to do this.

lucky i'm talking to you or this this or to communicate with me i care because there are. a lot of you who wish they would refer you. could by. the execution was a terrible ordeal for sean's grandfather jim wonders father. jim often took care of the little boy when his mother was out on the road. i met jim twelve years ago when i came here the first time it was a few days before the execution. jim had already lost his daughter vonda and now the state was about to put his only

ground some to death. he still my grades are. they still my grades are. i would love to say it's going to affect me one way or the other when they put me into a third oh. no better. this girl showed her my good self. put the show to death or not go bring that man sir i will regularly back. you know what was your reaction when i was with you just. just really so well. i have cruel can you be really.

fast so we came to my mind. i hated that chance effort. because our lives and. it was always kids me. as a child i really liked him. and i hated that he i mean he was so. broken and a committee hearing i couldn't bear to think a. grandfather died shortly after the execution.

twenty years ago in the largest country in. the sense of a sense of. what had been a check. each began a journey. where did it take.