US prosecutors have asked California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to show no mercy to a former gang leader on death row for murder

BBC News:

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, whose life was dramatised in a film starring Jamie Foxx, faces execution on 13 December.

While in jail, Williams has won praise for his anti-gang books, earning several Nobel Peace Prize nominations.

But lawyers said he was a "cold-blooded killer" who did not deserve "atonement" for his "brutal, murderous acts".

Williams, who co-founded the notorious Los Angeles Crips street-gang, is asking Mr Schwarzenegger to grant him clemency.

He says he has earned redemption through his books warning young people about the dangers of gangs.

Williams, 51, was sentenced to death in 1981 for the murder of four people during robberies in Los Angeles in 1979.

The Los Angeles district attorney's office issued a 118-page statement in response to the clemency petition.

"Stanley Williams has steadfastly refused to take any responsibility for the brutal, destructive, and murderous acts he committed," it said.

"Without such responsibility, there can be no redemption, there can be no atonement, and there should be no mercy."

The petition response also criticised Williams for refusing to debrief the authorities on the Crips gang.

"Williams' refusal to debrief, and his characterisation of the debriefing process as 'snitching' clearly shows that Williams has not turned his back on the Crips gang," the statement said.

Meanwhile, the California Corrections Department claims that Williams has continued orchestrating gangland crimes from his cell.

However, Los Angeles police spokeswoman April Harding said there was no evidence of any illegal gang activity by Williams.

Several stars, including rap artist Snoop Dogg, are to join a rally in protest at California's San Quentin State Prison on Saturday, protesting against the execution.

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