Effort To Repeal Utah Death Penalty Falls Short In State House

The Utah legislature on Thursday abandoned an ambitious bid to repeal the death penalty in the state which would have made life without parole the maximum penalty for murder.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Steve Urquhart (R) abandoned the effort before the midnight deadline. Urquhart told the Associated Press he was closing in on the number of votes needed, but that enough lawmakers remained unsure and a debate would have run down the clock on the legislature's last day.