Just curious.. if there was video evidence or dna matches required.. would you be pro DP or against?
That's tough.
First of all, video can be completely faked these days. And I mean... completely. When armatures do a far better job of replacing someone's face on a video, than professional studios, it is just a matter of time until we all recognize the truth. That ALL video is fake now. Not a single one can be trusted as being real. Not anymore.
Second, when it comes to DNA. What about chain of custody? Maybe the defendant was marked by someone who was able to plant or otherwise forge the DNA results. Would be real easy to have an intended target, grab some hair from them, and plant at a crime scene that otherwise lacked a lead. Might take more time and patience than most crimes, but it can certainly be done by the criminally inclined who had a beef with someone and a score to settle.
Why get your hands dirty when the State will take revenge on your behalf?
That is actually the problem with the Death Penalty. Even the best cases.... something could still be wrong.
It gives me some comfort in cases where there's a mass shooter and we catch them. ID confirmed in very little time, with multiple witnesses. When there is absolutely no doubt of guilt. Beyond reasonable doubt. Certainly beyond circumstantial cases. I hate those. DP for mere guess work? God damn, no wonder so many innocent people have been executed over the years. We handle it very poorly by not raising the standards considerably.
In the next decade, our standards will have to rise again as tech makes video worthless. Not without proven chain of custody to ensure no one tampered with or inserted a forgery.