At common law, I think i remember hearing that all felonies were punishable by Death. It certainly wouldn’t be that absurd; do you really think it would be that much better to spend 30 or 40 years in prison, starting at age 50 than to be executed swiftly? If you’ve ever visited (or resided in) a real prison, you might think the death penalty was not such a bad option…we’re not talking about debtor’s prisons. We’re talking about people who steal money. Huge amounts of money. Same as a robbery, but done with words and paper. Why not kill someone for a robbery, if it’s big enough?