During the first five hours of testimony before the Connecticut legislature's Judiciary Committee, no one spoke against repealing the death penalty.

Jordan Fenster is covering the story for the Register and we invite you to visit www.nhregister.com for updates.

As Senate Bill 280 is written, the death penalty would still apply retroactively to the 11 inmates on the state's death row. Some members of the Judiciary Committee expressed concern that death sentences already handed down could possibly be reduced to lighter sentences.

Although no one had spoken against repeal at the time this post was uploaded, written testimony opposing SB 280 had been submitted to the committee.

We have the text of the bill and some of the testimonies - for and against repeal - available below for you to  view.

Last year, a similar bill drew heated debate before finally failing when two senators withdrew their support.

You may also watch the live stream at 11 a.m. on CT-N.

Please feel free to express your views here on the blog or by emailing us at voices@nhregister.com.