The Death Penalty and the Torah

Because the death penalty is the ultimate penalty it should not be imposed lightly or upon the use of certain kinds of evidence.   The death penalty should be reserved for the most heinous crimes and not those non-fatal crimes that are added together in order to arrive at the death penalty.  Also, on any crime the death penalty should not be imposed on circumstantial evidence.  There is just too much room for error.  The Bible is a good standard to use.  In the Torah or Old Testament, it was decreed that no person should be put to death except on the testimony of two or more witnesses, never on just the testimony of one person.  Deuteronomy 17:6 states, "On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness."Numbers 35:30 says, "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness."  This is wise advice because of the fact that sometimes witnesses lie or are easily influenced.  It is more difficult to make mistakes with more than one witness because of the ability to cross-examine them separately and determine how the stories conflict or confirm.