However, the most of the people of Connecticut have a different view...

Poll finds Connecticut voters back death penalty

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Seventy percent of Connecticut voters say they support the death penalty for serial killer Michael Ross, who is scheduled to die later this month, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

Fifty-nine percent of state voters say they favor the death penalty in general. But given the choice between the death penalty and life in prison without the possibility of parole, 49 percent said they preferred the prison sentence.

"Connecticut voters' views on the death penalty are similar to voters nationwide," said poll director Douglas Schwartz. "Support for the death penalty drops dramatically when voters are presented with the alternative of life in prison with no chance of parole."

In the case of Ross, who has admitted killing eight women in Connecticut and New York, 85 percent said they believe he should be allowed to forego any further appeals. Ross is scheduled to be executed Jan. 26 at Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers. His would be the first execution in New England since 1960.

Of those opposed to the death penalty, 58 percent cited moral or religious beliefs.