Rapper Snoop Dogg has appealed to Arnold Schwarzenegger to help in his previously reported bid to spare the life of an ex-gang leader.
As we mentioned last week, Stanley 'Tookie' Williams was sentenced to death back in 1981 for the murder of four people and has been in prison ever since. However, since his conviction he has worked on a number of projects urging young people in the US to stay out of gangs - work that has earned him a number of Nobel Peace Prize nominations. But despite that work Williams still faces the death penalty for his crimes, and is likely to be killed by lethal injection on 13 Dec. His future is now up to Schwarzenegger as Californian state governor, though no previous governor has granted clemency since the death penalty was restored in California in 1978.
Snoop Dogg is one of a number of high profile names supporting Williams' bid to avoid the death penalty. Despite authorities refusing his request to see Williams, Snoop Dogg attended a rally at San Quentin prison this weekend to confirm his support. Speaking outside the prison the rapper told reporters: "Stanley 'Tookie' Williams is not a regular guy, he's an inspiration. All I want to say to the governor is: it's about keeping this man alive because his voice needs to be heard."