WV HB2567

Reinstates the death penalty in West Virginia specifically for first-degree murder of a law-enforcement officer or first responder intentionally killed while performing their duties

Requires aggravating circumstances to be proven with physical evidence (such as forensic DNA) or an uncoerced confession, not circumstantial evidence alone

Establishes mitigating circumstances that can prevent death penalty imposition, including extreme mental disturbance, impaired capacity, age 17 or younger, or relatively minor participation in the crime

Mandates automatic review of all death sentences by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, which must determine if the sentence was influenced by passion/prejudice, supported by evidence, and proportionate to similar cases

Specifies execution methods as lethal injection or firing squad, to be carried out at a state correctional facility no sooner than three months after sentencing, and guarantees DNA testing rights for death row inmates at any time after conviction