Clearly not, since that argument applies far more strongly to non-death penalty cases where there is far less scrutiny. It's also clearly an argument intended

Clearly not, since that argument applies far more strongly to non-death penalty cases where there is far less scrutiny. It's also clearly an argument intended for Other People who need pragmatic reasons for ending the death penalty. He is against it on purely ethical grounds, or in my opinion, because it makes him feel bad about himself.