WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wants prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in murder cases in Washington, D.C. But that idea runs headfirst into the city’s local laws, which abolished capital punishment more than 40 years ago.

“If somebody kills somebody in Washington, D.C., in the capital … we are going to be seeking the death penalty. That’s a very strong preventative,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting.

What DC Law Says

The DC Council abolished the death penalty in 1981. A decade later, in 1992, city residents rejected a referendum that would have reinstated it. Law experts agree that means in D.C. Superior Court, where most local murder cases are prosecuted, capital punishment is off the table.

Where Federal Law Could Come In

The U.S. Attorney’s Offic

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