Defense lawyers claim Benetton Inc.’s “We, On Death Row” ad campaign gave the public a needed look into the hearts and minds of death row inmates. But Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon says the ads used the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers to place pleasant masks on stone killers in an effort to increase the clothier’s brand recognition.
On Feb. 9, Nixon filed suit in state court against Benetton and NACDL board member Speedy Rice, seeking damages for fraud and trespass related to a 100-page insert in Talk magazine. It included interviews with and photos of 26 condemned inmates — four from Missouri’s own death row.
