AG candidates clash in first debate

Republican attorney general candidate James McKenna says the killings of four people, including a toddler, in Boston this week should prompt renewed discussion of a state death penalty.

In his first debate - and first face-to-face meeting - with Democrat Martha Coakley, the former prosecutor says the execution of a 2-year-old justifies reconsideration of capital punishment. The victims were found on a street in the Mattapan neighborhood early Tuesday.

Coakley told New England Cable News host Jim Braude on Thursday she opposes the death penalty.

Coakley was defeated in January by Republican Scott Brown in a high-profile race to replace the late Sen. Edward Kennedy.

She was cruising to re-election without an opponent when McKenna won the Republican nomination on a write-in campaign. His campaign has since been boosted by experienced staff including Brown campaign veterans.