I definitely agree that forgiving someone doesn't absolve them of the consequences of their actions, under a system that has a death penalty, then that sentence would still apply. I don't know if we should have a death penalty or not (philosophically), under our current circumstances I think that should be up to the states, with the federal government ensuring that where it does happen it is done with respect to the convictees rights. Its hard to speculate how this applies in a stateless society.