From a debating standpoint you didn't make a good case for the death penalty.
The debate about the death penalty is a debate about values and you didn't defended those values of the people who favor the death penalty.
You don't win principle debates by appealing to money but by appealing to principles.
When you want to understand other people you shouldn't use
money as the first explanation.
"Those people who favor the death penality aren't willing to pay the money to protect my sacrosanct values" isn't a position that helps you with understanding other people.
It's better to understand the values that the other person holds sacrosanct.
An interesting paper about sacred values:
http://journal.sjdm.org/91203/jdm91203.pdf