John Couey jury recommends death

[whopis01]

Florida is getting ready to execute yet another person. This time it is one who is quite likely mentally retarded. While his crimes are unforgivable, yet another act of barbaric, state-sanctioned murder will do nothing to repair the damage done.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/03/14/couey.sentence/index.html

[IChing]

1. Why do we kill people

who kill people
to teach them that killing people is wrong?

[bigworld]

36. We don't.

We kill people to get rid of people who kill people

[ileus]

45. Hate to see him go...

Look at it this way, maybe we won't have to support him as long as a life sentence would require.

[liberalnurse]

2. He is not mentally ill.

That was a long shot ploy for a weak defense.

[Lost-in-FL]

9. Anyone who rape kids is mentally ill...

who else would do such thing?

[Kingshakabobo]

11. Haven't you heard? Bill O'Reilly says they're EVIL. n/t

[Big Pappa]

14. Actually,

numb skull O'Reilly is even against the death penalty. Lethal injection is way to easy. Solitary 24-7, no tv, no visitors forever.

[Kingshakabobo]

17. I agree, but I was referring to his refusal to accept mental illness as a defense....

....the case that comes to mind is the Texas mom who drowned her 5 kids......couldn't have been postpartum depression and psychotic breaks that she was being treated for....nope .....EVIL!

[Thothmes]

28. Solitary

Be it would not stand the cruel and unusual test.

[Mike Daniels]

50. and that's the shame of it

What better punishment is there for someone who snuffed out another person's life with malice and forethought than to spend the rest of their life in a void.

[Chovexani]

68. Heh

Despite all evidence to the contrary, we are not living in 17th century Salem Village, and spectral evidence is inadmissable in court.

Wonder when someone will let Ol' Falafel Butt know?

[MadMaddie]

15. The thing is..he admitted he had a problem, he knew he would

reoffend again and so did the state of Florida.

It is possible that he is mentally ill, however; will we let these criminals use that as an excuse to get a pass for their sick crimes. He did it because he was in control of a child, he planned what he was going to do and he did it.

I agree the death penalty is a flawed process, I would rather have these bastards perform hard labor for the rest of their lives, but someone would say that it would be cruel punishment.

[Lost-in-FL]

18. He admitted to the problem...

and the State of Florida failed this little girl, her family, and this men. There are no excuses or apologies (from this disgusting criminal or the State of Florida) that could bring back this child. It is easier just to put the blame on this mad man while the State of Florida moves on to the next case. So yes, the State of Florida is hoping for us to stay busy hating while they ignore everything else.

It seems her family is too busy hating this criminal than to suit the heck out of the State of Florida for killing their child.

[MadMaddie]

19. I agree with you the State has the ulitmate responsibility for the

failure of this guy. He shouldn't have been in any area where there were children yet he was.

The family is grief stricken as anyone would be and it would be hard not to focus on the person that committed the crime.

Florida once again fails it's citizens.

[Buttercup McToots]

35. The father

His face haunts me...
His heart is broken...

[TX-RAT]

40. Did the state know he was there?

[Buttercup McToots]

42. Yes

The father kept looking in the monsters direction...
I've never seen anyone look like that...completly broken...

[TX-RAT]

43. Not what i meant, sorry.

Had he registered with the state? Didn't he have a prior conviction?

[DemKR]

3. Practice what you preach, Florida. Shame!

Lock the guy up and throw away the key.

[Esra Star]

4. Killing people because they kill is like fucking for virginity. n/t

[seriousstan]

12. Nice bumpersticker but faulty logic.

Shall we stop imprisoning people for imprisoning people? What about taking peoples money for taking people's money?

[Esra Star]

20. The logic isn't faulty.

[Bake]

37. Don't you mean "fighting for peace ..."

" ... is like f***ing for virginity"?

The logic in that instance does make sense. Yours does not.

Bake

[Maine-ah]

52. the actual quote is

“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity” - George Carlin

it used to be my sig line.:hi:

[Esra Star]

65. I guess no analogy is perfect. If the two protagonists who are

fighting manage to kill each other, then you have peace.
I do understand your point.

[Miss Chybil]

5. I don't like the death penalty, either, but people like Couey make me

doubt my own convictions. Honestly, I don't give a crap what they do to him. The slippery slope just doesn't bother me in this case.

[ProudDad]

21. Uh, just when

does the slippery slope that IS the criminally unjust system bother you?

I really do mean to be gentle because I'm assuming that you're post was a thoughtful one.

However what we've got is a system that's rife with wrong.

What kind of society would you rather live in?

One built on revenge and repuke values of each man for himself and screw anyone who gets out of line (which is pretty much what we're stuck with) or would you rather live in one in which each person is her/his brother's/sister's keeper?

I'd rather live in a world that values forgiveness, restitution and rehabilitation over blame, torture and revenge.

Every time anyone buys into the status-quo of this evil system for anyone no matter how "deserving" the "criminal" may be, postpones that brighter future.

IMHO


On edit: So much for one of the excuses for capital punishment. Asked if the recommended sentence brings him closer to healing, Lunsford said, "I'm still not too sure about closure."

FOR FUCK'S SAKE, here's the guy that's running around making life harder for anyone classed as a "sex offender" of any kind FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES and he's NOT TOO SURE ABOUT CLOSURE!!!!

Shhhheeeeeeiiiiiitttttt!

[Miss Chybil]

48. I would rather live in society where convicted sex offenders - of a serious

nature - i.e. ones who commit crimes against children, or otherwise in a horrific manner upon anyone, are NOT PUT BACK ON THE STREETS TO BURY OUR BABIES ALIVE AFTER THEY HAVE RAPED AND TORTURED THEM!!!!! That's the kind of world I want to live in and I'm sorry but this sleezy fuck can die a thousand times for all I care for him and the fucking system.

My problem with the death penalty is many-fold. 1. What if they're innocent? 2. It's not applied in a just manner. 3. I don't think the state should murder people.

BUT, I am human and as I said before, people like John Couey have a tendency to engulf my rationality with pure rage. So, call me a repuke if you want. I really don't give a shit. If that bastard did that to my child, I'd want to kill him myself and you can be damn sure I'd run around and try make it harder for any fucking sick rat-bastard like him to exist on this planet - a fruitless adventure I'm sure, but it might help ease the pain.

There. Is that thoughtful enough for you?

Edit to ask: Just when do you think you would find "closure" if somebody stole your daughter out of her home, tied her up, raped her, put her in a garbage bag and buried her alive? Maybe, I should even ask, (sarcastically), when is Cindy Sheehan supposed to get closure? You don't get closure when people murder your babies and I find it appalling you seem to have more sympathy for a convicted baby rapist and murderer than you do for the "baby," (little girl), or her father. But, hey, that's just me.

[ProudDad]

59. You get closure

when you decide to treat an evil act that cannot be changed with understanding, compassion and forgiveness.

Anything less than that and you're only hurting yourself. Embracing negative emotions in your heart harms only you...

Do I mean let this guy out? Hell, no. But demanding that he be murdered or tortured by the state corrodes and demeans us all as a society and prevents closure in those who make those demands.


On Edit:

From a wonderful Christian fable: 'Jesus said, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do also to me.” Meaning that however we treat the poor, the sick, the weak, the homeless, the orphans, the fatherless, those in prison – however we treat them, is how we have chosen to treat God.'

[Miss Chybil]

72. I know you're technically right, but as I have said twice now

Couey drowns out the rational person in me and I don't care what anybody does to him. That's how I feel. Plain and simple. I'm not Jesus. Jesus can forgive him, if he wants to, for what he did to a little child. I can't. And, I wouldn't be the one to tell someone else how to get closure lest I had, God-forbid, walked in their shoes.

[FlaGranny]

80. As a mother who has lost a child

to murder, may I say there is no such thing as closure? It doesn't exist. Period. I say this more than 25 years after the fact. Closure is something you get after you settle a debt. But the murder of a child does not fit into that category. The person who did it cannot repay you. In addition, anything that person did to even try to repay such a "debt" would never be acceptable.

[Zavulon]

49. My thoughts exactly.

Truth be told, even though I'm against the death penalty in principle, the world will be better off without this piece of shit.

[Dulcinea]

78. Agreed.

Anyone who would do that to a child doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of us.

[whopis01]

56. It is amazing

that you do think of it as a slippery slope, but are still willing to start sliding down it. I could understand your response if you thought it wasn't a slippery slope issue. If you thought that there was a clear distinction that made this act of state sanctioned murder safe, I could appreciate your viewpoint. However, to recognize it for what it is, and still take that step without regard of the consequences is amazing.

The thought of allowing this person to drag our society further down by having the state sanction his murder is sickening to me.

[Miss Chybil]

73. People who rape and kill babies are sickening to me. Here's another one for you...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/15/missing.boy/index.html

Think on that and tell me who's dragging our society down. It ain't me, babe.

[whopis01]

79. I never claimed that you

were bringing down society. I agree that it is people like Couey and Edenfield who are the ones that bring society down.

The point that I was making is that we are defined by the actions we take, not the actions that others take upon us. If you are willing to let people like Couey influence you into condoning state sanctioned murder, that is your choice. People who rape and kill babies are sickening to me. State sanctioned murder is sickening to me as well.

Honestly, if I could trade one for the other, I would rather have state sanctioned murder than people who rape and kill babies. However, that is not the choice that we have. Killing Couey is not going to prevent future child murders any more than keeping him locked up the rest of his life will.

[jahyarain]

6. i agree this should not performed by the state

the family should be allowed to do with him as they wish.

"She was found wrapped in garbage bags, holding a stuffed toy dolphin, her hands bound with stereo wire."

FUCK HIM.

i won't even get into the buried alive part. there is NO reason he should be allowed to exist on this plane.

[ShortnFiery]

23. It won't bring her back and it reflects poorly on our reputation as a FIRST World

Nation. Most democratic countries have abolished the Death Penalty as barbaric. Too bad there's far too many people in the USA who self-righteously believe "vengeance is theirs" instead of the judgment of The Higher Power. :(

[colorado_ufo]

26. Yes, this case is hard.

I am almost always against the death penalty, but there are occasional exceptions which exemplify that almost nothing in life is absolute. Ted Bundy was an extraordinarly dangerous man - a serial killer with no remorse - but more frightening is that he found a way to escape from every prison in which he had been held. And when he escaped, he killed again.

In this man's case, the death penalty is not a matter of revenge but actually a form of more appropriate justice. To put this man, of presumably lower than average IQ, into a prison situation where he would be repeatedly battered and raped is less just than a simple shortening of his life. No doubt his life would be short anyway in such a situation. To put him into solitary confinement for a lifetime, at taxpayers' expense, is little better and is actually itself a form of vengeance.

We often view situations as a "matter of life or death," but eventually each of us dies. It is truly more a case of dying sooner rather than later.

The death penalty is irreversible and absolute, and it should be treated as a profound tool of justice, seldom invoked. When it is utilized, it should be applied with a comprehension of the overall situation and not as extraction of revenge, and it should be accomplished with minimum of trauma to the accused - not for his or her sake, but to preserve our own humanity and our souls.

[ShortnFiery]

27. "it should be treated as a profound tool of justice"

The Death Penalty is nothing less than state sanctioned EXECUTION = Murder.

Advanced Democracies realize the danger of allowing The State to MURDER individuals.

The Death Penalty is not ever justified as it is MURDER.

God is, IMO (and other Christians), the ultimate authority - he does not sanction MURDER, in any case.

In other words, we are Playing GOD when we allow the state to murder a convict. It is wrong for First World Nations to allow ... regardless of the crime.

I'm ashamed of my Country when it promotes this barbaric practice. :thumbsdown:

[colorado_ufo]

44. You have a perfectly valid viewpoint

that deserves respect. It is especially admirable that you are so constant in your stand, which exhibits noble values.

As mentioned, this is a difficult situation. It is in the class of things that challenge civilization, such as assisted suicide for those terminally ill with intractable pain, or abortion (and of course, there are other examples).

If there is a perfect answer, we have not yet discovered it. The ideal answer would be for humanity to have conquered whatever leads to such situations, whether it be a history of family violence, a genetic basis, poverty, social isolation, ignorance, lack of education, need for elevation of social ethics, and whatever else could or may contribute to crime, distress, desperation, and violence.

I fear that we are some distance from this ideal answer; but that should never deter us from continuing to seek it.

[ShortnFiery]

46. Thank-you. You present a very thoughtful and, IMO, learned response.

:-) :hi:

[bigworld]

34. Thanks for your insight.

I've always struggled with my stand against the death penalty, and tried to be resolute about it. But lately, (maybe because I'm getting older or just more jaded) I've become pretty comfortable with that some crimes, the death penalty is perfectly appropriate. This is one of those cases. Not for vengeance, not as a deterrent, but as a punishment in and of itself.

[Maine-ah]

53. what "Higher Power" ?

I don't believe in a "Higher Power" and many other people don't as well.

[jahyarain]

81. let me make this VERY simple for everyone

i discussed this very subject a couple of nights ago with my wife. she is of the inclination (rightfully so) that the same suffering he caused that baby girl should be visited on him in an EXTREMELY cruel fashion (her cousin, who just got back from Iraq and lives with us, had some rather...shall we say...TASTEY suggestions). i would be completely numb if this happened to my 12 year old daughter or my 3 year old baby girl and the only thing in my mind would be making sure that person no longer exists on this mortal coil. i would not care about democratic countries, barbarity, vengeance or the higher power. just his removal. i don't pretend that humans are civilized in the least. walk around this muthafucker and you'll see war is everywhere. we're no different than we were 10,000 years ago (just created more efficient ways of killing each other, that's all). i Love each and every one of my brothers and sisters here, but, quite frankly, we are proof that God is fallible. and if She would have a problem with my sending him along to the next plane of existence, we would discuss it. and i would prove Her wrong. again.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

84. I am happy that society isn't run by the likes of you.

Besides, you contradict yourself:

"i would not care about democratic countries, barbarity, vengeance or the higher power. just his removal."

If that were true, you'd advocate a quick bullet to the head, not sadistic fantasies to wank to afterwards.

[ncabot22]

7. This case is hard

I can't find a reason to want this guy to live. This guy kidnapped, raped and then buried a 7 year-old girl alive. I don't give a damn what happens to him. Maybe it would be better to let him live amongst the general prison population--they would take care of him for free.

I do not like the death penalty. I live in Canada and we do not have it here. However, some crimes--at least in my opinion--are so heinous the person who committed them deserves to die. People like Clifford Olson, Robert Pickton and John Couey are so savage they do not deserve another day of life. I do not like that I feel this way--I'm giving in to a barbaric way of thinking but I can't help it. I just think of a little girl being buried alive, terrified and dying alone.

[ProudDad]

22. You CAN help it!

you can choose to think any way you like.

Try this experiment.

Think about your anger and hate. Hold onto that and let it grow in your heart against this person (or any person). How does that feel?

Now turn that around, hold compassion and forgiveness in your heart. Think about treating people kindly. See how much better that feels?

It really IS that easy.

The hate and the anger cause pain in our own hearts and souls and does nothing to the external object of those corrosive emotions. In that direction lies our own suffering.

That's the simple message of the Buddha. All of those emotions exist within us. We pick which ones to embrace and amplify and which ones we recognize as useless and reject. With practice this can be a conscious choice.

I wish you well in your practice.

[Evergreen Emerald]

30. my empathy goes to the victim and her family.

I embrace and amplify my emotions for her.

[bigworld]

33. That's something to strive for

... and in most cases, it's achievable. But if I were the father of this poor girl - or even a friend or relative - there's no way I could deny my primal urge to destroy this monster.

There are plenty of other more appropriate opportunities to fight the death penalty.

[ProudDad]

60. As you "believe"

so shall it be...

It's up to YOU how YOU feel; not the state or John Couey...

It's achievable in ALL cases.

[Mad_Dem_X]

38. I totally agree with you

I know we are in the minority here. But in cases like this, I am for the death penalty. What he did to that child is unforgiveable. He is a sick fuck, and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

"I just think of a little girl being buried alive, terrified and dying alone."

So do I. My prayers are with her family.

[Carni]

41. You're singing to the choir here

I actually change the TV when this case is reported on--the details make me physically ill.

Whatever they do with this guy, I just hope he doesn't ever get out on the streets again.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. He will be buried alive

he will be put in solitary confinement for his own protection with maybe 1 hour in 24? 48? out of the cell. Shouldn't have TV or any distraction, either-just have to live with himself.

Why keep him alive? He should be studied--blood samples and other tests, psychological exams--to find out why he turned out to be a monster.

[ProudDad]

61. This is a much better suggestion

than murdering or torturing this person.

"He should be studied--blood samples and other tests, psychological exams--to find out why he turned out to be a monster." (I would change that to "commit a monstrous act")

He should also be treated humanely during this process otherwise we are all demeaned...

[pretzel4gore]

10. good. when them 12 jurors killem selves, the world better place

when a person of honour prescribes a solution they of course try it themself, or else s/he won't prescribe it

[Big Pappa]

13. What?

[Catch22Dem]

16. English translation please...(n/t)

[pretzel4gore]

64. an insane goofball, an adult male has committed an atrocity that can't be undone...

The USA buries kids alive everyday, in the interest of its fricking immense gut appetite lust for superiority(?). Couey was formed in the USA. But he wasn't so skilled a monster that he got away with his crime: today he's about the alonest human being on earth, and he will suffer until he's dead.
The state has no right to kill, none! What proves that is that a statist named Heinrich Himmler killed as many people in a month with his pen as all solo psychos probably since history began. The USA is an oven state (all nations are, to some extent); millions have been killed in USA's wars. And the jurors are acting like they're godlike entities by recommending death for couey, acting in the name of 'law'. If death cures psychpathy, then after all the executions in history, by bureacratic states, shouldn't that have stopped john couey before he started? And if executions fixes the problem of horrific crimes, and countless thousands of them have taken place, then where did couey come from? The jurors are john couey, nice, decent and so on, but still, they are stone killers in part because they inflict on an obvious moral lunatic what they themselves would literally kill to try to avoid (ie death). Why don't the 12 jurors hang themselves, if death solves the problem? (also,why doesn't the state just put couey in prison general population? The cons will kill couey, sure as sin. Why give the job to faceless mechanics who could easily be killing, you, or yours (see auschwitz)
btw, fyi, if couey was available to me, i'd cripple him for life. He'd never hurt another person again; iow i'm no pacifist or anything. That little kid deserved to live and see everything life offers- and john couey should protected her, help her however she needed! And no man on earth should do what couey did. But he did it, and there will be more little kids, more victims, with jurors always going 'tsktsk, you awful brute!' and going home shaking their heads sadly...
The Green River killer is locked up 24/7 for life. Why is that worse then what happened to Ted Bundy? Bundy's 35 or so victims, and ridgeway's 50 or so- what about them? At least ridgeways victims will live in the memory of the bastard who hurt them. Bundy's victims are long forgotten....

[ProudDad]

24. Irrelevant to why I'm against the death penalty

Isn't it interesting that NO capital defendant gets a jury of his/her peers. Since a significantly large number of people are not allowed on capital juries, no death defendant can EVER get a fair trial.

No one is allowed on the jury of a capital case who's against the death penalty. That automatically preselects people who are statistically conviction-prone.

Any reasoned analysis of this barbaric practice disqualifies it. As the Civilized (non U.S.) world has already determined. They've gotten rid of the death penalty.

[whopis01]

55. There mere fact

that they can ask potential jurors about their opinion on the death penalty and their willingness to apply it before selecting them means that the jury will always be slanted towards the pro-death penalty crowd and will not be an accurate reflection of society.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

86. Seriously, what keeps one from LYING to such a question?

It's not like they can prove it with telepathy.

I'd lie.

Aren't there jurisdictions where juror unanimity is needed for the DP and otherwise it becomes a life sentence?

[ends_dont_justify]

25. Wasn't eye for an eye disproven thousands of years ago?

More and more that's what our courts seem to becoming. Eye for an eye. Only in these justices the eye is whatever they think it is -- it can be a foot so long as it's a disagreeable crime.

But I think some people are beyond rehabilitation....anyone who can rape and kill a child should be seperated from society, but to kill them adds to the sins.

[Thothmes]

29. Punishment

I generally do not the Death penalty. In this guys case, I would sentence him to life in prison, then put him in the general population. He would probably be dead in a month. With the death sentence, he could be on death row for decades. Not a very liberal attitude, but what this man did to that little girl rates absolutely no sympathy from me.

[depakid]

31. Kind of a no brainer

Even though I don't support the death penalty in any way shape or form- this is about the best case one can imagine to apply it too.

[IronScorpio5]

32. This guy knew exactly what he was doing...

while i'm generally against the death penalty, i would have no problem making an exception in this case.

[Mad_Dem_X]

39. Exactly. n/t

[ShortnFiery]

47. Then it's one small step to take away habeas corpus for some "monsters"?

You just can't have it both ways. Execution is not the state's responsibility, but punishment is what's due. The most moral and civilized answer is to lock him up for life without a chance for parole.

Exceptions are a very dangerous path to follow ... could they be extended to other crimes? ... who deems what is "Death Penalty Worthy" in an Authoritarian Society?

As a Catholic, this is a tough (faith testing) but true moral decision for me: The Death Penalty is MURDER in all Cases. I don't believe in abortions, albeit I don't believe that I should preach or such morals should EVER be legislated, i.e. people should via free will arrive at that belief and value system. Further, at the end of my life, I only ask my family members to give me all the drugs I can handle. If the suffering becomes overwhelming, I may fudge and make a point to emphasize the fact that "God will forgive them" if they inadvertently give a little too much morphine in an effort to ease my pain. :blush:

There's only one Catholic interpretation of THOU SHALL NOT KILL: 1)no abortion; 2) no death penalty; and
3) no assisted suicide.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

51. As a non-Catholic, I take the opposite position on all those issues

Support the right to choose
Support the right to die with dignity
Support the death penalty.(ABSOLUTELY for this vile creature who tortured/killed that little girl)

Not attacking your positions we'll just agree to disagree.

[ShortnFiery]

54. That's the beauty of a Secular Run government respecting each individual's

choice toward their personal practice of Religion. :-)

Sincere warm wishes to you and the continuation of our Democratic Republic. :hi:

[ProudDad]

63. And what is accomplished with state murder?

Support the death penalty.(ABSOLUTELY for this vile creature who tortured/killed that little girl)

Inquiring minds would like to know...

[whopis01]

57. How can someone be 'generally against the death penalty'?

I would assume that by being 'generally against the death penalty' you mean that you don't want it always used, but there are some cases that you would judge heinous enough to warrant its use.

If that is the case, then how do you propose we decide which cases warrant the death penalty and which don't. I assume that you would not want a single person always being in charge of this decision. Perhaps we can take a board of people and let them deliberate and decide on a case by case basis. This 'jury' of people could be the ones to decide when and when not to apply the death penalty. That way we could have a society that is 'generally against the death penalty'.

That is what our society is today... 'generally against the death penalty'. We don't apply it in every case. It is not the punishment for every crime, not even every murder. Not by a long shot. More often than not, it is not applied.

If you are not against the death penalty in all situations, then you are not against the death penalty.

Think about it this way:
If this crime had taken place in Massachusetts (where there is no death penalty), would you argue that they should change the state laws in order to execute this person? If not, then why is it acceptable to you to have Florida execute people and not to have Massachusetts execute people? Are murders in Massachusetts less heinous than ones in Florida? Do Floridians have more rights to kill others than people from other states?

[ProudDad]

62. Nope, I think you're wrong about this

I don't think he knew what he was doing or at least, had no appreciation for what he was doing.

I'm certain he's a sociopath or psychopath.

A sociopath/psychopath's brain is wired in such a way as they have no conscience and cannot really determine right from wrong nor have any appreciation for the consequences of their actions. Notable examples include Ted Bundy and G.W.Bush.

It's most likely that he's impossibly, incurably, mentally ill.

It would be best to study such folks and help amplify the societal changes (many of which we already know) that would minimize the creation of such individuals in the future.

Urging the state to act in a psychopathic manner is hardly a good cure for such persons.

----------------------------------------------

sociopath (soh-see-uh-path, soh-shee-uh-path)

Someone whose social behavior is extremely abnormal. Sociopaths are interested only in their personal needs and desires, without concern for the effects of their behavior on others.


psy·cho·path (sī'kə-păth') pronunciation
n.

A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse.

[mitchum]

77. Not true, sociopaths certainly KNOW right from wrong...

they just don't FEEL it due to their incapacity for empathy. And they indeed have an appreciation for the consequences of their actions. That is why they usually go to great lengths to hide their crimes.

[Throd]

58. Fuck him

I understand and appreciate the logic behind the anti death penalty argument. But speaking as a father of a little girl, he is a piece of shit and needs to pay for his crime.

[0rganism]

69. there is no such thing as "paying for a crime" like this one

No amount of suffering on the part of the convicted will ever "pay" for the torture and death of a victim. There is no possible atonement, no redemption, and no real closure. The crime is permanent, irrevocable, and completely unpayable.

Which is why the whole pro-death penalty argument based on penance and/or closure for relatives of the victims is essentially vindictive bullshit.

The only legitimate pro-death-penalty argument is that the perpetrator is too dangerous to allow the slightest possibility of escape under any conceivable circumstance: power outage + civil war + prison riot, e.g. Otherwise, a life of permanent confinement without possibility of parole is preferable.

We need to stop attributing properties of payment for other violent offenses to time in prison. The only crimes for which there is even a possibility of payment are property crimes, and those are better handled with money than prison time. The point of prison should be regarded as removal from society at large for purposes of safety and -- in most cases -- rehabilitation. Anything else is rooted in delusion, and the results tend to disappoint everyone involved.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

82. So, if he got life in prison, he WOULDN'T pay. Riiiiight. -nt

[ckramer]

66. If Democrats feel sorry for these kind of sickos, they will never

get the power to govern.

I say hang the guy.

[mitchum]

75. And that is the absolute truth

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

83. Yeah, because declaring oneself to against the DP is to feel sorry for sickos. Riiiight. -nt

[Megahurtz]

67. Good Riddance.

They should have just shot him and saved all that Court time.

The World, and the surviving family will be better off without that violent animal.

:nuke:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

85. Isn't that how they do things in China? -nt

[mahina]

70. This is one of those points we just disagree on.

No way anyone will ever change my mind; once a jury has found guilty of this kind of crime, the death penalty is justified. I know juries err, and we aren't the final judges. But I feel no sorrow at the loss of this man's life.
Worse to say, let the prisoners deal with him in their own way. That's barbaric too, and at least if we kill him, it's over. Plus he just doesn't deserve any more time on this planet.
My .02

[liberal renegade]

71. stuff his sorry ass

in a black plastic bag and bury him alive.

To hell with him and anyone who thinks he should be spared.. Put him out of his fucking misery!

[mitchum]

74. Pwease, just lock him up so that he can only masturbate to memories...

and fantasies of child rape and murder. Because THAT is what they do while incarcerated.

Oh, to hell with that...EXECUTE that son of a bitch

[Eurobabe]

76. I don't like the death penalty, except in cases of heinous crime

Which I think THIS is. A person who molests, rapes and buries alive a nine year old child deserves to leave the planet, post haste.