Finally, the death penalty controversy affects me.

[cboy4]

My good friend, a television cameraman, was gunned down as he left a suburban Sacramento restaurant with his wife over the weekend.

A crazy man armed with a shotgun went on a rampage. He opened fire at random, shooting four people because he was reportedly upset about his relationship and was on methamphetamine.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/14235719p-15056933c.html

I've always been fiercely against the death penalty, but I've always wondered in the back of my mind whether I would feel differently if one of my family members or friends were murdered.

Well now I know.

Even though I'm in a lot of pain and am angry with the person who did this, I can still say I'm opposed to the death penalty.

Executing this suspect will not bring my friend back. Executing this suspect will not make me feel better. What will make me feel better is having this person spend the rest of his life in prison so he can't hurt anyone else.

Now I know how so many other people feel.

:cry:

[RufusEarl]

1. Sorry for your lose, but i'm impressed with your cool!

[ellie]

2. I am sorry to hear about

your friend. My cousin was brutally murdered and the prosecution was going to seek the death penalty. Her daughter, my second cousin, told the court that she didn't believe in the death penalty, that the killer shouldn't get off that easy. He is serving a life sentence.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. So sorry to hear about your friend and your pain. My heart goes out

to you and to his wife and family.

[Faygo Kid]

4. Awful. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.

We never know, but nobody could anticipate such horror. Sincere condolences.

[Mythsaje]

5. My condolences for your loss...

That's rough.

Kudos to you for standing for your convictions. My wife and I argue about the death penalty quite often. She's for it, I'm against it. I don't think the Justice system is impartial enough to decide who lives or dies, and I'm loathe to agree when it's all too likely that innocent people can suffer this ultimate punishment because of the inequity. Added to that is the fact I'm not sure if it offers any real deterrant anyway.

[wicket]

6. I am so incredibly sorry

:hug:

[mdmc]

7. sorry about your loss

violence begets violence.

[Olney Blue]

8. I'm sorry for your loss.

Thank you for your thought-provoking post. One never knows until they are in the situation. I hope
I would come to the same resolution as you did, since I am presently opposed to the death penalty.

Best wishes to you.

[fooj]

9. I'm so sorry.......

:hug:
Peace.

[AtomicKitten]

10. Events like this make one re-think their stance on the death penalty

and really challenge that which we may feel long-decided in our consciousness.

I'm very sorry this tragedy entered your life.

[MadMaddie]

11. I am sorry for your loss....

I think life in prison with hard labor is where the punishment should go...No Tv's...no gyms....4 walls...maybe some books...that's it....

Is hard labor...cruel and unusual...compared to the crimes that these people committ...no.....

Methamphetamine is a scourage in America....this is where the drug war needs to be focused...Washington state has a pretty big problem....And this perpertrator had access to a gun...was it legally purchased? Repeat offender....?

[cboy4]

12. Thank you DU family for all of your kind words.

It means a lot to me.

[gratuitous]

13. My condolences on your loss

My boss was murdered back in October 2004. Two meth heads, whose ability to reason was so screwed up, they actually left behind detailed instructions on how they were going to trap their victim and rob him. I, too, was and am against the death penalty. Executing these total losers isn’t going to bring my friend back, doesn’t teach them a lesson, and isn’t going to make a blind bit of difference to anyone else enslaved by a meth addiction.

In addition, when there was still a possibility that my friend was alive, the only person the cops had in custody was the probable killer, and he arranged to take the death penalty for himself off the table in exchange for his cooperation in leading the cops to where they’d left the body. The cops then apprehended his accomplice, but there’s no evidence that she took an active part in killing my friend. Yet, if there’s going to be a death sentence handed out in this case, it would go to her, not him, simply because the cops picked him up first. That’s pretty screwed up justice.

Of course they should be punished, and I’m hopeful they both go to jail for a long stretch. But executing either one of them isn’t going to do anything positive.

[cboy4]

14. Thanks. Yea it's funny (in a not so funny way) how it

seems a lot of people who've never experienced the pain of losing someone to violent crime are so pro death penalty.

Why wouldn't they think spending a lifetime rotting in a prison cell is far greater punishment than a killer being granted the "easy way out" getting executed by lethal injection,? ---- which is by a majority of accounts like falling asleep for surgery??

[BlueCaliDem]

15. I'm so very sorry for your loss...and deeply respect your final conclusion

...regarding the death penalty.

I am humbled that you're sharing this difficult, personal tragedy with the rest of us, and deeply respect you for incredible insight; seeing, even in this dark, difficult, and painful time for you and yours how wrong the death penalty is, and that it can never make right a wrong done.

I wish you and yours all the best. You truly are an American worthy of the description "Peace-loving, kind, and compassionate" so many espouse about themselves, but never really are.

You're the real deal, cboy4.

[cboy4]

16. I'm speechless. What a kind, kind post BlueCaliDem04

Thank you so much for your sympathy and thoughts my fellow Californian :hug:

[BlueCaliDem]

37. You bet, cboy4. And it's heartfelt. n/t

[APPLE314]

17. What do you think when the roles are reversed?

I knew a fellow, years ago, who had his motorcycle stolen. I admit, it was a customized beauty. He came to work mad as hell and was ranting, "If I had a gun I would shoot the son-of-a-bitch". I asked him how much it was worth and he said "$3000.00". I asked him then "So I guess you think a human life is worth $3,000.00"? and he said "You damned right I do". I said "Well, if I gave you $3,000.00 would you go shoot yourself"? He got pissed even more.

My point is -- You can't put a price on human life ---- All life is precious --- Even fuckups.

[snowbear]

18. Sending you a great big hug cboy4 !!

Your DU Family Cares About You cboy4! ~~ xoxoxo ~~ :grouphug:

[cboy4]

19. You're making me cry larissa ;)

Your post means so much to me. Thanks :grouphug: :loveya:

[NMMNG]

20. I'm sorry for your loss

And I'm proud for your ability to stand by your convictions even in the face of significant adversity. Kudos to you. :hug:

[cboy4]

25. Thanks Buffy. I'm a big fan of your posts, so it means

a lot to hear from you! :hug:

[riona]

21. i'm so sorry

but i know what you mean about the death penalty. have you read richard north patterson's "conviction?" a very powerful book on this issue. peace.

[cboy4]

26. I will check into the book. Thanks so much for writing!

:)

[swimboy]

22. I'm awfully sorry your friend is gone.

I've been affected only indirectly by violent crime, but I believe I would hold to your position. I wish you peace and strength.

[cboy4]

27. Thanks swimboy, it's tough. But thank you.

:)

[rockymountaindem]

23. My condolences, but

good for you on sticking to your principles. That's something you can be proud of.

:hug:

[cboy4]

29. Thanks rockymountaindem for writing and your kind words

of encouragement during these difficult times. :hug:

[Zhade]

24. So sorry for your loss!

:hug:

Proud of you for sticking to your convictions - you're a hell of a person to be that strong.

[cboy4]

30. Your words mean a lot. Thanks so much Zhade

:hug:

[Zhade]

32. Wish I had more to offer.

If it helps, my convictions were tested with the whole "DP for rapists" thing. I really, REALLY would like child rapists dead, but like I said before, you can't overturn an arroneous DP conviction once sentence is carried out.

Be strong, friend. :hug:

[cboy4]

34. No, no.....you've offered more than enough!

Thanks again friend :loveya:

[myrna minx]

28. I am so sorry!

:cry: :hug:

[cboy4]

31. You're sweet myrna minx...thanks for your kind words

:hug:

[Hippo_Tron]

33. It takes a strong person to stick to their beliefs like that

For me it would definately help knowing that if that person is sentenced to life, they will have to spend the rest of their life in a prison cell thinking about what they did. To me, death seems like the easy way out.


Very sorry to hear about your loss.

[cboy4]

35. Well, thanks Hippo_Tron for your kind words...

If only I could be as strong as my friend's widow and three young children :cry:

[AusGail]

36. No more guns

The NRA has a lot to answer for

[benEzra]

38. Door-to-door confiscation is not going to happen...

Outlawing people's guns and sending the police/military to kick in people's doors and ransack their houses looking for guns is just not going to happen in the United States; the day you send the government to kick in the doors of 40% of households in America is the day that America begins to look a lot like Iraq. There is common ground to be found on how to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally incompetent (like this murderer), but there's no common ground to be found on door-to-door confiscation in this country.


To the OP:

I am glad your convictions held up under pressure, and thank you for sharing. It's terrible that you had to go through this, though. :(

How is your friend's wife and family holding up? Was she injured? (Physically, I know she must be emotionally traumatized.)

[cboy4]

39. The memorial service was today and it was tough.

Three teen-aged kids lost their great dad.

His wife is struggling as you might imagine anyone would.

She was not injured. The gunman shot my friend in the face with a shotgun, and then walked off while she hid behind the car.

So scary and sad.

Thank you benErza for your concern. :)