Good news, Westerfield gets death penalty

[poohandwendy]

Eros,
Of course you realize that is just your/his opinion. Mine doesn't coincide with that way of thinking...sorry....btw...I don't rejoice in the verdict, I support it. Many people believe in just punishment, many also think capital punishment is just. Your talk of bloodlust should be aimed more equally towards those who are slaughtering our innocent children, women and men, IMO.

 

[UncleKyle]

Everything about this makes my blood boil. How come they get to die a slow easy death when the person they killed had to die a horrible death. Now they get to spend the rest of their life getting 3 squares a day and that little girl will never even get to go out to eat on a date? No thanks, I'd rather send them on to God and let him sort it out.


Capital Punishment is an age old debate that will never end, just like abortion.

And PRINCESS Ariel34 I'm sorry that you viewed my statement in that light, I didn't mean for it too look that way but everyone has a different viewpoint. Mine is just that he gets to spend the next 15 years in a cell when really they should have marched him outback behind the courthouse and strung him up.

 

[epcotfan]

Of course the crime was awful. I agree with that. However I don't support capital punishment. Murder is murder no matter how humane. This is not something I could possibly be happy about. I think the attitude might be slightly different if someone here had a family member on death row. Then many would be offering prayers and support instead of cheers.

 

[WillyJ]

My personal beliefs coincide with Joe's- I'm anti-death whether it's abortion, euthanasia, or state sponsored executions.

Having said that, I certainly understand the anger and emotion one feels towards an animal that would abduct, assault, and murder any innocent human being, especially a child. . . I feel it to. . .

The problem is, I've seen far too many cases where because of poor attorneys, overzealous prosecutors, politically posturing judges, and/or police mistakes or misconduct, someone is tried and convicted and sent to death row, only to be exonerated years later after a closer look into the case was conducted.

I'm not talking about any "if even 1 innocent person is executed it's all wrong" type of sentiment; I'm talking about estimates of between 30 and 40% of all death penalty convictions being flawed based on the small amount of those that have been reviewed by impartial 3rd-partys.

While I shed no tears when a Gacy or a Bundy get fried, I can't support a system that is so obviously messed up. Texas executes a retarded teenager; yet California won't even seek the death penalty against two vicious little monsters like the Menendez brothers because they have money and social standing? It wrong. And while no process would be perfect, I think every state should follow the lead of Illinois and suspend all executions until a more equitable and error-proof system is put into place.

I certainly understand the "eye-for-an-eye" feelings towards any murderer, but all too often the real murderer is still walking the streets while some poor slob sits on death row because he couldn't afford anything better then a public defender.

As far as the death penalty being a deterrent- it isn't. Obviously it does insure the person being put to death won't kill again (if they in fact were guilty of the first one), but a life term with no parole accomplishes the same thing at less cost. And the facts are the average annual murder rate among states that have the death penalty is 5.5% (per 100,000 population); while the annual rate is 3.6% among non-death penalty states. And countries like England and Canada, which have no death penalty, have lower murder rates then we do, while countries like Afghanistan and Uganda, which practice swift executions with little or no due process, have far higher murder rates then we do.

I think it'd be easier to make the case that having a death penalty increases the murder rate, but I'm sure there are many more factors involved. . .

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Originally posted by EROS
BLOODLUST AND VENGEANCE won't bring this poor child back

No, but it's the last child he'll murder

 

[Jeff in BigD]

Originally posted by we3luvdisney
Let's round up all our folks on death row and ship them overseas. There must be some government somewhere willing to take them. After all, so many of them are willing to preach to us about how we awful Americans still have the death penalty.
GREGORY KANE, August 12, 2001

Can't argue too much with that.

 

[EROS]

Very well-written, WILLY . Of course, the HEH club cares LESS about the possible execution of innocents. Fortunately, the Governor of Illinois, who is PRO capital-punishment, put a moratorium on executions there after several inmates on death row were EXONERATED because of DNA evidence.

 

[we3luvdisney]

Originally posted by EROS
SOCIETY can be protected by LIFE sentences without the possibility of parole. Most of the civilized world chooses such a course. It assures that these animals will not harm an innocent again. Of course, when the masses crave VENGEANCE they're not appeased by such security..........they "need" their piece of flesh ........

12/4/01 - Alabama
Triple killer serving life without parole kills another inmate; finally gets death sentence

A Holman Prison inmate found guilty in September of murdering a fellow inmate was sentenced to the electric chair in an Escambia County courtroom. Cuhuatemoc Hinricky Peraita, 25, of Rainbow City, Ala., who was serving life without parole for 3 murders in Gadsden, was found guilty of capital murder and of having committed a murder after being convicted of other murders within the past 20 years.



11/27/01 - Oklahoma
Man found guilty in 12-year-old murder of teen boy - also killed two children as a teenager

In Tulsa, jurors returned a guilty verdict Tuesday night against a man charged with killing and dismembering a teen-ager 12 years ago. Wayne Henry Garrison, 42, has maintained his innocence. His trial began earlier this month. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Jurors will consider Garrison's punishment in a separate hearing. Garrison was charged with 1st-degree murder in the death of Justin Wiles 13, of Tulsa. The boy disappeared June 20, 1989, after he was seen getting into Garrison's car at Garrison's body shop. Parts of Justin's body were found 4 days later at a lake in Wagoner County, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing. Investigators said Justin's head, attached to a rock with wire, was found in Lake Bixhoma. Garrison was charged and arrested in the case on Oct. 22, 1999 -- more than a decade after 1st being identified as a suspect. As a teen-ager, Garrison killed two children in Tulsa. Police earlier said the circumstances of those killings were similar to Justin's death.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I have to agree with EROS on this one. Taking a life for a life is not right. Now I will say it is not Christian, but I know that is not EROS idea. I think a far worse punishment for this poor excuse of a human is to let him rot in prison. Do you know what the other inmates do to child killers? A far worse fate for him than death.

The vengefull masses were the ones who killed Jesus too.

 

[we3luvdisney]

Originally posted by EROS
Glad to see that there is SOME humanity on the DIS. Oh yeah, people around here love to "talk the talk"...........you know.........."Pixie dust" and "family" and "prayers" and "what would Walt say?". However, I've learned that you have to look UNDER the facade. The HEH club not only endorses......but LOVES state-sponsored killing.

BLOODLUST is never becoming; it's pathological........

"Indeed, the decision that capital punishment may be the appropriate sanction in extreme cases is an expression of the community's belief that certain crimes are themselves so grievous an affront to humanity that the only adequate response may be the penalty of death."

-- Supreme Court of the United States

 

[Jeff in BigD]

dianeschlicht - If it could be 100% that a convict would never commit another crime, in prison or escaping, you might be able to convince a portion of the HEHC, but right now there's only one 100% way to make sure they never murder again.

 

[Penny12]

I'm not saying it's not right. I'm not saying it's not Just. I am not saying it's not totally deserved. But no matter how I view it, the words "Good News" to start a post about any person's death are not ones I would personally use.

 

[dianeschlicht]

In my eyes, it is still murder. Murdering a murderer does not make it right. In other words, two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[damo]

Eros,

I find it interesting that you oppose the death penalty but you can't wait to go and bomb the crap out of Iraq.

Aren't they basically the same thing, except in the bombing of Iraq you will actually be supporting the death of thousands of innocent people?

So, if the death penalty included killing all family and neighbours of the accused then would you be okay with it?

 

[we3luvdisney]

Originally posted by EROS
Very well-written, WILLY. Of course, the HEH club cares LESS about the possible execution of innocents. Fortunately, the Governor of Illinois, who is PRO capital-punishment, put a moratorium on executions there after several inmates on death row were EXONERATED because of DNA evidence.

I have not been able to find any evidence that the death penalty (in the U.S.) has ever executed even one (1) innocent person in the past century. One needs to remember that ~13,000 American citizens are murdered each year by released and paroled criminals.

 

[ILUVDXL]

As always, I'm late getting into the mix and usually I stay out of these types of conversation, but as stupid as this may sound I have a question.

The jury goes into diliberation for 2 weeks and reports to the Judge they are hung. Obviously one or more persons were having trouble with this penalty phase. They are ordered to go back to deliberate and quickly come back with an order of death. So they can go home? And after all this the Judge can then throw out the jury verdict and make his own sentence, death or life in prison. Am I stupid in thinking there's something wrong here?

 

[we3luvdisney]

 

[EROS]

Originally posted by Disneymad
But no matter how I view it, the words "Good News" to start a post about any person's death are not ones I would personally use.

I couldn't agree more............

 

[Big Dude]

Originally posted by WillyJ
As far as the death penalty being a deterrent- it isn't. Obviously it does insure the person being put to death won't kill again (if they in fact were guilty of the first one), but a life term with no parole accomplishes the same thing at less cost. And the facts are the average annual murder rate among states that have the death penalty is yada, yada, yada...(note, yada,yada, yada's added by Big Dude)

Here are a couple of FACTS to back up the "UN"-truths to the above quote!

On Sunday, October 12 at 5:50 p.m. Correctional Officer Richard J. Burke is escorting Death Row inmates from their cells to the shower. Officer Burke is suddenly attacked by inmate Thomas Knight, who uses a serving spoon handle sharpened on one end to stab the officer numerous times in front of both inmates and two other officers. Sgt. H.J. Owens orders Knight to back away from Officer Burke; Knight does so.

Knight drops the weapon in a trash box. The handle end of the weapon is wrapped in what appears to be strips of sheet. Officer Burke sustains several stab wounds, the most serious being in the chest and middle of the back. He is pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. by Dr. Dionisio Britton at Florida State Prison. The prison chaplain drives to his home in nearby Orange Park to notify his family. It is subsequently learned that inmate Knight was upset because his visitation was cancelled when he refused to shave prior to the visit. He allegedly stated that he would "just have to start sticking people." Today Thomas Knight remains on Death Row at Union C.I.

<IMG SRC=http://www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/timeline/images/1962/burke_richard_j.jpg>
Correction Officer Richard J. Burke

<IMG SRC=http://www.dc.state.fl.us/InmatePhotos/0/017434.jpg>
Inmate Thomas Knight

Current Prison Sentence History:

07/17/1974 1ST DG MUR/PREMED. OR ATT. 04/21/1975 MIAMI-DADE 7405978 DEATH SENTENCE
07/17/1974 1ST DG MUR/PREMED. OR ATT. 04/21/1975 MIAMI-DADE 7405978 DEATH SENTENCE
10/12/1980 1ST DG MUR/PREMED. OR ATT. 01/20/1983 BRADFORD 8000341 DEATH SENTENCE

THOMPSON, WILLIAM EUGENE, DOB 7-26-51, was sentenced to death March 18, 1998 in Graves County. William Thompson entered a plea of guilty on January 12, 1995, to the following charges: Capital Murder, Robbery in the First Degree, and Escape in the First Degree, which occurred on May 9, 1986. William Thompson, of Pike County, Kentucky was sentenced to life for the 1986 murder of Correctional Officer Fred Cash at the Western Kentucky Farm Center in Graves County on March 18, 1998. Thompson was currently serving a life sentence at the Western Kentucky Farm Center for the offense of willful murder for hire in Pike County. While working with an inmate crew at the dairy, Thompson struck Correctional Officer Fred Cash repeatedly in the head with a hammer, dragged the body into a barn stall, and fled in the prison farm van. Police arrested Thompson in a bus station on his way to Indiana. Thompson was convicted and sentenced to death in October 1986 in Lyon County, but seven years later the state Supreme Court threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial. Thompson also won a change of venue from Lyon County to Graves County.

<IMG SRC=http://www.cor.state.ky.us/images/Photos/DeathRow/TW19359_LowRes.jpg>
Inmate WILLIAM EUGENE THOMPSON

So much for that theory

Adam aka Big Dude

 

[EROS]

Originally posted by damo
Eros, I find it interesting that you oppose the death penalty but you can't wait to go and bomb the crap out of Iraq.

DAMO, I never said that I was a pacifist . I think that history conclusively shows that attempts to "appease" tyrants only lead to inevitable destruction of innocent lives. I'm not anxious to attack Iraq; you're right, an invasion will cost the lives of brave Americans and innocent Iraqis. Let's hope that Saddam is really serious about renewed inspections; I'm holding my breath with the rest of the world. I'd MUCH PREFER to give Peace a chance .............