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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Death Penalty: Justice?


 by Just_Lin

In the news recently was a story regarding the death penalty being given to a man who had committed a horrible crime in Connecticut.  He did not commit this crime alone but had a partner who has yet to go on trial.

In some cases I do not oppose the death penalty but, to be honest, I guess I am a snob to some extent as I do not trust the verdict of the death penalty in the hands of some jurors in some particular states.  That is not the case in this particular circumstance in Connecticut.

To briefly give an overview of the crime: Two men entered the home of a doctor and his family and brutally and mercilessly beat the doctor into unconsciousness.  One of the men then drove the doctor's wife to the bank to withdraw $15,000 while the other man held her husband and two daughters, ages 11 and 17, hostage at the house.  While in the bank, the woman passed a note to the teller explaining that her family was being held hostage.  After the woman left, the teller alerted the police.  When the woman was driven back to her home, she was raped and murdered by the man who had taken her to the bank.  The other man had raped her 11 year old daughter.  I'm not sure of the exact sequence of events, but at some point, the father managed to crawl out of the house and crawl to a neighbor's home to seek help.  He had been beaten so badly that the neighbor didn't even recognize him.  At about this time, the police were positioning themselves outside the family home.  Still inside the house, the two men then tied the young girls to their beds, doused them with gasoline and lit them and the house on fire.  The men were apprehended by the police as they fled the home.

I can't even imagine how the doctor can bear the loss of his wife and daughters in this manner at the hands of these men.  I think it is his full focus now to testify against them and have them receive the death penalty.  One down and one to go.  The one who has already received the death penalty is the one that drove the wife to the bank then raped and murdered her.

There is no doubt who committed this horrendous crime.  Their guilt is beyond question.  They exemplify evil, in my book, and deserve to be put to death.  Frankly, I find their crime to be so cruel and horrendous that I would have no problem with pulling the switch myself.  No problem at all.  I can't say that it is true justice.  These men will not feel the terror the the doctor's family felt.  They will not feel the flames licking at their flesh and burning them the way those young girls did.

How do you feel about the death penalty?

60 comments:

DeeDee said...

BAM!!

Tina~in_ut said...

Good Moaning~

Tina~in_ut said...

J/L~ I don't believe in the death penalty. To me, a life is a life from conception until natural death. What they did was horrendous no doubt! I have to say, when i read this line: They will not feel the flames licking at their flesh and burning them the way those young girls did.....I was shaking my head.....they will.....until the end of time~

DeeDee said...

I have watched this story closely...

The details of the young offender are chilling. He said in an interview that he used to break into homes just to listen to people breath as they slept. He explained that he always knew that there was something sinister stirring about in him....

he came from a great background with all the advantages of money...education...

The older guy on the right is just a thug...a career criminal whose defense is going to be to blame it on the other one...saying he was just following a leader....

There have been people sentenced to death and killed...only later yo be found innocent.

I can't go along with it at this point if there is a shadow of a doubt regarding guilt.. Of course I have never been in the position that Dr. William Petit is in...and there is no shadow of doubt here..

One of the jurors said this..."I don't think anyone of us felt we were in a position to judge the taking of another person's life," Gram said.
But then they considered that laws of the United States gave them that power.

Steven Hayes sexually assaulted and strangled Ms. Hawke-Petit. Michaela, 11 years old, and her sister Hayley, 17, were tied to their beds and doused in gasoline before the men set the house on fire, according to testimony. The girls died of smoke inhalation.

Hayes was also found guilty of strangling and raping the doctor's wife, along with her 11-year-old daughter, Michaela.

My first reaction is that Hayes should be raped...doused in gasoline and burned alive.....

but that would put me on his level...

But in this situation...where there is no doubt....

S M O K E - E M !!

DeeDee said...

Tina...with all due respect for your faith...from a religious viewpoint these two men can accept Christ...repent...and be freed from their sins and go to heaven..

I don't share a religious perspective....but the way I was taught there is but one unforgivable sin...to deny Christ...and if you deny Christ you wouldn't be repenting anything anyway...

But then...Heaven might be a good place for them....the only others that will be there are a handful of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Christ....and that would be some serious punishment....lol

night.owls.sb said...

Good Morning Tina and Dee..

and btw Dee Happy Birthday, I have been MIA.. Hope you had a good one..

night.owls.sb said...

Where do I begin..

I am sicken by this whole ordeal, I too have been following this.. The acts of terror that these men forced upon this family is horrific.. They are awful humans who need to be put to death as they did to Mrs. Petit (sp) and her daughters. I am so for the death penalty in this case that I would gladly inject them both and watch them leave this earth.. They are the type of persons that would do this all again if they had the opportunity.

My heart is hurt for Dr Petit (sp) I don't know how he stood in that courtroom without collapsing, he is so brave.. I can only hope he can find some kind of peace in his life. What a burden to carry.. It must be a daily thought.

I read in this case about the police that were outside of the house but did not move in yet because of protocol. This also upsets me, as I think of the police outside the house waiting for orders to do their thing. I wonder how some of them must feel knowing they were outside and if they could have gotten in the house, they might have saved someone..

It is truly a nightmare.. one that is not forgotten..

night.owls.sb said...

J/L..

Great blog.. Very well written..

night.owls.sb said...

I have a cold so my head is pounding, and my nose is running, and of course I am sneezing.. Feel like crap..

But

Had to go to work, so here I am.. I am off need to start my day..

Hope all has a great day!

bonachichi said...

Oh, this is a real thinker-blog! I read a book sometime back; John Grisham's "The Confession". It dealt with the death penalty and a high school boy who was convicted and executed based on police harassment, false testimony and lawyers who didn't care about anything but winning. The machine that put the young man to death was not held accountable. They got away with murder whilst the man who committed no crime was executed. Fiction, I know. But it does happen.

That being said, I have no patience for criminals. Remove them from society. They've no right to humane treatment if they themselves failed to grant it. As far as religious beliefs... well isn't there something in the Bible about an eye for an eye? Regardless, religion is not supposed to interfere with due process. That is stated pretty explicitly in the Separation of Church and State.

The death penalty will be debated as long as we have crooked law enforcement, elected judges, trial lawyers and religious zealots (not you, Tina; you're religious and you're a zealot, but not a religious zealot). In other words, get used to it.

Oh. And if anyone wants to read that Grisham book, I believe it's in bookstores now.

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

Afternoon DeeDee (wow you beat Tina by 11 minutes!!), Tina, Carol and Bonachi!

Feel better Carol!!

whabbear said...

If the death penalty had been shown to be a deterrent to others committing these awful crimes, I would support it. However, I don't think there's any evidence of any deterrence value.

So, that leaves me with the old conundrum: How do you show people that killing people is wrong by killing them?

In other words, I think the State should and must set a higher example to its citizens. Lock them away and throw away the key.

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

The following is strictly MY opinion.

I do not believe in the death penalty. I don't believe ANYONE has the right to kill someone else. That of course opens a whole can of worms about military personel and people living in war zones. Then I have people ask me "what if it were your family members who died?" Well I guess I would have to deal with that when the time came.

What these 2 "people" (for lack of a better word) did is just unthinkable. Lock them away in isolation for the rest of their lives. No outdoors, no visiters, no books, magazines, TV, computer...nothing. Just them in a 4x6 cell by themselves, 1 meal a day for the rest of their lives. But this won't happen because in jail the prisoners, according to the law have rights and can't be treated that way. Well if you commit that kind of crime you no longer have rights.

I can't even begin to imagine how that husband/father must feel. I'm not sure I would be able to feel anything again, I would just be numb. Just Lin I'm not sure if I have been living under a rock or what, but this is the first time I've heard about this. Thanks for blogging about it.

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

The delete was mine. I wasn't comfortable with something I said.

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

Afternoon Whabbear! I agree, throw the key away.

Tina~in_ut said...

I'd like to see them in either a dungeon in Minnesota or a tent in Southern Arizona~ :D

DeeDee said...

Does anyone think its strange that Prince William and Kate are using the ring that Prince Charles bought for Diana's engagement ring....for their engagement ring?

Just asking...its a fabulous sapphire but it just seems that given the outcome of Charles and Diana's marriage that they might want a different ring...something not associated with so much sadness...

Opinions??

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

Minnesota has dungeons? How do you know this Tina?

Tina~in_ut said...

Maybe Willy is looking at the beginning of his parents marriage....how happy they were at the start....it's the wedding ring that I wouldn't want on my hand!! And it's a piece of his mother who he adored~ kwim?~

Tina~in_ut said...

Shirley.....i was trying to think of somewhere that was always cold and for a big part of the year~ :D

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

DeeDee I like the idea. The ring means a lot to him and should show her just how much he loves her. I've thought about in terms of who previously wore the ring, not about the marriage.

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

Tina how about Antartica? I Googled it and the record cold temp is -139F. That should freeze their balls and everything else off!

Just_Lin said...

Thank you all for your comments on today's blog. I have a difficult time not wanting to exact the most extreme punishment to those two individuals. Evil does walk among us and that is what it looks like.

Just_Lin said...

Tina I am currently on a spiritual path (totally new to me) and you are absolutely right in that they will receive their true punishment after this lifetime is over.

Just_Lin said...

We are compelled as decent human beings to not torture these men and to house them in a relatively humane manner if we are to keep them in prison. So all the fantasies about dungeons are for naught. Anyway, which would be more cruel, lethal injection or forcing them to live in a dark, cold dungeon, for years and years?

DeeDee said...

Minnesota is famous for its dungeons! Its called the "land of 10,000 dungeons"....

wait...thats 10,000 lakes...

I guess you all are right about the ring....I just got a sinking feeling when I saw it again...

If the murderers become Christians and repent....how can they get punished....

Not by the Christians God they won't....

and Tina...you simply must regale everyone with that basketball story!! Priceless!!

Just_Lin said...

DeeDee I think it's nice that William gave that ring to Kate (as long as she likes it). Maybe Diana gave it to William directly or bequeathed it to him with the expressed hope that he would give it to the woman he wanted to marry. It has historic and sentimental value for sure.

sacBarb said...

Happy Hump Day Owls.

Dee, Congrats on beating out Tina for prettiest today.

Just_Lin said...

DeeDee I'm new to this stuff but I think the key is if those men truly (really truly) repent, humble themselves before God, and ask Jesus to come into their hearts. That's the gist of it, anyway.

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". It's that simple. "Whosoever" includes everyone.

Okay, didn't mean to turn this into a Bible study.

goldie said...

Hello Hooters!

Fantastic blog J/L and I must say that I agree with DeeDee (did I just say that?lol) SMOKE EM.

I feel no remorse and no desire to have the public PAY to keep him someone in jail for a lifetime. Use the money to feed the homeless and less fortunate.

That said, I believe that there as to be irrefutable proof that someone is guilty before we sentence them to death. jmho

Just_Lin said...

Barb How are you doing today? Can you turn your head in both directions yet?

Just_Lin said...

Goldie They were caught red-handed, so to speak. No doubt at all about their guilt.

Tina~in_ut said...

DeeDee~ i hat you~

sacBarb said...

J/L, This is a very controversial and thought provoking topic.

Part of my 16 years with the Governor's Office was spent on a task force to determine why, after a criminal was found guilty of a capital crime and sentenced to death, it took 10 years or more to actually carry out the penalty. We were also charged with finding a way to expedite the process. In some cases it was as long as 20 years. Unfortunately, the Director of our Office left before we finished our task and the new Director disbanded the group. This was a particularly difficult assignment for me as I do not believe in the death penalty so I was happy to return to my regular assignment.

I think people who commit these kinds of crimes are troubled, unhappy people and the best way to punish them, imo, is to keep them locked away, and treat them like they treated others, like what Shirley said. They should have no rights, and definitely no benefits and be stuck with only themselves for company for the rest of their lives.

sacBarb said...

J/L, Yesterday I was doing really well and I thought I was 'cured' but today I am all stiff again. I have sent an email to my doc asking for a referral to physical therapy. I am now self diagnosing and that is my RX since the drugs the doc gave me aren't doing squat. :)

sacBarb said...

Tina, why are you giving Dee a hat?

DeeDee said...

Barb...Tina is on a tear....she meant to say "I hate you"...

I KNOW....she is so mean to me....but my question is...who did she kick around before she got me??

I'd report her but she has threatened to kill me....

DeeDee said...

why does that always happen??

whenever someone agrees with me they always preface by saying "I can't believe I am going to say this"....or afterwards they say "did I just say that?"....

Why is that? I am an authority on everything!! And I have always said that everyone is entitled to my opinion....

I feel like I am combing my ass and scratching my hair...

and I'm not paranoid....well that enough about me...what do you think about me.....

East Bay J said...

Good afternoon!

Such a controversial subject! I am torn...

On one hand I believe they should have their lives taken, as they did to the victims.

On the other, what could be worse punishment than spending life in a cage?

I read one time that it costs more to put a prisoner to death than it does to keep them in prison.

I don't quite understand how that could be, possibly because here in Calif. it takes many, many years to put someone to death.

There are appeals after appeals, and a huge waiting list that grows every year.

Thanx for the comments on the video yesterday. I have a cousin who is going to try and make that cake/pie. I might try it some time, only if I'm having a party, tho!

Have a nice afternoon!

Zona said...

Good Afternoon!

J/LIN: I have wrestled with the death penalty issue for as long as I can remember. I'm against it until I hear of a monstrous crime like this one..and then I'm for it all the way. If there was an option..as SHIRLEY stated..of putting these men in a dark, soundproof room with nothing but their conscience to keep them company for the rest of their lives..then I'd be all for that. Unfortunately, that option doesn't exist. I'm against the taking of life..but I feel such compassion for the families of the victims and their need for justice. I also think about the mistakes that could be made..an innocent man could be wrongfully convicted and put to death. But then again, if someone is sentenced to life in prison..there is always the chance that they could get out on a technicality. I just get more and more confused. I wish I could be as clear cut in my opinion as others..but it just doesn't seem like I can. Great blog today J/LIN..thank you!

Mary/MI said...

I have read everyone's comments and am still not sure what my feelings are. I guess the best I can do is to personalize it. My family, my broken heart, my conscious.
I think I would ask to pull the lever! I would think no more of it as I do when I swat a fly!
I am only talking about this particular case.
Funny how a crime like this can question what you thought your feelings were on capital punishment.

Zona said...

ATTN KMART SHOPPERS..

I just got a call from MO..she was in a car accident this afternoon. Her car was t-boned when another driver ran a red light. She said she is shook up and her thumb is hurting pretty badly. Her car is going to be towed to the shop to see if it can be repaired. A friend is going to give her a ride to her cousins' place tonight.

Big {{{HUGS}}} MO!! Get some rest and TLC tonight!!

Zona said...

MO: I pressed publish too fast..I forgot.. ♥♥♥ :)

Mary/MI said...

Oh Mo!! I am so glad you are ok!!!!
Crazy people out there!

Shirley(NCC-1701) said...

RED MEANS STOP!!!! How hard is that to do? Damn!!! Mo I hope you sue their sorry ass!!! Take care. I hope you're OK. Get that hand checked out! ((((HUGS))))

bonachichi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Just_Lin said...

Mo. OMG! I'm so glad you are okay. Yes, get that thumb checked out. Your whole body will probably be sore tomorrow from that sudden jolt. Gentle hugs to you tonight.

Just_Lin said...

Bonach. Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it. No pun intended, DeeDee. LOL

Just_Lin said...

Mary. There is no doubt of these men's guilt and there never will be and this crime went on for quite a while. Each step was deliberate. They could have changed course. They could have let them live. They chose not to. As one of the jurors said, there is no redeeming quality to either of these men. Yep, I could pull the lever in this case, too.

Tina~in_ut said...

DeeDee~ Of course they could repent and go to Heaven.....that's the beauty of it....but they would truly have to repent....I would want to have that same chance, wouldn't you?

Shirley~ I didn't pick Antartica cuz it's not in the U.S. I thought I had to at least keep American prisoners in America.....or I would have just sent them north to the frozen tundra of Canada......with a tent~ :)~

Tina~in_ut said...

Mo~ you did this on purpose, didn't you? I hope you feel better soon~

Just_Lin said...

Tina. They still have time to repent.

bonachichi said...

I've just run that program... it's not free. Most of you should have NoAdware that I sent on flash drives about a year ago. That will also remove VistaGuard and it's already paid for.

I should have run it before posting and I'm sorry for that. Even if you do pay for the StopZilla app, it'll still be cheaper than taking it to Best Buy.

Mo, I hope you're okay. Probably sore tomorrow.

night.owls.sb said...

Great comments today, interesting reading others point of view.. And I can totally see the other point.

Mo.. Oh no.. hope you are doing ok.. sending positive thoughts and bacon your way ♥♥

Just_Lin said...

I got a flu shot today and now my arm is sore.

Mary/MI said...

JustLin, I got my boobs smooshed today and they are tender, I'll trade yah!
Heading to bed, Have a thrilling thong Thursday!!!

Just_Lin said...

Mary After Thanksgiving, I need to schedule a PAP smear. I'd rather have the boob smash. Sweet dreams.

Jodi said...

MO - I'm glad you're ok....sending big love from WESconsin ♥

Jodi said...

ZONA - I love your pic....t minus 20 1/2 hours ♥