Here's why I favor a death sentence

squatting dog

squatting dog

Remember when... thirty seemed so old.
Location
Arkansas, and also Florida
In 1994, Kyle Hedquist executed 19-year-old Nikki Thrasher. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Now, most people think that's a more humane punishment because it keeps the evil ones locked away forever. Eh... guess again.
That did not stop the former Governor of Oregon, from granting Hedquist clemency in 2022.

Of course, that's not bad enough... he was then appointed to the police review board. o_O Does anyone see a problem here?
Here's a man who walked a 19 year old up a back road and told her he was going to kill her. To me, that would rate the death penalty.
Am I wrong?
 

In a perfect world people wouldn't kill other people. But is killing the murderer any better than him killing her to begin with? We're doing the same thing he is just legally. And it's not stopping anyone from killing. The murderers don't care if they're on death row.

The only thing they want is to kill.

Putting them to death will not stop future murders anymore than putting them in prison for life will. They kill each other in there too. It's a vicious cycle and no matter what we do, they are gonna kill.
 
I don't believe in the death penalty for a couple of reasons:
~I think it lets them off easy (although it could take years to put the person to death). A lifetime of jailhouse punishment by other inmates would be hellish and a worse thing to have to face IMO.

~There have been a few people over the years who've been exonerated and released because newly found DNA evidence proved they did not commit the murders they were accused of. What if they had been executed? I just read about a man's family who received a massive payout (millions) because their loved one was wrongly accused, spent 28 years in prison and was not guilty of the crime. Unfortunately, he died a couple of years after he was released and did not get to enjoy any of the money, which was awarded after his death.

I would sincerely hope that the series of events that took place after Kyle Headquist's release were very unusual and rare occurrences. Seems like he may have had connections.
 

For Son of Sam it's great they didn't kill him, but nowadays they care more about the criminal than the (potential) victims. I'm not pro death penalty, but if it's too extreme what they did and they don't even repent and are still a danger I don't really care if they kill them. Now and then I feel sorry and pray for someone on death row. But for instance that guy from these girls, Amanda Berry etc., he didn't get the death penalty, but he killed himself in prison. Sorry but I couldn't care less. That's too far gone for me to get fuzzy feelings like awww poor thing.
 
@OneEyedDiva
I just read about a man's family who received a massive payout (millions) because their loved one was wrongly accused, spent 28 years in prison and was not guilty of the crime.

That right there would have been even more inhumane. And I agree that wouldn't have been right or fair.
 
I have always been in favor of the death penalty. I don't believe a murderer can be rehabilitated. And even if he or she can be, I don't care. They don't deserve the chance. During the 15 years I lived in New York City, there were so many murders, rapes, & murder and rapes. I believe all rapists deserve the death penalty.

There is something awfully wrong with the idea that a good peace-loving, non violent person can be killed, and the piece of human garbage that killed them, is still alive decades later. They should die the same year as their victim.

When I voted for Governor of New York when I lived in the city, I always crossed party lines and voted for the candidate in the other party, since they were pro-death penalty. Now that I live in upstate New York, where there are less murders, I don't vote that way anymore.

Prisons are over crowded? Simple way to solve that problem.
 
Paladin1950 said:
I believe all rapists deserve the death penalty.
Click to expand...
A girl in church was raped by her dad. She never went to the police and forgave him. That was ages ago. She has her sweet dad on a pic on her Facebook page now and loves him dearly. He got demons kicked out of him. That's why I'm against. These demons may rot in hell for all I care (the literal ones), but if the person repents... Jesus already got the death penalty for em.
 
I haven't read the background on the case in the OP, but I understand the point being made and the negative sentiment.

State constitutions dictate the level of authority a governor has in granting clemency. Although broad changes in the laws of every state aren't likely, some states already have roadblocks to governors taking such actions.

In the states of Arizona, Florida, and Texas, approval from a clemency board is required before a governor is allowed to grant clemency, and in California, the governor must have approval from the California Supreme Court.

Also, a governor has no authority to grant clemency if the murder conviction was federal. Only the President of the United States has the power to pardon federal offenses.

Most homicides fall under state laws, but it depends on the jurisdiction of the court. They become federal cases under certain conditions like crossing state lines, bank robberies, drug trafficking, among others.
 
Here’s my take and always has been:

We need to go back to these scriptures in the Old Testament, when there is ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT the person is guilty:

”the Old Testament in
Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, and Deuteronomy 19:21, establishing principles of proportionate justice, “

Never mind the taxpayer money that would be saved for a lifetime of feeding the rotten pieces of tripe.

Maybe people would think twice about what they are thinking of committing if they knew without question, they would get their family jewels and fingers chopped off……
 
squatting dog said:
In 1994, Kyle Hedquist executed 19-year-old Nikki Thrasher. He received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Now, most people think that's a more humane punishment because it keeps the evil ones locked away forever. Eh... guess again.
Click to expand...

I think that's a fallacy, a quick execution is more "humane" than life without parole. The problem with quick executions is that those wrongfully convicted are denied the opportunity to bring the truth to light. Maybe some people are content to put innocent people to death, so to avoid the possibility the the guilty don't escape justice.
 
@Nathan , I commented directly above you that when there is absolutely no doubt I’m for the death sentence.

Our governor recently refused to commute a sentence for a guy who asked not to have the death sentence imposed upon him. That is because the guy, admittedly raped and murdered a young girl back in the 1980s or 90s, I forget. But at any rate, he admitted he did the crime, yet he’s been sitting in prison all these years while we pay for his upkeep. Then he had the gall to ask to have his death sentence commuted.

Sometimes the current governor really tisses me off, but I feel like he did the right thing by not commuting this guy’s death sentence and he is now no longer on this earth.
 
In the middle east they definitely don't keep anyone in prison for life..or on death row for 30 years .... they believe in an eye for an eye.......

.... and I agree. if it's proven beyond any doubt that someone kills someone else in cold blood...not in self defence.... than that person should pay with their life.. just as a rabid dog would if it attacked a human.

paying for trash to live for sometimes up to 60 years... fed, clothed, housed, ... out of the tax payers money...is beyond a joke. while the families of the dead, live in grief.... .. that money could go at the very least towards housing hard working, clean living, non criminal people who are living on the streets
 
There is no doubt society needs to be protected from such individuals, thus the imprisonment.
As for the death penalty, I think it would be vitally important to ascertain that they alone are solely to blame for who or what they have become.
 
I'm in favor of the death penalty in principle. Some crimes are so heinous that no matter what the perpetrator does to change his or her ways, nothing can justify allowing them to remain on the earth. This may be one of those cases.

The problem is, people can be wrongfully convicted. People are put in prison all the time for crimes they didn't commit -- often because somebody lies about what they did or where they were. Or maybe a governor doesn't want to look weak on crime, so he or she allows an execution to go forward simply because stopping it might hurt them politically, even though evidence had been uncovered that puts in question the perpetrator's guilt. For those reasons, I'm against the death penalty.
 
CallMeKate said:
Just to throw something in here, it's actually more expensive to execute than to house a lifer.

Costs | Death Penalty Information Center
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Not if they come and ask me. I'll even bring my own ammo. That article states 6 reasons why it's more expensive.

I call bs on number 1 because the criminal almost always has state appointed lawyers. (so scratch 1)
Number 2... " Capital cases are far more complicated than non-capital cases". Hmmm pretty sure a non capital offence doesn't have a death penalty. (apples and oranges, scratch #2)
number 3... I'll give them that one. Jury selection is a givin. Of course, having served on many jury's, seems like the lawyers are always asking how you stand on whatever issue is being tried. ( a long drawn out process)

number 4... "Death-penalty trials can last more than four times longer than non-capital trials". Here we go again. Non capital crimes don't have the death penalty option. (apple to oranges again)
number 5... "Most death rows involve solitary confinement in a special facility." Well ,if we had swift justice, they wouldn't be spending decades on the tax payer dime.
Number 6... Appeals... Just limit the number of appeals and set a reasonable time limit for them.
 
@Nathan - I'm sure you'll agree there's no such thing as a quick execution. Not in the US, anyway.

Federal prisoners waiting for execution live on Death Row for an average of about 19 years. The minimum is 10, if I remember right.

During that time, appeals are submitted until all applicable appeals are exhausted. And if the prisoner or their family can afford a private investigator, or a case detective or the defense attorney has a legitimate reason to believe mistakes were made, something was missed, or strongly suspects that someone else did the crime, they've got at least those 10 years to investigate further, and if solid, admissible evidence is found, the prisoner is eligible for a stay of execution until the evidence is found to be either useless or significant....by a criminal court judge, I think.


In my opinion, the death sentence should be mandatory for serial killers and habitual child predators, because these are people who will re-offend, even inside prison if an opportunity presents itself.

I would love to see massive reform in the prison system, county, state, and federal. There is zero justification for calling our prisons rehabilitative. They aren't that in any way whatsoever, so let's call it what it is; punishment for your crimes, period.

With maybe 3 exceptions in the whole country, inside our prisons you've got gangs, a hierarchy, plenty of drugs, alcohol, and weapons, and there's an absolutely brutal Prison Justice system...and I'm still talking about inside. And prison guards and staff are aware of all that, and they just let it be unless it gets so out of hand it could get public attention.

I want to see more discipline and less TV. I want criminals to know they're in prison because they owe a debt to society and it's time to pay up, and I want to see them literally work it off for 8hrs a day, preferably in ways that benefit society. I like prisons with work programs, where inmates build wood pallets, dig underground pipelines and holes for bridge pylons, and clean up garbage along highways and rivers, and ones where inmates assist in on-site dog and cat shelters (we need a lot more of those), pet-training classes, and veterinary and grooming services.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Another sad statistic .... For inmates executed in recent years, the average time from sentencing to execution is approximately 20–24 years. I agree, 10 years should be the maximum time limit for those who's crime has been undenialable. (video evidence of a murder for example)
 
squatting dog said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Another sad statistic .... For inmates executed in recent years, the average time from sentencing to execution is approximately 20–24 years. I agree, 10 years should be the maximum time limit for those who's crime has been undenialable. (video evidence of a murder for example)
Click to expand...
But what about people like that guy that spent 28 yrs in prison for a crime he didn't commit. An innocent has to die because of a law like that? How is that right?
 
I do not see that anything is accomplished by killing someone who has been judged guilty of murder, other than satisfying the desire for
"vengeance."

Reason #1: Many of the people on death row, awaiting execution, have been found to actually be innocent. Later evidence exonerated them. This was particularly true if they were black and in the South. But it happens all over. Judges and juries can be wrong.

Reason #2: If it's wrong to kill, then it's wrong, period. No matter who is doing the killing. Of course, there are exceptions, such as war, self-defense, protecting an innocent person, etc. But killing someone as an act of vengeance is an uncivilized response.

Reason #3: Life in a maximum security prison without any chance of parole sound a lot worse than death to me, anyway.

And I'm sure there are more reasons than that. Our anger should not propel us to behave worse than the criminals.
 
I only favor the DP for child molesters, because they never seem to get cured! for all others I believe life without the chance of parole is real punishment!
 
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