DC Mansion Murders

[wisconsinguy]

I am a little surprised that we haven't heard from members regarding the DC mansion murders. Perhaps it is because it is so gruesome and hard to hear. I had difficulty hearing the tidbits this last week as they were released. A business man, his wife, their 10 year old, and one of their housekeepers. She was getting ready to retire and return to I believe Ecuador. It is believed that there was one than one perp in the crime. They ordered a pizza while they committed the crimes, and the pizza place was told to leave it on the front stoop. It is assumed they were in the house for upwards to two days. The house was then torched. The 10 year son is believed to have been burned alive. All 4 victims had been tortured. A piece of pizza crust was found, and DNA was matched to an individual with a very long record, including violent crime. That person was caught in a vehicle a couple of days later, with a car in front of him with 2 or 3 individuals of interest. The couple also have two daughters that were away at college. The main suspect had been a employee at one of the husbands plants.

 

It is not my intention to replicate the horrendous, and nearly unspeakable crime. We have discussed the death penalty. My youngest son and I discuss this also a lot. I am pro, he is con. When the Boston Bomber received the death sentence, I thought I would feel more of the "Justice has been served." However, over the deliberation of the death sentence, the father of his little boy who was killed, and his little girl who lost a leg. He spoke about a decision he made to spend time with his dying son, and trying to save his daughter who was bleeding out. He spoke at different time during the deliberation. Repeatedly he asked for a life sentence. Stating death was too easy. He needed to be put in a max prison, in the most far corner of the facility, never get out of his cell, never have visitors. You get the picture. In this situation, I would agree with a fellow dad.

 

Regarding the DC murders. To be honestly blunt, they should be fried.

[rvwnsd]

...Regarding the DC murders. To be honestly blunt, they should be fried.

 

I disagree with you and agree with the father in the Boston Marathon bombing case. Lock 'em up for life. No parole, no release. The death sentence lets them off too easily.

[+ purplekow]

While life in prison is a horrible thought, there will be moments of joy. There will be moments of contentment. There may be pleasant dreams and years of masturbatory release. In cases where there is even a miniscule chance that the verdict is incorrect, I do not support the death penalty. In cases where there is an admission of guilt, I have not difficulty with society deciding that it will not pay for this person to live any longer.

[bostonman]

I was a few blocks away from the Boston Marathon bombings when they happened. That was a horrible, surreal and tragic week here in the city. And even so, I have to say that had I been on that jury, it would have been a wrenching decision to make. I'm not against the death penalty, but yes, I do agree that it seems that life in prison without parole can be a harsher sentence. It's still a death sentence in the sense that he will die in prison, whether by natural causes, being murdered by an inmate, or perhaps taking his own life. On the other hand, being put to death does, I suppose, take away a very personal right to live until your body decides to go on its own. In that sense, a death sentence is more demeaning. But what I wonder is if most people realize that the appeals process means that it will be a long time before a death sentence is ever carried out - it's not like it's going to happen the next day. So, the case lingers on for years and years (which is one of the big reasons I believe the family of the young bombing victim were asking for the death penalty to be taken off the table - the appeals process pretty much guarantees that the case will not really be closed for many years, and that the families will still have to hear about it).

 

However, the question also occurs to me - if the death sentence is an option, where do we draw the line? If the bomber had not been sentenced to death, who exactly do we reserve the death sentence for? So in an impossible decision, I'm ultimately at peace with the verdict, because I think the crimes were severe enough to warrant it. I don't know how one "rates" any number of crimes in proportion to this, but somehow I feel this time it makes sense.

 

That said, the DC situation is indeed horrid - but right now I can only think of the family and friends of the victims as they deal with what must be unbearable sorrow and anger and revulsion. I can't give the suspects any time of day at all.