Judge sentences Florida girl's killer to death

By MITCH STACY
Associated Press

INVERNESS, Fla. — A convicted sex offender was sentenced today to death for kidnapping 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, raping her and then burying her alive in his yard.

John Evander Couey looked straight ahead as Circuit Judge Ric Howard told him he should be executed for the 2005 crimes that led to new laws in many states cracking down on convicted sex offenders.

Couey's attorney had argued that he couldn't legally be executed because he is mentally retarded, but Howard brushed aside that claim in a strongly worded ruling earlier this month.

The girl's father, Mark Lunsford, teared up as he listened to the judge read a detailed history of the case for nearly an hour. He hugged relatives after the sentence was read.

The jury that convicted Couey in March recommended 10-2 that he die for his crimes, but the decision was left to Howard.

The jury convicted Couey of taking the girl in February 2005 from her bedroom to his nearby trailer, sparking a massive search. The third-grader's body was found about three weeks after she disappeared in a grave in Couey's yard, about 150 yards from her own home.

I don't agree with the death penalty but I am glad to hear that her parents can now have some "closure" of sorts. Such an awful thing they have had to endure! :(

He should be buried alive. I hope it hurts like hell when he fries.

I don't agree with the death penalty either, but if any case could sway me, it would be this one.

I'm all for the death penalty.. He'll get his.. and I hope he doesn't have the opportunity to sit on death row being a drain on society for 10 years either!

He deserves everything he gets X 100. What he did to that little girl is unforgivable. I hope he prays before they fry his ass. Hes going to need the Lord.

I don't agree with the death penalty but I am glad to hear that her parents can now have some "closure" of sorts. Such an awful thing they have had to endure! :(

x2


:sadeyes

He should be buried alive. I hope it hurts like hell when he fries.

I am for the death penalty so I agree with Jessica.

i really hope they don't pull the "he deserves something humane" crap. fuck him. he is an unforgivable bastard

good.

Yeah, um I dunno how I feel about it really.. but I'm glad the parents will get some closure.

i'm prolly gonna get lots of disagreements about this but....
i am for the death penalty IF it is deserved... i do not, however, think that a mentally retarded man should be put to death for something that he may not have known was wrong...
WHAT IF... he needed a sexual release and after he hurt this girl and she was crying, it scared him and he didnt know what to do? so he hid her... didn't KILL her, but hid her so he wouldnt get found out... then she died because of how he hid her... which no doubt was wrong and he should be punished... but not by death... not in this case. it is horrible what this family had to go through because of him and locking him up for life would keep anyone else from being hurt by him... but there is just the thought that MAYBE he didn't know better... idk, but that to me is cause enough to not kill him for it.

He knew enough to try to cover up his crime by burying he rin his fucking yard after he raped her. Sexual Release? Mentally challenged? FUCK THAT. He was smart enough to kidnap and rape a little girl and then hide her. He knew what he was doing. The death penelty is too damn good for him. But I dont think he will survive long enough to recieve it. I think he will be someones bitch in prison and after they are done using his body they will kill him. And I hope they make it fucking hurt

Indeed this guy was in his right mind in order to do what he did and attempt to cover it up. Too many people that kill, rape, whatever are using that cop out of mental illness. I think they should do what he did to that little girl and then bury him in a grave, or even something more sadistic like let the father get a hold of him. If that happened to my kids that sob would end up getting beaten with something, just dont know what.

i'm prolly gonna get lots of disagreements about this but....
i am for the death penalty IF it is deserved... i do not, however, think that a mentally retarded man should be put to death for something that he may not have known was wrong...
WHAT IF... he needed a sexual release and after he hurt this girl and she was crying, it scared him and he didnt know what to do? so he hid her... didn't KILL her, but hid her so he wouldnt get found out... then she died because of how he hid her... which no doubt was wrong and he should be punished... but not by death... not in this case. it is horrible what this family had to go through because of him and locking him up for life would keep anyone else from being hurt by him... but there is just the thought that MAYBE he didn't know better... idk, but that to me is cause enough to not kill him for it.
I think he was trying to pull the mentally handicap card to save his ass. He buried that little girl alive, knowing full well what he was doing and no one can tell me different. There was a look in his eyes that just says COLD AND EVIL.

The death penalty is far too good for him. He should rot in hell for what he did. No mercy spared, at all. Hes a highly fucked up induvidual. His crimes are of the worst form.

I think raping a child is worse than alot of forms of murder. And his actions led to her death anyway. He needs to pay for what he did to Jessica, and her family. The death penalty is a cake walk compared to what alot of people would like to see happen to him, myself included.

It kind of turns my stomach to think some people out there dont think he deserves the death penalty.

JMO of course.

I think HE should be taken from his cell at an unsuspected time, get ass raped, and then buried alive. In these cases I think you should have done to you, what you've done to another. :biting

I think you have to be mentally ill to commit a crime like rape or murder.

That being said, I don't think that should exonerate anyone from punishment, but I do not believe the death penalty to be an effective punishment for anyone.

It's not up to me to judge the man - but I don't think he should die. It's such an easy way out. I'd much rather see him live in 6 by 6 foot solitary for the next 50 years, with photos of Jessica all over the walls.

I don't agree with the death penalty either, but if any case could sway me, it would be this one.

Amen.

He deserves everything he gets X 100. What he did to that little girl is unforgivable. I hope he prays before they fry his ass. Hes going to need the Lord.

ITA The Lord may be able to forgive him but had it been my child, I don't think he'd have ever made it to the jail...

It's not up to me to judge the man - but I don't think he should die. It's such an easy way out. I'd much rather see him live in 6 by 6 foot solitary for the next 50 years, with photos of Jessica all over the walls.

Good point....However, I believe that if you are sick enough to do something of that nature, at some point you are just numb. He wouldn't be punished by her pictures....I hate to really think goes on in a person like that's mind.

It's not up to me to judge the man - but I don't think he should die. It's such an easy way out. I'd much rather see him live in 6 by 6 foot solitary for the next 50 years, with photos of Jessica all over the walls.

I agree but I disagree, if that make sense. I think he should die to save taxpayers money to house him but then again the idea of him in solitary for the next 50 years with the pics on the walls would be torture. What a sadistic thought. That would make me want to 86 myself if I was in that position.

ITA The Lord may be able to forgive him but had it been my child, I don't think he'd have ever made it to the jail...
Amen, its easy to say :blahblah no death penalty, but if it were my DD, I would kill him myself.

I agree but I disagree, if that make sense. I think he should die to save taxpayers money to house him but then again the idea of him in solitary for the next 50 years with the pics on the walls would be torture. What a sadistic thought. That would make me want to 86 myself if I was in that position.

he'd probably get pleasure out of her pictures he's such a nasty S.O.B.

Good! And I hope he gets it.

And about his supposed mental retardation I'll quote this:

Under Florida law, if Couey is found to have mental retardation he cannot be sentenced to die and would instead receive a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

In Florida an IQ score lower than 70 coupled with deficits in the ability to adapt to society before age 18 is considered mental retardation. At last week's hearing, clinical psychologist Greg Prichard testified that Couey's IQ was 78 and that he demonstrated a high level of functioning.

"His functioning, in terms of adaptive skills and intellectual capacity, is much too high for him to be considered mentally retarded," said Prichard, who evaluated Couey in April. "My opinion is that he is not mentally retarded."

Prichard said Couey's ability to keep a job at Wal-Mart for more than a year, manage his own finances and supervise day laborers on a construction site were examples of skills that proved Couey was not retarded.

He deserves everything he gets X 100. What he did to that little girl is unforgivable. I hope he prays before they fry his ass. Hes going to need the Lord.

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!


I am so glad that justice has been served! I hope he doesn't have to sit on death row for very long. I hope he burns in hell for the horrendous crime he commited against that poor sweet little girl :sadeyes.

ITA The Lord may be able to forgive him but had it been my child, I don't think he'd have ever made it to the jail...

You and me both!!! If anyone does anything like that against my children, I would end up killing the bastard, and I would be sitting in jail. I would kill for my kids!

he'd probably get pleasure out of her pictures he's such a nasty S.O.B.

Yeah good point. I think he really should get what he did to her on a daily basis, now THATS twisted.

Yeah good point. I think he really should get what he did to her on a daily basis, now THATS twisted.
In a perfect world......

i think people like him should be killed and then revived and then killed and then revived over and over again

Yeah good point. I think he really should get what he did to her on a daily basis, now THATS twisted.

More than likely, he would be raped daily. Even the hardest of criminals, rapists, murderers, etc... most of them despise child molesters/predators.

More than likely, he would be raped daily. Even the hardest of criminals, rapists, murderers, etc... most of them despise child molesters/predators.

yep but usually child molesters/predators/pedophiles are in separate housing and don't do things with gen. pop. b/c of the risk of violence

I think raping a child is worse than alot of forms of murder. And his actions led to her death anyway. He needs to pay for what he did to Jessica, and her family. The death penalty is a cake walk compared to what alot of people would like to see happen to him, myself included.

It kind of turns my stomach to think some people out there dont think he deserves the death penalty.



I agree that he deserves to pay & like you said, the death penalty is a cake walk. He is getting off far too easy! He should rot in prison where people will know what he did. Most convicted criminals are very much against acts committed on children. He would for sure be beaten & raped by other inmates. He deserves that! They will not give him mercy! He does not deserve to be put to death. That is the easy way out! He will not have to deal with years upon years of torture from other inmates!

You want to let your stomach turn because some of us are against him being put to death than so be it! I think the hell he'd receive from other inmates would be far worse punishment!

i think people like him should be killed and then revived and then killed and then revived over and over again

that is even more twisted then being raped daily. I mean other countries do things like cut fingers off for stealing so why not have him go through the same thing he put that poor girl through.

They are usually housed in adseg (administrative segregation(sp?)) They do however have to walk by the other inmates and guards open the gates and turn their backs and let happen what will.

They get beat up, raped, and bud-a-roo'd(pee and poo thrown on them)

All of which is too good. IMO

it is so heart wrenching to picture that poor innocent child, the same age as my daughter now, terrified, tied, fighting for air, with only enough movement to poke two of her tiny little fingers through the FIRST garbage bag she was put in... after what she had already been through... clinging to her stuffed animal. I cannot cannot feel any sort of sympathy for that sick son of a bitchin' bastard... not one ounce of sympathy do I have for him.

I agree that he deserves to pay & like you said, the death penalty is a cake walk. He is getting off far too easy! He should rot in prison where people will know what he did. Most convicted criminals are very much against acts committed on children. He would for sure be beaten & raped by other inmates. He deserves that! They will not give him mercy! He does not deserve to be put to death. That is the easy way out! He will not have to deal with years upon years of torture from other inmates!

You want to let your stomach turn because some of us are against him being put to death than so be it! I think the hell he'd receive from other inmates would be far worse punishment!
Its more a case of the fact that I think prison is far too good for him. I dont want to pay for him to eat, sleep, shower and play sports in the rec yard. I think this man should be extinguised. He just shouldnt be allowed to walk around anymore, not in prison or on the streets.

it's really sad, because the parents will still suffer because of our lovely legal system He will appeal and appeal and in the end will get to hug his family goodbye, eat a final meal and then die. I think if you have the death pentaly you shouldn't get to do any of that. it should be unsupecting and you shouldn't get to say goodbye to your family. After all your victim(s) didn't.
and I agree if it had been me I would have killed him.

it is so heart wrenching to picture that poor innocent child, the same age as my daughter now, terrified, tied, fighting for air, with only enough movement to poke two of her tiny little fingers through the FIRST garbage bag she was put in... after what she had already been through... clinging to her stuffed animal. I cannot cannot feel any sort of sympathy for that sick son of a bitchin' bastard... not one ounce of sympathy do I have for him.

Emily is the same age too, and I can't even begin to think of how it would be for her :tears. I pray to god that I NEVER EVER have to experience something like that :no :tears

it is so heart wrenching to picture that poor innocent child, the same age as my daughter now, terrified, tied, fighting for air, with only enough movement to poke two of her tiny little fingers through the FIRST garbage bag she was put in... after what she had already been through... clinging to her stuffed animal. I cannot cannot feel any sort of sympathy for that sick son of a bitchin' bastard... not one ounce of sympathy do I have for him.
I agree

If you picture your child having to suffer this pain, then maybe you'll think differently about it.

I think you have to be mentally ill to commit a crime like rape or murder.

That being said, I don't think that should exonerate anyone from punishment, but I do not believe the death penalty to be an effective punishment for anyone.

that's a good point... i agree. and i never heard anything about this on the news or anything... i was just going by what i read in the post... and i agree with most ppl here if he was just using that as an excuse. i have a cousin that really is mentally retarded and i guess i was thinking from his perspective... but if anything like that ever happened to my daughter, heaven forbid, i would be the one on trial for murder. the worst possible imaginable murder.

Amen, its easy to say :blahblah no death penalty, but if it were my DD, I would kill him myself.

:yes :yes :yes

That poor little girl.. and her poor family.

I agree

If you picture your child having to suffer this pain, then maybe you'll think differently about it.

I don't think law should be dictated by emotion. Law should be dictated by reason, IMO.

I don't think law should be dictated by emotion. Law should be dictated by reason, IMO.
But theres emotion used in commiting the crimes, so there should be emotion used in penalizing them. If this country was run with lack of emotion, we would be in heaps of trouble.

ETA: JMO

I don't think law should be dictated by emotion. Law should be dictated by reason, IMO.

Agreed. I listened to part of the sentencing on my lunch break and to every point, there was a counterpoint and every part of the memorandum was weighed.

I just honestly do not think that I could live with the knowledge of that man doing that to my daughter and still being able to breath air. I would take much pleasure in watching his death. I'm not saying I'm right or justified in feeling that way but I do. I would actually want to do it all myself as sick as that might sound. It brings me to tears thinking about that child and what she went through and it wasn't even MY child. I pray to God I never have to find out what my reaction to something like that would but I am conscious every day with a convicted child molester living on my street. I have pulled and read his file (public record) and he targeted girls my daughter's age. That is enough to keep me on my toes.

Agreed. I listened to part of the sentencing on my lunch break and to every point, there was a counterpoint and every part of the memorandum was weighed.

I just honestly do not think that I could live with the knowledge of that man doing that to my daughter and still being able to breath air. I would take much pleasure in watching his death. I'm not saying I'm right or justified in feeling that way but I do. I would actually want to do it all myself as sick as that might sound. It brings me to tears thinking about that child and what she went through and it wasn't even MY child. I pray to God I never have to find out what my reaction to something like that would but I am conscious every day with a convicted child molester living on my street. I have pulled and read his file (public record) and he targeted girls my daughter's age. That is enough to keep me on my toes.
Said better than I could

that is even more twisted then being raped daily. I mean other countries do things like cut fingers off for stealing so why not have him go through the same thing he put that poor girl through.

b/c this sick f*cker would probably get pleasure out of it. i think some things are so heinous that a person should get the ultimate punishment--sadly the death penalty no longer is one b/c it has to be done "humanely"

I see where you are coming from, but I worry about the repercussions for letting emotion dictate whether someone is allowed to live or die in the eyes of the law. All it would take is a political leader with a certain point of view, a charismatic personality, and a particularly believable way of speaking to take it to a scary level. That is how Hitler got the power he did, and convinced SO MANY PEOPLE that taking over the world and pushing a belief system that promoted genocide as a right of the superior was the right thing to do. That is why I believe that reason should win over emotion. People who punish those who commit crimes can easily fall into the trap of superiority that makes them feel justified in doing whatever they want to those who are unworthy.

Besides, if emotion was such an integral part in the crime, why would we want to use emotion to sentence the criminal? Wouldn't we want to, as the judges of morality, separate ourselves from the influences driving the person to murder? If we use our raw emotion to exact punishment and revenge on the criminal, then that in essence puts us in the same category as the criminal. I don't want the punishment handed out by our governing body to be decided on with the same process that the murderer used when they committed murder. KWIM?

that is even more twisted then being raped daily. I mean other countries do things like cut fingers off for stealing so why not have him go through the same thing he put that poor girl through.

Those countries also treat women like second class citizens and fund terrorism. The kind of terrorism that killed over 3000 Americans on 9/11. I would hope we are better than those countries.

If you picture your child having to suffer this pain, then maybe you'll think differently about it.


I did picture the same thing happen to my children but I still stand firm in my beliefs!

I see where you are coming from, but I worry about the repercussions for letting emotion dictate whether someone is allowed to live or die in the eyes of the law. All it would take is a political leader with a certain point of view, a charismatic personality, and a particularly believable way of speaking to take it to a scary level. That is how Hitler got the power he did, and convinced SO MANY PEOPLE that taking over the world and pushing a belief system that promoted genocide as a right of the superior was the right thing to do. That is why I believe that reason should win over emotion. People who punish those who commit crimes can easily fall into the trap of superiority that makes them feel justified in doing whatever they want to those who are unworthy.

Besides, if emotion was such an integral part in the crime, why would we want to use emotion to sentence the criminal? Wouldn't we want to, as the judges of morality, separate ourselves from the influences driving the person to murder? If we use our raw emotion to exact punishment and revenge on the criminal, then that in essence puts us in the same category as the criminal. I don't want the punishment handed out by our governing body to be decided on with the same process that the murderer used when they committed murder. KWIM?


Very well said!

Those countries also treat women like second class citizens and fund terrorism. The kind of terrorism that killed over 3000 Americans on 9/11. I would hope we are better than those countries.

:yes here, too!

I see where you are coming from, but I worry about the repercussions for letting emotion dictate whether someone is allowed to live or die in the eyes of the law. All it would take is a political leader with a certain point of view, a charismatic personality, and a particularly believable way of speaking to take it to a scary level. That is how Hitler got the power he did, and convinced SO MANY PEOPLE that taking over the world and pushing a belief system that promoted genocide as a right of the superior was the right thing to do. That is why I believe that reason should win over emotion. People who punish those who commit crimes can easily fall into the trap of superiority that makes them feel justified in doing whatever they want to those who are unworthy.

Besides, if emotion was such an integral part in the crime, why would we want to use emotion to sentence the criminal? Wouldn't we want to, as the judges of morality, separate ourselves from the influences driving the person to murder? If we use our raw emotion to exact punishment and revenge on the criminal, then that in essence puts us in the same category as the criminal. I don't want the punishment handed out by our governing body to be decided on with the same process that the murderer used when they committed murder. KWIM?
I see your point, but the mother in me takes hold... And I get extremly overwhelmed with anger when i think about him, and what he did to her.

I do see your POV, and I understand why one would have these beliefs, still all in all.. I feel as though he should rightfully be put to death. I FIRST: Dont want to pay for him to sit in prison and SECOND: Think its too good for him, what he did was heinous, and he shouldn;t be allowed to breathe the same air as we are, JMO

I did picture the same thing happen to my children but I still stand firm in my beliefs!




Very well said!



:yes here, too!
Just out of sheer curiosity, how can you picure this happening to your child.. and still not feel the death penalty suits these crimes for him?

Just curious

I agree but I disagree, if that make sense. I think he should die to save taxpayers money to house him but then again the idea of him in solitary for the next 50 years with the pics on the walls would be torture. What a sadistic thought. That would make me want to 86 myself if I was in that position.

It is more costly to sentence him to death than it is to let him rot in jail.


I don't think law should be dictated by emotion. Law should be dictated by reason, IMO.

:yes



I firmly believe that life imprisonment is better in ALL cases. The death penalty, IMO, is NEVER acceptable.

I see where you are coming from, but I worry about the repercussions for letting emotion dictate whether someone is allowed to live or die in the eyes of the law. All it would take is a political leader with a certain point of view, a charismatic personality, and a particularly believable way of speaking to take it to a scary level. That is how Hitler got the power he did, and convinced SO MANY PEOPLE that taking over the world and pushing a belief system that promoted genocide as a right of the superior was the right thing to do. That is why I believe that reason should win over emotion. People who punish those who commit crimes can easily fall into the trap of superiority that makes them feel justified in doing whatever they want to those who are unworthy.

Besides, if emotion was such an integral part in the crime, why would we want to use emotion to sentence the criminal? Wouldn't we want to, as the judges of morality, separate ourselves from the influences driving the person to murder? If we use our raw emotion to exact punishment and revenge on the criminal, then that in essence puts us in the same category as the criminal. I don't want the punishment handed out by our governing body to be decided on with the same process that the murderer used when they committed murder. KWIM?

I agree and I truly believe that it was thought out and completely logical, all points being weighed in this particular case. It seemed air tight while I listened on. He received this sentence even after his confession was thrown out. Just because my raw emotion in thinking about the crime seems rash doesn't mean that my judgment and reason are out the window. My personal feelings of this man have no bearing on this case or how he was sentenced and he got his day in court... he (his lawyers) just didn't present enough evidence to cast a shadow of a doubt.

Yeah, I see where you all are coming from too. I just disagree. I gotta say, I am so happy that we are all debating this so nicely. LOL. I think debate is pointless unless you can come out of it understanding the other side, cuz let's face it, how often do people really change their minds? LOL.

Yeah, I see where you all are coming from too. I just disagree. I gotta say, I am so happy that we are all debating this so nicely. LOL. I think debate is pointless unless you can come out of it understanding the other side, cuz let's face it, how often do people really change their minds? LOL.
:yes Im not a nasty debater, I just make my point and take other's points in. I feel you can learn something new everyday and there are others out there that know more on any one given subject than you do, THOUGH I DONT LIKE TO ADMIT IT :lol

I also dont like to get heated during a debate, level-headedness is key, you can do alot more with a clear head :yes

BTW Wicked, :hugs :D Peaceful debates are so much better than nasty ones huh?

Not often, it's the exception to the rule. You can debate money and the cost of this or that but as a deterrent for crime, death deters far more than prison time. I know not all will agree with it but to me, if people KNEW they'd die if they killed someone, they'd think twice before they did it for fun.

Just out of sheer curiosity, how can you picure this happening to your child.. and still not feel the death penalty suits these crimes for him?

Just curious

Because as I have stated, I feel he would be punished far more severly by other inmates than being put to death by the justice system!

Yeah, I see where you all are coming from too. I just disagree. I gotta say, I am so happy that we are all debating this so nicely. LOL. I think debate is pointless unless you can come out of it understanding the other side, cuz let's face it, how often do people really change their minds? LOL.

Again I :yes. :wink

Because as I have stated, I feel he would be punished far more severly by other inmates than being put to death by the justice system!

And he could very well file and win a lawsuit against the facility. As much as I'd like to think they would get away with torturing him, I know with the lawsuit happy lawyers of the world, it's not likely.

Not often, it's the exception to the rule. You can debate money and the cost of this or that but as a deterrent for crime, death deters far more than prison time. I know not all will agree with it but to me, if people KNEW they'd die if they killed someone, they'd think twice before they did it for fun.

I am not so sure about that! I think if they are going to do a crime, they are going to do it whether they know they will die or not. That is if the crime was surely premeditated where it was actually thought out & planned.

I am not so sure about that! I think if they are going to do a crime, they are going to do it whether they know they will die or not. That is if the crime was surely premeditated where it was actually thought out & planned.

See I would think it would deter premeditated crimes and the crimes of passion would be the ones that would get committed regardless of the consequences. :dunno

The penalty sometimes out weighs the pleasure of doing the crime. I think that death is the perfect deterrent for crimes. Though some would likely still go out and commit these heinous acts, the numbers arent as high as if death wasnt on the table.

See I would think it would deter premeditated crimes and the crimes of passion would be the ones that would get committed regardless of the consequences. :dunno
:yes Crimes of passion would def still happen. In the heat of the moment, someone doesnt think before acting.

:yes Im not a nasty debater, I just make my point and take other's points in. I feel you can learn something new everyday and there are others out there that know more on any one given subject than you do, THOUGH I DONT LIKE TO ADMIT IT :lol

I also dont like to get heated during a debate, level-headedness is key, you can do alot more with a clear head :yes

BTW Wicked, :hugs :D Peaceful debates are so much better than nasty ones huh?

Haha, you and me both!! I totally agree with you. I think you can tell WHY people debate by how they act in debate. There are always the people who debate to change minds. I have learned that that is SO ineffective and all it does is make people more strong in their convictions, which is a bad thing if they disagree with you. LOL. I personally debate to learn. I would rather understand another persons point of view and come out feeling like I got to know them as a person and with a sense of compassion than get myself all riled up and end up harboring bad feelings towards them because I judged them as "wrong" somehow. I think the bottom line is that everyone is entitled to their beliefs (the beautiful thing about America, something we should all fight to defend) and even though it may not always seem so, everyone just wants the world to be a good place even if they disagree with how to go about making it one.

I never debate when I am upset. It never ends well. LOL. So, I hope everyone knows that the things I say are not personal, and likewise I never take what other people say personally when they are expressing their opinions about a topic.

See I would think it would deter premeditated crimes and the crimes of passion would be the ones that would get committed regardless of the consequences. :dunno

I think that depends on WHY people commit the crimes more than whether or not they are premeditated. If someone commits a crime of passion with no premeditation, they obviously didn't think about the consequences before they did it, so the consequences can't be a deterrant. Rational thought went out the window when the sea of rage that ended in murder hit them. On the other hand, the act of premeditating something as awful as murder is not a rational act. To plan out and commit a heinous murder is by definition mental illness. So, the possibility of dying for that crime is the kind of rationale that doesn't matter to someone who is already out of their mind. That's why, even though the death penalty is legal in some states, those states still have the highest rates of capitol crimes in the country. The death penalty is a deterrant for rational people, people who value life, but murderers (especially the ones who plan out their crimes) are not rational people and they obviously don't value life.

He should be buried alive. I hope it hurts like hell when he fries.

fuck yes... fry him or give him a nice shotgun execution sick bastard:censored

I think that depends on WHY people commit the crimes more than whether or not they are premeditated. If someone commits a crime of passion with no premeditation, they obviously didn't think about the consequences before they did it, so the consequences can't be a deterrant. Rational thought went out the window when the sea of rage that ended in murder hit them. On the other hand, the act of premeditating something as awful as murder is not a rational act. To plan out and commit a heinous murder is by definition mental illness. So, the possibility of dying for that crime is the kind of rationale that doesn't matter to someone who is already out of their mind. That's why, even though the death penalty is legal in some states, those states still have the highest rates of capitol crimes in the country. The death penalty is a deterrant for rational people, people who value life, but murderers (especially the ones who plan out their crimes) are not rational people and they obviously don't value life.

Dang! You are right on today woman!

i'm prolly gonna get lots of disagreements about this but....
i am for the death penalty IF it is deserved... i do not, however, think that a mentally retarded man should be put to death for something that he may not have known was wrong...
WHAT IF... he needed a sexual release and after he hurt this girl and she was crying, it scared him and he didnt know what to do? so he hid her... didn't KILL her, but hid her so he wouldnt get found out... then she died because of how he hid her... which no doubt was wrong and he should be punished... but not by death... not in this case. it is horrible what this family had to go through because of him and locking him up for life would keep anyone else from being hurt by him... but there is just the thought that MAYBE he didn't know better... idk, but that to me is cause enough to not kill him for it.

i totally disagree with you on this, especially since that little girl was my cousin. this man was a sexual predator, after he took her and buried her he fled the state, you don't leave the state and try to hide when you don't think you've done anything wrong. this man can say and his lawyers can say he's mentally retarded but i think it's crap. he was fucking high and went into her home and took her in the middle of the night, raped her over and over and kept her hid in his closet while police were looking for her right outside his home, then he decides he's going to bury her alive. he knew what he was doing, and he deserves the death penalty, i hope that man fucking burns in hell for everything he did to her and for everything he has put her entire family through.

It's not up to me to judge the man - but I don't think he should die. It's such an easy way out. I'd much rather see him live in 6 by 6 foot solitary for the next 50 years, with photos of Jessica all over the walls.

why does he deserve to live? putting him in a cell for the rest of his life and letting him look at pictures of her does nothing, he has no remorse what so ever. i'm gonna have to stop talking about this cause it's getting me pissed.:censored

I think that depends on WHY people commit the crimes more than whether or not they are premeditated. If someone commits a crime of passion with no premeditation, they obviously didn't think about the consequences before they did it, so the consequences can't be a deterrant. Rational thought went out the window when the sea of rage that ended in murder hit them. On the other hand, the act of premeditating something as awful as murder is not a rational act. To plan out and commit a heinous murder is by definition mental illness. So, the possibility of dying for that crime is the kind of rationale that doesn't matter to someone who is already out of their mind. That's why, even though the death penalty is legal in some states, those states still have the highest rates of capitol crimes in the country. The death penalty is a deterrant for rational people, people who value life, but murderers (especially the ones who plan out their crimes) are not rational people and they obviously don't value life.

In some cases, yes they are insane but some are not, they are just arrogant bastards who think they will get away with it. They have in their minds that they will never be caught.

The acting of killing is not a foreign thought to man and military families of all people should understand that the taking of a life is not always an irrational act. To me, categorizing heinous murder as a mental illness is a cop out and only adds to the general problem of why it's such an epidemic. It's takes away their accountability.

I never said they weren't accountable. Execution is not the only way to hold people accountable. Not all forms of mental illness are debilitating, and I am all for punishing people that commit crimes. I am just explaining why I think people STILL commit capitol crimes even when there is the threat of killing for punishment.

Killing in defense and killing for punishment are two different things. The Geneva Convention even reflects that.

Killing in defense and killing for punishment are two different things. The Geneva Convention even reflects that.

Exactly, what I'm saying is that killing cannot really be generalized. There are degrees and there are circumstances. Taking of someones life can happen for many many different reasons and is not always an act of mental illness. That's all I was saying.

Exactly, what I'm saying is that killing cannot really be generalized. There are degrees and there are circumstances. Taking of someones life can happen for many many different reasons and is not always an act of mental illness. That's all I was saying.

Then we agree on something! Mark your calendars! LOL. :D

Fascinating how we can use the same point to argue completely different opinions huh?

i really hope they don't pull the "he deserves something humane" crap. fuck him. he is an unforgivable bastard
amen sweety!:yes

That poor girl and her family :sadeyes

Too bad his awful ass will sit on death row for years on end :no