Our Court System vs Highway Sniper

[Kohones]

I watched the news regarding the maniac that killed the one women & shot a dozen vehicles on southern 270 beltway last year. Now the jury is hung, his atty claims he didn't know what he was doing, etc etc

I say F/U you rotten bastard. He KNEW what he was doing & he should just be electrified, given the death needle or whatever means Ohio will permit. I'm soooo tired of this crap. I don't know what the (correct) answer is, but our judicial system continues to just NOT make it. Hell they'll throw the book & collect all the fines they can if you're speeding, but to shoot at people - we've got all these nay sayers. It's disgusting! Ok I'm thru venting -

[Nate1647545505]

Mr. Stock,

 

I feel ya, but if he truely didn't know what he was doing, legally insane, he cannot be judged as a healthy human being.

 

Did the forensic scientists confirm that the woman was hit by a bullet that maintained its intentional path? I missed the news but was reading the paper and caught some details.

 

I'm with ya - he eluded capature so he knew what was wrong, therefor what was right.

 

god have mercy on his soul, legally and medically insane or not.

[Nate1647545505]

Originally posted by Ricochet:

Well, how many sane people go on shooting sprees? Of course he's nuts but I don't think that should change him getting the chair.. I'm pretty sure the victim's families would agree.

Samuel L Jackson in "Rules of Engagement"

[Guest Harris92]

graemlins/thatfunny.gif

[Alex1647545498]

If he did it on purpose then fry him. But if he did it because he is insane then why would you want him to live? So he can do it again? I say fry him any way.

[Dr. Pomade]

Just as an FYI, I thought I would quote Ohio law regarding a finding of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI):

 

"A person is 'not guilty by reason of insanity' relative to a charge of an offense only if the person proves, in the manner specified in section 2901.05 of the Revised Code, that at the time of the commission of the offense, the person did not know, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, the wrongfulness of the person's acts."

 

In other words, in order to be found NGRI, you must (1) have a severe mental disease or defect and (2) demonstrate that, because of that severe mental disease or defence, you did not know the wrongfulness of your actions.

[Guest rperry74]

There are only two solutions to this whole thing. Practically, he is guilty as hell of murder, maybe in the second since he wasn't "really" trying to kill anyone. But everyone concedes that he is mentally disturbed. So, we can either send him to death row, at which point they will have to exhaust their resources for appeals, and we will have to fund his trials and all his medication that he will recieve during his 20 year visit. Or, we can send him to the loony bin, at which point we will still be paying for his treatment and medication for the rest of his life or until they let him out. I don't think he should be let out as he can not be trusted to medicate himself. I do not see the first one happening, and if the prosecution has it their way, we won't get the other one either. Honestly, I don't think there really is a good solution to this because in the end, we all pay for it. I hate to say it, but as unproductive and as unstable as he has been as a part of society, maybe he should be put down like a sick animal. Don't know.

[Trouble Maker]

I don't see why pleading legal insanity should basically get someone out of a prison sentence. They might have gotten a few life terms or setenced to death, but instead they get to go to a mental ward until they are 'better'. Send them to the lonely bin for the duration of their sentence. If they get 'better', then they can go to the real jail. There would probably have to be a stipulation that the person can’t be put on death row at that point, it would just cause too many problems. They are just as much of a menace to society as someone who's sane that does something like this, so why should they be treated any differently according to the court system.

 

Trials for the mentally insane should go just as normal trials, same for the sentencing. It should be proven beforehand that the person is not mentally competent to understand what they are doing, and therefore cannot testify either. Then they should be punished as I stated above.

[Dr. Pomade]

Just to add a little clarity, being declared NGRI doesn't amount to "easy time." If you've ever visited an inpatient psychiatric hospital, you've noticed that, in many ways, it is more restrictive than a prison. And, though this is not the letter of the law (which says that once you no longer present as "dangerous" you cannot be committed any further), I can tell you that, if you kill someone and are found NGRI, no matter how "well" (i.e., not crazy) you are, you aren't going anywhere for years. Why? Because, in short, judges have the final say in whether or not a person who's been found NGRI gets to be let go (i.e., released from the hospital), and judges are elected officials, and therefore must yield to social pressures. The public doesn't want to think that someone can kill someone, get some treatment, get better, and then just be let go; if a judge starts letting too many NGRI's go too soon, then the public gets angry and won't re-elect them. So, judges become very, very conservative when it comes to NGRI's. Also, for what it's worth, after a person who is NGRI is released from the hospital, they are normally kept on fairly strict community control for years after their release, if not indefinitely.

 

CLIFFS: Being found NGRI doesn't amount to "easy time."

[Trouble Maker]

John, I was obviously under a different impression. Thank you for clarifying how the system usually handles NGRI's.

 

Does using an acronym make it less personal?

 

I still believe that the sentencing shouldn't be any different. An NGRI does get found Not Guilty, and I don't feel that is the correct way to handle the situation. They still did it and are a menace to society, they should just be handled differently afterwards. What you are saying is that, generally this is what happens. But it's a different means to basically the same end. I don't necessarily agree with that.

 

If a perfectly sane person commits a murder 'of passion', or they were temporarily 'insane', they are still found guilty of manslaughter. It's just not premeditated so it's not murder. How is this any different?

[Brandon]

Originally posted by GTWEEE:

[QB]I'm with ya - he eluded capature so he knew what was wrong, therefor what was right.

QB]

BINGO

[Dr. Pomade]

No, acronyms are just more convenient. smile.gif

 

A part of what you've said reminds me of recent legislation that proposed the use of a verdict of "Guilty, But Mentally Ill." It was seen as an alternative to NGRI - hitting on your key point, which is that they did it, that is, they are guilty of something, and that should be acknowledged. However, it didn't work out (from what I can recall), and the "Guilty, But Mentally Ill" verdict was scrapped.

[desperado]

I just hope that they don't loose site of the fact the guy needs to go away for a LONG time.

 

Take the murder thing off the table, because there is only one count of murder, and it could be argued that it was an accident that he killed that woman and was only shooting at cars.

It you take away ALL the jury trial required charges, mind you one count of murder may only get him 25 yrs.

They can bang hime with ipmroper transportation of a fire arm. Carrying a consealed weapon, each count is a year. Discharging a firearm within the city limits of Columbus, again jail time per count. Assult with a deadly weapon, again not a jury trial charge and manditory jail time. They could easily give this asshole 50 to 75 yrs on lesser charges.

[El Karacho1647545492]

the only time the insanity plea would not be valid would be in the so-called "Crime of passion," where perhaps a husband comes home and his honey is sleepin with the mailman and kills them both because of the heat of the moment. its not premeditated, its just pure human emotion that got out of control. other than that, anyone with the mental capacity to kill another human being is fucked up and insane. give 'em 20000 volts anyways.

[SPLN SUX]

Originally posted by desperado:

Take the murder thing off the table, because there is only one count of murder, and it could be argued that it was an accident that he killed that woman and was only shooting at cars.

If i just wanted to shoot at cars, id go to a movie theater parking lot and plug cars that CLEARLY have noone in them. If a car is driving down the damn road, you know it has someone in it and could easily cause thier death or injury. Thus, even if they fight that he didnt MEAN to kill the woman, they could still get him with aggrivated assult or involentary manlsaughter (think thats the right one...) both of which are punishable by a good lube-free ass raping from Bubba.

[Berto]

john you know nothing about this. shut up.

 

[Dr. Pomade]

HAHAHA. Berto, I like you.

[Guest doggunracing]

Originally posted by Trouble Maker:

Does using an acronym make it less personal?

Originally posted by Dr. Z06:

No, acronyms are just more convenient. smile.gif

You guys are silly. NRGI is an abbreviation (unless you say 'nurgi'), an acronym is an abbreviation that you say as a word, like SCUBA or AIDS.

[Guest rperry74]

Originally posted by Volvolution:

...aggrivated assult or involentary manlsaughter (think thats the right one...) both of which are punishable by a good lube-free ass raping from Bubba.

I think it would just be manslaughter, seeing as how he knew he was shooting at cars. And seeing as how they know that, I don't think manslaughter would even be an option. It would go straight to murder 2 at least. (No premeditation)

 

And on a side note, have you thought of using the name VULVALUTION? Just askin'.

[Science Abuse]

"ignorance of the law is no excuse"

Didnt know right from wrong? Ok, still guilty, thanks for playing.

[Dr. Pomade]

Originally posted by doggunracing:

You guys are silly. NRGI is an abbreviation (unless you say 'nurgi'), an acronym is an abbreviation that you say as a word, like SCUBA or AIDS.

It's actually NGRI, not NRGI.

 

Thanks for the tip on differentiating acronyms from abbreviations, though - I didn't know that.

[Devils Advocate]

If you kill an innocent person, then regardless of mental health, you should be punished in the severest way possible. I'm torn on capital punishment; sometimes I think it's a good idea and sometimes I don't.

 

However, if someone is found guilty and sentenced to death, then they should be allowed to live for no more than another month or two. Fuck this "I'm going to appeal so that I can live longer bullshit"; if you're a convicted killer, then I'm sure as hell not going to pay for three warm meals a day and a roof over your head. If they so have to wait, keep those shits in a giant fenced in pen outside, and let them fight for their food. You think that you have the right to kill people? Then you most definitely have the right to be killed.

[Devils Advocate]

Desperado proves once again that he's a fucking retard. "I killed her, but i didn't mean to... I was only trying to put a bullet through her car, while she was driving it innocently down the highway". Jesus christ, I hope that you don't have any children.

 

An analogy that you might be able to understand, Keith:

 

The miliary is doing some routine paratrooper and supply-drop exercises near your "farm". One of the pilots flies slightly of course, and drifts over a piece of your land. He thinks that he is in the right spot, so he releases an extremely heavy box filled with"supplies", which have been replaced with rocks for the exercise. Much to your luck/dismay, the multi-ton box falls right on top of your outhouse just as you walk out the door, crushing it into oblivion. Accident? Yup. Unfortunate? Definitely. Are you going to pay for it? Nope. Who is? the person who did it. Just because something is an accident doesn't mean that they don't have to pay for it.

[desperado]

Well once again Jon, you are proving that your vendeta against me to somehow prove your superiority has turned you into an ass, simply because you need to twist my meaning into something else in a futile atempt to make me look bad. So since you can't see past your nose about anything I say with the bigger words, I will spell it out slowly for you.

 

He has been to trial once, and it was a hung jury on convicting him. Proving that it will be VERY hard to find 12 people that are too damn dumb to get out of jury duty, that will put him to death. Personally I think they need to take him out and shoot the piece of shit on the courthouse lawn.

 

My point is that if they didn't charge him with a count of murder (which IS what he did, and he should fry for it, the insanity thing will land him in a mental hospital and not jail IF they can find twelve people to even agree on that) there are still enough small bullshit charges, that when you add all of it together it will still lock the fucker away for a LONG time, in a real jail.

 

How about next time, instead of looking at what I say and trying to figure out how you can twist it to make me look bad, you actually read it and attempt to get the point. That was you don't look like a vengeful prick. You have established that you are an asshole, you don't need to continue to prove it.

 

I do get tired of needing to go back and make sure that I make the words small enough for you so you can comprehend... (no to big a word) understand... (no another big one) so you get it.

[Dr. Pomade]

McCoy (i.e., the Highway Sniper) will be retried, and, this time around, the prosecution will not seek the death penalty. Instead, they'll ask that, should the jury find him guilty of murder, that he be sentenced to life in prison. The prosecution is probably under the impression that the death penalty specification "spooked" some of the jury members, causing them to get conservative and, resultantly, leading to the hung jury.