Testing my beliefs.

I have always believed that capital punishment is wrong under any circumstances,but a case before the New Zealand courts at the moment is testing my belief to the limit.

In 1987,a six year old girl was abducted on her way home from school,violated, and murdered.Her body was found buried on a beach some distance from her home several days later.The killer was not found...until last week.Advances have been made in the preparation and analysis of D.N.A. samples to the point where the police are confident beyond doubt that they have now identified the murderer.He was arrested in an early morning raid,which took his family entirely by surprise.
It would appear that the accused has built a new life for himself....five years ago he re-married and now has a son to his latest wife.It must surely be one of the worst nightmares to have the police arrive unexpectedly and tell you that your husband is accused of one of New Zealands most notorious and repulsive crimes.In hiding his past,this man has not only condemned his victim's family to half a lifetime of injustice,he has created a whole new family of victims for himself.

Words cannot describe how I feel about the man who abducted this sweet little child,raped her and then murdered her.His cowardly act followed by his cowardly silence has caused much heartache.There can be no justice in this case,the harm done is immeasurable,the grief seemingly endless.The police are delighted to have finally got their man,but that must be tempered against the fact that he has been free for 15 years,and has harmed a whole new family along the way.

My standard views are pretty strong on murderers....there can be no proof absolute enough to guarrantee that an innocent man would never be sentenced to death.


This case pushes my beliefs to the limits.I just don't care about conclusive proof any more,the police say this man is a beast and that is good enough for me.There is no punishment too harsh for what he has done,and I care nothing for his rights.He should be named and dealt with without further delay.

The whole topic of capital punishment is a really hard one. I used to totally believe in the death sentence, however I’m not so sure anymore. The evidence would have to be so conclusive as to leave absolutely no doubt that the person was guilty. There have been cases where a person has been put to death and then years later it’s been found that they were actually innocent. The death sentence is so final and there is no turning back the clock if a mistake is made.

agree with that the death sentence is so final, and with past mistakes of innocent people being excuted, It is a very difficult area, but I do agree if the person is proven 100% beyond any reasonable doub, then i'm for it :(

If they can prove 100% that anyone is guilty for rape/murder etc they should be done away with.
Why should the bastard go away to prison and my taxes have to look after him. "Life" in prison is crap, they are out in 15odd years, ........and whats the point of changeing the law so that "life means life" ?
They get 3 meals aday, TV etc etc...god it pisses me off :devil: :devil:

If they go to prison, give them "slave labour"....work there stupid arse's off clearing bush etc

This bastard they just caught can go to HELL for what he's done

:devil: :devil: :devil: :devil:

I heard somewhere that it cost as much to keep someone in prison as it does to keep someone in the Sherraton

While the issue of this assholes family being torn apart is sad, its not the states fault. Its that asshole’s. My problem with the death penalty is that its not painful enough. Stuff the bastard into a blender and let him go screaming to hell. This bastard committed the most heinous of crimes (of course if hes convicted) and deserves no mercy.

The death penalty...

Because the US has so many loop holes in the laws, and because we give you a minimum of three strikes, thus very little incentive not to repeat your criminal acts, and because my tax dollars are paying for their fuckups, I believe that if proved that you have performed a murder, beyond a shadow of a doubt .. you should stop wasting our oxygen.

But, on the other hand..

If you don't like the thought of the death penalty, then, in a case such as the fore mentioned, take a pair of bolt cutters and castrate the bastard without the use of any pain killing medicines.. once he comes to, use the same bloody bolt cutters to chop off his tally whacker.. To live life like that would be far greater punishment than death.

I support the death penelty, however I have a rather unique view on it. IMHO Being in jail for life with NO possibility of parol is worse then the death penelty. Sure if you are on death row you sit there for a few years knowing that you are more then likely going to die, and those few hours before you die must be horrible, not to mention the few minutes before. But imagine sitting in your cell, knowing you are never ever ever going to be able to go out and do anything you once loved to do. Knowing that you are going to die in this prison, in this cell, and never be able to realise any dreams you once had for your life. Knowing that there is obsolutely NOTHING you can do about it... And all of this is because of a mestake you made 5, 10, mby 40 years ago. Wishing that you could take it all back, asking yourself "Why did I do it? Did I think I wouldn't get cought, now I'm going to die here and there is nothing I can do about it"

That, is a fate worse then death in my opinion...

It's a tough one - cases like that really affect the way you believe. When I was younger I believed that we were fools for not having the death penalty. If someone takes a life etc then remove them from society - permanently. Today I'm the reverse - I believe that taking the life of a murderer makes us no better than those animals that committed the crime. The idea of absolute proof also makes me question the idea. If someone is killed and then later proven innocent then that is a huge issue.

When a child is involved, it pushes me to really examine what I think. I get heartsick when I hear of the horrific things that happen to an innocent. Personally I think that locking them up and throwing away the key is the answer - they have forfeited any rights by their acts and should not be pampered. But then again... what if they were really innocent...

Nasty dilemma and one I tend to think on a lot.