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Death Penalty

Faulty forensics again

Nobody is saying that no innocent has never been put to death.
Justice Scalia said words to that effect. Now that you have been shown that your statement is false, has your position changed?

I'd like to return to another example that I offered, that of Cameron Todd Wilingham. Some of the best arson investigators in the country (Hurst, DeHaan, and Beyler, among others) have looked at the Wilingham case and concluded that there was no indication of arson. How anyone can defend the death penalty given the execution of people on the basis of faulty evidence is a conundrum for me.
 
So, the death sentence would have been OK, in his case?

I certainly didn't cry over it.

Now, let me ask you a question. Gary Ridgway was able to avoid the death penalty because he agreed to help give closure to the families of those he killed. I personally wished he had been strangled to death, but I can understand the reason he was able to avoid it.

What do you think about that?

By the way, he can still get the DP if he's proven guilty of other murders outside of King County.
 
Justice Scalia said words to that effect. Now that you have been shown that your statement is false, has your position changed?
.

My statement is not false. I am talking about arguments being port forth in this thread.

Now, tell me why Richard Ramirez should not have been executed prompty...as opposed to his death 24 years later, while on death row?
 
Justice Scalia said words to that effect. Now that you have been shown that your statement is false, has your position changed?

I'd like to return to another example that I offered, that of Cameron Todd Wilingham. Some of the best arson investigators in the country (Hurst, DeHaan, and Beyler, among others) have looked at the Wilingham case and concluded that there was no indication of arson. How anyone can defend the death penalty given the execution of people on the basis of faulty evidence is a conundrum for me.

Thank you for bringing that up, because that's one of the cases that really pisses me off, and what really gets me was that one of the reasons they thought he was a satanist was because he had a Led Zepplin poster.

WTF?!!

Plus, his wife set him up, after he was almost granted a reprieve (commutation) from the DP by the governor.

I may be wrong about that last part, because I'm posting from memory and my memory isn't always that great.
 
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My statement is not false. I am talking about arguments being port forth in this thread.

Now, tell me why Richard Ramirez should not have been executed prompty...as opposed to his death 24 years later, while on death row?

Actually, he almost was lynched by a mob after his picture was spread all over the newspapers and TV.

Personally, I think they should've let them do it.
 
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He was executed. How do you feel about it?

One can shed no tears over the death or execution of a bad person and still be against the death penalty. It's not a contradiction.

The most compelling argument against the death penalty is that the justice system is not, and will never be, infallible. The death penalty creates the very real possibility of irreversible mistakes. Keeping that in mind, one can want Gacy dead, be glad he was executed, but still believe that in context of the bigger picture that we should not have the death penalty because the possibility of error outweighs the benefit of executing the Gacys of the world.

Even for cases with strong evidence. Because there is no way to non-subjectively classify cases into categories based on strength of evidence. It also means that we are saying some people's convictions are "well, we think they are guilty, but the evidence isn't strong enough for real confidence." Do you really want guilty verdicts to be on a spectrum?
 
I certainly didn't cry over it.

Now, let me ask you a question. Gary Ridgway was able to avoid the death penalty because he agreed to help give closure to the families of those he killed. I personally wished he had been strangled to death, but I can understand the reason he was able to avoid it.

What do you think about that?

By the way, he can still get the DP if he's proven guilty of other murders outside of King County.

So, can we just kill Ridgway tomorrow, by whatever means? Or are you against that?
 
a lead-pipe cinch

That conviction was in the early 80's, and did not rely on such things as modern DNA proof. Now, how exactly does that factor into a case like Gacy's?

How do you feel about Dahmer's execution?
In the James Earhart case, compositional bullet lead analysis was performed using inductively-coupled atomic emission spectrometry, also known as inductively coupled optical emission spectrometry. Sounds pretty sciency. The spectrometry part was actually sound, but the technique was riddled with assumptions that were no better than unprovable, and the testimony given by supposed experts was often misleading or wrong. How do you feel about that?
 
So, can we just kill Ridgway tomorrow, by whatever means? Or are you against that?

I doubt you'll be able to get near him, but if he's ever found guilty of another murder outside King County, I'll bet he gets the silver bullet, but then again, this is Washington State after all.

ETA: Personally, I'd rather see him shackled to a wall naked, and then have the family members of his victims whack him in the nuts with a lead pipe, but that's me.
 
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Todd Wilingham's wife's story

Plus, his wife set him up, after he was almost granted a reprieve (commutation) from the DP by the governor.

I may be wrong about that last part, because I'm posting from memory and my memory isn't always that great.
Her story changed over time, according to this link, which is similar to what gritsforbreakfast said.
 
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Her story changed over time, according to this link, which is similar to what gritsforbreakfast said.

(ignore, I skipped over the "her" in your post, sorry)

Wait a minute, that's not what it actually says:

Myth:

Willingham’s statements about the fire were inconsistent.

Facts:

• Willingham’s statements to law enforcement officials were remarkably consistent, even under intense interrogation, and remained consistent over the course of a decade. He always said he heard his daughter crying, woke up, tried to get his children but couldn’t, and exited the house.

• On one fact, Willingham changed his story. He admitted that he exaggerated having gone inside the babies’ room (he said he wanted to sound brave and feared that people would think he was a coward for not going into the burning room).
 
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Stacy Kuykendall's claims changed

Amy Strange,

Scroll down further in the story. I was referring to Stacy Kuykendall, Todd Wilingham's ex-wife, who at first said that he did not confess, then later said that he did.

"About Willingham’s ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even John Jackson (who prosecuted Willingham and steadfastly believes he was guilty) says: “She’s given very different stories about what happened on this particular day right up to the date of his execution…It’s hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didn’t say.”"

The host of the blog Gritsforbreakfast Scott Henson wrote, "I don't know which time Kuykendall was telling the truth or what was her motive when she didn't, but I know for sure it can't all be accurate."
 
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Amy Strange,

Scroll down further in the story. I was referring to Stacy Kuykendall, Todd Wilingham's ex-wife, who at first said that he did not confess, then later said that he did.

"About Willingham’s ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, even John Jackson (who prosecuted Willingham and steadfastly believes he was guilty) says: “She’s given very different stories about what happened on this particular day right up to the date of his execution…It’s hard for me to make heads or tails of anything she said or didn’t say.”"

The host of the blog Gritsforbreakfast Scott Henson wrote, "I don't know which time Kuykendall was telling the truth or what was her motive when she didn't, but I know for sure it can't all be accurate."

yeah, I saw that, but I skipped right over your "her" and thought it said "his", sorry, but I did add that to my post.

ETA: some of those comments (in the Grit's article) really make me sick, but I noticed you were in there giving all those "anonymous" posters the business. Good for you!
 
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No. Your logic is abysmal.

I shed no tears for murderers who are executed, but I am still against the death penalty.

You seem unable (or unwilling) to accept the fact that someone might disagree with the state having the power to do things, even if the result happens to favor their personal wants or desires at the time.

You would think a vaccinated person who is against mandates would understand.
 
It seems like you are still squirming around the question. Is the execution of Gacy an acceptable outcome, for you? Simple yes or no.

Even if one agrees that Gacy was ok you still have all the systemic issues: where do you draw the line and how do we insure we got it right.

Not worth the cost to me. Life in prison is easier to administer and no less punishment.
 
It seems like you are still squirming around the question. Is the execution of Gacy an acceptable outcome, for you? Simple yes or no.

It's interesting how you expect folks here to answer your questions, but you very rarely ever answer theirs.
 
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