Parkland, Nikolas Cruz, and the Death Penalty

[Estro Felino]

I am against the death penalty.
And I am convinced this young person must have a disrupted soul, that needs healing.
If it were possible, I'd ask the State of Florida to extradite him to my country, since I am understanding the problem is that Floridans won't use their taxpayers' money to sponsor this life sentence...right?

 

[YoursTrue]

Nope. Mitigating circumstances don't change the verdict, just the sentence.

OK, so let me understand something. Someone like Cruz is not less guilty, he just isn't put to death because of mitigating circumstances after killing so many people, but rather given life in prison.

 

[YoursTrue]

I am against the death penalty.
And I am convinced this young person must have a disrupted soul, that needs healing.
If it were possible, I'd ask the State of Florida to extradite him to my country, since I am understanding the problem is that Floridans won't use their taxpayers' money to sponsor this life sentence...right?

whatchoo mean? Naturally this person is demented, his thought process in many ways has been terribly injured. But then so have others been affected with internal and external pressures, affecting their thinking, or lack of it. So?

 

[YoursTrue]

Nope. Mitigating circumstances don't change the verdict, just the sentence.

So do you think letting him live was an act of mercy because they felt sorry for him?

 

[Estro Felino]

whatchoo mean? Naturally this person is demented, his thought process in many ways has been terribly injured. But then so have others been affected with internal and external pressures, affecting their thinking, or lack of it. So?

Criminologists would like to study his case...I think psychiatrists and psychologists would be thrilled to try to figure out what is the profound cause of his gesture.

 

[YoursTrue]

OK, g'nite guys, maybe talk to you all later...Be safe, sleep safe, and hope for the best.

 

[Heyo]

So do you think letting him live was an act of mercy because they felt sorry for him?

I hope their feelings had little to do with their recommendation. Applying rationality and the rules for mitigation are all that is needed for it.

 

[YoursTrue]

Criminologists would like to study his case...I think psychiatrists and psychologists would be thrilled to try to figure out what is the profound cause of his gesture.

Um, I did say goodnight, but this post got me. I am curious how a person thinks. From my experience, many people, if not all, are reluctant (maybe more than reluctant, in other words, no matter who is asking) to tell their thought process. I surely can't figure it out and I can't figure why ANYONE would plot to kill someone. There is only one reason I can figure someone like that would do it -- because their conscience did not overtake their desire to kill. Some, as we know, kill randomly. He did it out of hatred. But the idea of killing anyone by premeditation is something that comes to mind, such as Cain killing Abel. Naturally an account few believe but I do. And interestingly, Cain was WARNED by God that sin was crouching by him. But Cain's hatred and jealousy of his brother caused him to go ahead with his wicked desire to kill him. Cain could have asked God for help, and there is no doubt in my mind that God would have helped him. But he did not.
OK, goodnight again.

 

[YoursTrue]

I hope their feelings had little to do with their recommendation. Applying rationality and the rules for mitigation are all that is needed for it.

Well, seems the families weren't too interesting in "rationality." The whole thing is a terrible, terrible horrible travesty. OK, g'night again.

 

[YoursTrue]

I hope their feelings had little to do with their recommendation. Applying rationality and the rules for mitigation are all that is needed for it.

As I understand it and I could be wrong, even if 11 jurors wanted the death penalty but 1 did not, the death penalty is not imposed. I don't add rationality into it. Or "rules for mitigation." So let's see -- if a person wants to kill someone, buys a gun, for example, and takes drugs and alcohol before a murder, that could be grounds for mitigation, if someone wanted to believe such, right? (Another reason why I would not be on a jury, thanks for mentioning that, by the way.)
OK -- THIS TIME I'M SAYING GOODNIGHT for real

 

[Heyo]

Um, I did say goodnight, but this post got me.

 

[Mister Emu]

I'm against the death penalty in totality. It's barbaric to unnecessarily end a life, any life, even the most guilty.

 

[Estro Felino]

I have listened to De Santis' speech.
I have been following this case for years and
1) The defendant pled guilty (cooperated with justice)
2) The defendant has been showing repentance all the time
3) The defendant has obviously a disrupted soul, and we need to ascertain his motives

To conclude, this person surely deserve a life sentence with no possibility of parole (because of the irreparable damage) but death penalty is incompatible with the case.

 

[sayak83]

From the NPR article: A jury recommends life in prison for Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz

Speaking to the press after the verdict, family members of the victims expressed anger and frustration.

"I am disgusted with our legal system. I am disgusted with those jurors," said Ilan Alhadeff, the father of victim Alyssa Alhadeff. "That you can allow 17 dead and 17 others shot and wounded and not give the death penalty. What do we have the death penalty for? What is the purpose of it? You set a precedent today. You set a precedent for the next mass killing, that nothing happens to you. You'll get life in jail. I'm sorry – that is not OK. As a country we need to stand up and say that's not OK!"

"I pray that that animal suffers every day of his life in jail. And he should have a short life," Alhadeff added.

Cruz carried out the massacre on Valentine's Day in 2018. He was 19 at the time, and had been expelled from the school. He entered a school building through an unlocked side door and used an AR-15-style rifle to kill 14 students and three staff members, as well as wound 17 others.​

Hence the poll ...

The poll is complicated. I am not in support of death penalty unless the person is an existential threat to the state (eg. A Hitler or Pol Pot). But this being US..I wonder if a Latino or African American man did the same thing would the jury still give the same judgement? Justice is not justice if there is no uniformity for given crime.

 

[Estro Felino]

The poll is complicated. I am not in support of death penalty unless the person is an existential threat to the state (eg. A Hitler or Pol Pot). But this being US..I wonder if a Latino or African American man did the same thing would the jury still give the same judgement? Justice is not justice if there is no uniformity for given crime.

Considering that OJ Simpson got away with murder and now is free...yes.

 

[Sedim Haba]

I hope he ends like Dahmer

 

[Glaurung]

In my view, a person who murders fourteen people in a premediated mass shooting has forfeited the right to their life. I have no moral qualm with a society that sends such people to the noose. I reject the notion that a mass shooter covered in innocent blood has an unconditional right to life. In my view, there is a line beyond which you forfeit such moral considerations. A line beyond which you forfeit the chance for redemption.

 

[Estro Felino]

In my view, a person who murders fourteen people in a premediated mass shooting has forfeited the right to their life. I have no moral qualm with a society that sends such people to the noose. I reject the notion that a mass shooter covered in innocent blood has an unconditional right to life. In my view, there is a line beyond which you forfeit such moral considerations. A line beyond which you forfeit the chance for redemption.

You are a Catholic, right?
I think it is God who will condemn sinners. It's not up to us mortals decide about the life and death of a person, no matter of how evil they are.
In fact there are people whom I consider Satanic, diabolical, demoniac...and so on. That harm world economy so much, not to mention world peace.
I want these people to be healthy and to to have a serene, painless death.
It's God who will have the task to send them to Inferno, if He wants to.

 

[sayak83]

Considering that OJ Simpson got away with murder and now is free...yes.

One canary does not make a spring...
Here is an extensive investigative report showing blacks and Latinos consistently get harsher sentences and worse plea based reductions to sentencing for similar crimes than comparable whites
Racial Disparity in Sentencing

 

[ImmortalFlame]

In my view, a person who murders fourteen people in a premediated mass shooting has forfeited the right to their life. I have no moral qualm with a society that sends such people to the noose. I reject the notion that a mass shooter covered in innocent blood has an unconditional right to life. In my view, there is a line beyond which you forfeit such moral considerations. A line beyond which you forfeit the chance for redemption.

You can agree with everything you just said while still not believing the death penalty as a state-sanctioned punishment for breaking certain laws is ethical. To say "person x doesn't deserve to live" or "the world would be better if a person who did x no longer lived in it" does not necessarily conflict with the statement "I believe the state should not have the right to put people to death" or "the death penalty as a criminal punishment is not justified".