Cruz gets Life in Prison. Parents are outraged.

[Mai72]

I'm surprised that no one created a thread about this.

Now, I'm not the one for the death pentaly in most cases. Except for extreme circumstances, and Nick should had gotten the death penalty. A messed up childhood? A mother addicted to drugs doesn't give someone the right to purchase an AR15, and shoot innocent people at a place of learning. If Nick doesn't get the death penalty for a crime like this, then why have it in the first place? This will create more of these monsters. They will look at this case, and it will give them the incentive to do harm onto others. And then claim insanity. Its not right.

Parkland trial: Nikolas Cruz spared death penalty, grieving parents react

The jury has reached a decision in Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz's death penalty case.

abcnews.go.com

 

[brycejones]

The death penalty is a failure as a deterrent.

 

[WelshBloke]

You make it sound like a lifetime imprisonment is a light punishment, its not.

 

[Pens1566]

Yeah, I'm not a death penalty guy but if there are situations that call for it, this is absolutely one of them. If it doesn't, then why have it at all. The next one of these will just say "oh, I have ADHD" and the result will be the same.

 

[ch33zw1z]

We already have a thread for this kid.

that being said, my vengeful side wants this kid to suffer, and life imprisonment may be just the thing.

there are plenty of people whose parents abused drugs while pregnant and aren’t mass murderers.

Definitely tough to swallow that as an excuse.

he didn’t spare any of his victims, he was their judge, jury, and executioner….so in this particular instance of the death penalty came down…my brain wouldn’t care too much me thinks.

 

[Commodus]

I'll be frank: the death penalty needs to be abolished.

I wouldn't exactly shed a tear for Cruz if he was executed, but his death wouldn't really accomplish anything even in cases like this. It would make the victims' families feel better for a brief while, and that's about it. And simply speaking, we're supposed to be better than this. Show that we're better by offering the basic mercy Cruz refused.

And like folks have said many times over, the death penalty isn't an effective deterrent. It's rarely used, and the appeals process can be drawn out over years. Mass shooters don't weigh potential sentencing before they go on a rampage. They're often mentally ill, terrorists or both; some even hope they'll be killed. Ironically, you're denying them what they want by keeping them alive in prison.

 

[dainthomas]

Yeah, I'm not a death penalty guy but if there are situations that call for it, this is absolutely one of them. If it doesn't, then why have it at all. The next one of these will just say "oh, I have ADHD" and the result will be the same.

Exactly, why have it at all. Look at the only other countries that do, and if we really want to emulate them.

 

[rommelrommel]

It would make the victims' families feel better for a brief while, and that's about it.

And only some. Not every victim wants death for the offender.

 

[hal2kilo]

Damn, I was hoping it was Ted.

 

[Jaskalas]

This will create more of these people. They will look at this case, and it will give them the incentive to do harm onto others. And claim insanity. Its not right.

The hell?
No psycho shooting up classrooms full of kids is going to look at this trial's sentencing and make a meaningful decision.

 

[Commodus]

And only some. Not every victim wants death for the offender.

Exactly. It's a placebo for people who think vengeance amounts to closure. It'll feel better for a while... and then they'll remember that their child or sibling still isn't coming back. They just added another fatality.

 

[J30_Uwe]

Well how about aborting him then?

 

[Dave_5k]

Oh darn, I thought this was about Rafael Cruz...

 

[brycejones]

Well how about aborting him then?

Oh damn you sure owned nobody with that dumb ass statement.

 

[fskimospy]

I will not be sad when this guy dies but the death penalty is stupid and we should get rid of it. It doesn't deter anyone, it doesn't make people feel better, it costs a ton of money, and it can't be taken back when the inevitable mistake occurs.

I would shorten 'if this guy doesn't get it, why have it?' to 'why have it?'

 

[Sunburn74]

Had he been black he'd have gotten it for sure.

 

[brycejones]

I will not be sad when this guy dies but the death penalty is stupid and we should get rid of it. It doesn't deter anyone, it doesn't make people feel better, it costs a ton of money, and it can't be taken back when the inevitable mistake occurs.

I would shorten 'if this guy doesn't get it, why have it?' to 'why have it?'

Personal story:

An aunt was raped and murdered in the late 70s and our family was outraged at the time when the Kansas Governor at the time vetoed a bill bringing back the death penalty. Ultimately 2 men were convicted (1 later had his conviction reversed and directed verdict entered by the state supreme court (very unusual)). The other one spent the rest of his life in prison. Ultimately most of our family, myself included changed our views on the death penalty and decided it was better he was wasting away in prison while the world moved on. We just put our efforts into showing up at parole hearings and doing what we could to make sure he never made it out of prison or was so old when he did he could really feel how his life had been wasted. He ended up dying in prison in late 2020.

 

[feralkid]

"I'm against the Death Penalty...except for when I'm for it."

 

[Sunburn74]

"I'm against the Death Penalty...except for when I'm for it."

Honestly there are fates way worse than death.

 

[HurleyBird]

I will not be sad when this guy dies but the death penalty is stupid and we should get rid of it. It doesn't deter anyone, it doesn't make people feel better, it costs a ton of money, and it can't be taken back when the inevitable mistake occurs.

I would shorten 'if this guy doesn't get it, why have it?' to 'why have it?'

Exactly. Some deserve to die, but I sure as hell don't trust the state, or any individual for that matter, to make that decision. In a perfect world we might say "OK, reserve the death penalty for only the most egregious transgressions, where there is not even a shadow of a doubt," which this case certainly falls into, and in principle I'd be fine with that. In practice unfortunately, assholes will water down both those conditions, the courts will slowly backslide, and innocents will be killed.

There is no ratio of just executions that can excuse even a single one that is unjust.

 

[Moonbeam]

Death penalty was averted by one jury holdout who claims she was threatened by someone else on the jury because of it.

Outrage over Nikolas Cruz verdict highlights a key issue with death penalty trials

Families oppose verdict from jury, even though it was screened with controversial ‘death qualification’ process. Josh Marcus reports

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Pens1566]

Had he been black he'd have gotten it for sure.

On site, immediately.

 

[fskimospy]

Exactly. Some deserve to die, but I sure as hell don't trust the state, or any individual for that matter, to make that decision. In a perfect world we might say "OK, reserve the death penalty for only the most egregious transgressions, where there is not even a shadow of a doubt," which this case certainly falls into, and in principle I'd be fine with that. In practice unfortunately, assholes will water down both those conditions, the courts will slowly backslide, and innocents will be killed.

There is no ratio of just executions that can excuse even a single one that is unjust.

Yes, it is shocking to see how many 'no shadow of a doubt' cases turn out to have shadows of doubt after all. I genuinely don't see what benefits it brings other than the public seems to like it for purposes of retribution.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

Add me to the abolish it list... A lifetime in prison... decades... that seems so much worse to me than death anyway. He's 24... all he can do is hope to be let loos the mortal coil early. Imagine having to pray for cancer.

 

[BoomerD]

I'm a strong supporter of the death penalty and think it's use should be expanded to include forcible rape, burglary, armed robbery, car-jacking, car theft, reposting on internet forums...

HOWEVER, life in prison isn't some kind of easy cake walk. Life for him, at best, will be difficult on a day-by-day basis...and might be short, depending on what prison he goes to, in gen-pop or not, how carefully the corrections officers watch him, etc.