Despite victim's efforts, attacker executed

[Luzah]

This was an interesting read for me. I don't recall the last time I ever seen a victim of a crime such as this, ask for a stay of execution. I do understand that his judgement was because of the other two people he actually murdered, but I just don't read about this sort of story every day, you know?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43832208/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

The state of Texas executed convicted murderer Mark Stroman on Wednesday after rejecting the last move in a campaign to spare his life by a survivor of the former meth addict’s Sept. 11-inspired shooting spree.

Stroman was given a lethal injection of drugs and pronounced dead at 8:53 p.m. local time, Michelle Lyons, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman, said.

"The Lord Jesus Christ be with me," Stroman said, according to Lyons. "I am at peace. Hate is going on in this world, and it has to stop. One second of hate will cause a lifetime of pain. I'm still a proud American. Texas loud, Texas proud. God bless America, God bless everyone."

Dallas resident Rais Bhuiyan, one of three men shot by Stroman in 2001 — and the sole survivor — had lobbied for months for Texas to commute Stroman’s death penalty in favor of a life sentence without parole. The 37-year-old tech professional argued that his Muslim faith calls on him to forgive and seek mercy for Stroman, 41.

He made an unprecedented argument early Wednesday in an Austin court based on the Texas Victims Bill of Rights, requesting a stay of execution so that he can pursue his right to mediation with the offender — a move that could have postponed Stroman’s execution for months or even years.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the argument, but a late state court appeal by Bhuiyan in Austin delayed the execution, local media reported, citing The Associated Press.

The last-minute lawsuit — naming Gov. Rick Perry as a plaintiff — was an ironic twist on the state law, as “victims’ rights” are often invoked to justify harsh penalties for offenders.
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“Plaintiff strongly desires mediation and reconciliation, and has for a long time,” the legal complaint said, alleging that the state never informed Bhuiyan of this right. “(His) own ability to reach a cathartic point in his own recovery depends very much on his being able to make full efforts to help Mark Stroman to reach his full potential, and to overcome the very negative lessons that he was taught as a child. … This will inevitable be a process that will take time."

 

[Wanescotting]

This was an interesting read for me. I don't recall the last time I ever seen a victim of a crime such as this, ask for a stay of execution. I do understand that his judgement was because of the other two people he actually murdered, but I just don't read about this sort of story every day, you know?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43832208/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

What is the problem? He was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death. So his beliefs should interfere with our justice system? I think not.

 

[Luzah]

Nooooo no. I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that this was an interesting read because I don't recall the last time I've ever seen a victim (in this particular case, one of the victims) lobby for the attacker in a crime such as this. I'm not disagreeing with the sentencing at all.

 

[Craig234]

The Kennedy family asked for Sirhan Sirhan not be executed because they said Robert Kennedy would not have wanted him to be, and were ignored by the court.

 

[Kadarin]

Sounds like job well done on the part of Texas.

 

[Sephire]

Is he . . . . . oh.

Justice prevails.

 

[EagleKeeper]

There were two others that were actually killed; that is the reason for the execution.

Publicity hounds like to overlook that fact.

 

[ichy]

There were two others that were actually killed; that is the reason for the execution.

Publicity hounds like to overlook that fact.

Yup. Notice how the media never actually interviewed the families of the people he killed.

I generally roll my eyes when people complain of "media bias," but the way that most news sources cover the death penalty is laughably one-sided.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

The Kennedy family asked for Sirhan Sirhan not be executed because they said Robert Kennedy would not have wanted him to be, and were ignored by the court.

The wishes of the victim really have nothing at all to do with the court system. A victim can't "not press charges" or any of that other bs.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I thought it was understood that in Texas they execute the retarded.

 

[CRXican]

screw that, the other two people died

 

[Texashiker]

This did not even make the local news (southeast Texas), probably because nobody cares.

In Texas, we have an assembly line going to the death chamber. The gears of the machine can not be stopped.

On a side note, if I would have know about this execution, I would have cooked steak last night and had a beer.

 

[ShawnD1]

On a side note, if I would have know about this execution, I would have cooked steak last night and had a beer.

Things in the news affect the way you eat? Now I'm curious how heavy you are.

 

[Texashiker]

Now I'm curious how heavy you are.

I am about 20 pounds over my ideal weight.

 

[ichy]

In Texas, we have an assembly line going to the death chamber. The gears of the machine can not be stopped.

Sadly that's not true. In 2009 a mere nine people were sent to death row in Texas. The average murderer in TX faces only a tiny risk of being executed.

 

[Texashiker]

Sadly that's not true. In 2009 a mere nine people were sent to death row in Texas.

Nine? Thats it? What happened?

There was once a time when Texas was killing 2 a day. This is what happens when we elect sissy politicians into office.

We need to get some kind of assembly line going and get those people off the public dole.

 

[ichy]

It has more to do with a broken judicial system that turns every DP case into a decade-long legal farce.

 

[preslove]

It has more to do with a broken judicial system that turns every DP case into a decade-long legal farce.

This has more to do with a broken judicial system that tends to send innocent people to death row.

 

[Texashiker]

This has more to do with a broken judicial system that tends to send innocent people to death row.

I disagree, its up to the jury to decide the fate of the accused. If anyone is to blame, its the people that serve on the jury.

The only thing that might be broken, is the people jumping to conclusions without giving all of the evidence a careful consideration.

The people that say our legal system is broken, are probably the same ones that try to get out of jury duty. Its a double standard that is applied by self-serving hypocrites. Not trying to say that preslove is a hypocrite. But a lot of people try to get out of jury duty, then complain that the system is broke.

 

[preslove]

I disagree, its up to the jury to decide the fate of the accused. If anyone is to blame, its the people that serve on the jury.

The only thing that might be broken, is the people jumping to conclusions without giving all of the evidence a careful consideration.

The people that say our legal system is broken, are probably the same ones that try to get out of jury duty. Its a double standard that is applied by self-serving hypocrites. Not trying to say that preslove is a hypocrite. But a lot of people try to get out of jury duty, then complain that the system is broke.

No.

It tends to be police and prosecutorial malfeasance that is to blame.

 

[Texashiker]

It tends to be police and prosecutorial malfeasance that is to blame.

Your saying that the police and prosecutor miss-lead the jury to get a guilty verdict?

 

[highland145]

Your saying that the police and prosecutor miss-lead the jury to get a guilty verdict?

And he has legitimate stats to back his claims up.

 

[ShawnD1]

Your saying that the police and prosecutor miss-lead the jury to get a guilty verdict?

That does happen quite a bit, and it's not accidental. When the prosecutor has some inconvenient fact like the defendant was already in jail while one of the crimes occurred, he'll just sweep that under the rug and not say anything even though it's 100% proof that the person on trial didn't do it.

That lawyer guy on the show Dexter was an interesting character because that really is the way some prosecutors operate. It doesn't matter how many rules they bend as long as "bad people" are in jail. Sometimes that means putting a guy in for murder just because he's a known thief. Sometimes it's nothing more than racism.