Jury finds Terry Nichols Guilty of 161 Murder Counts

[goblue420]

death is the easy way out, make him sufffer, i vote for life in prison

n

 

[EagleKeeper]

I have no problem with the verdit or what penalty that is handed down.

It is just the manipulation that was shown in both Nichols and McViegh trials by the Fed Government and the collusion with the OK state government.

I see the Nichols being a selective procescution by the Feds in order to allow a second chance by the state.

It was demonstrated that the Feds were so eager to nail McViegh that they suppressed evidence.
What is to say taht the same has not happended for Nichols in both the Fed and state courts.

The decision was made at the higest levels to nail him at any cost of justice and/or fairness.

 

[conjur]

What would putting him to death serve? Did killing McVeigh cause people to stop committing crimes?

The death penalty, as a deterrent, just isn't effective in its current state. The appeals process can drag things out for years, even decades. A person could die of natural causes before the injection/chair. In the meantime, taxpayers are footing the bill for the drawn-out appeals process and extra costs of housing a death-row inmate.

I dunno...killing Nichols will put him into the forgotten halls of our collective memory eventually but if he doesn't waive the appeals, as did McVeigh, that may take a long time.

Putting him in jail for life w/no parole he'll be forgotten sooner.

Which is better for justice?

Which is better for the families?

 

[TripleAAA]

I think putting him to death does several things, but just to name a few:

1. Gives "some" victim's families an ultimate sense of justice.

2. Saves taxpayers money from supporting someone who will be in prison the rest of his life.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: TripleAAA
I think putting him to death does several things, but just to name a few:

1. Gives "some" victim's families an ultimate sense of justice.

2. Saves taxpayers money from supporting someone who will be in prison the rest of his life.

As for #2, he was already going to spend the rest of his life in prison, before the trial even started, because of his federal conviction. The state of Oklahoma spent at least $5M to take him to trial, more money than it will cost to retain him in prison for life.

As for #1, that is a more complex question. In general I don't think executions provide the "sense of justice" to victims' families that they expect or want. That said, this case touched literally thousands of lives, because of the vast number of victims, and since I am not in their shoes I can't pretend to understand their perspectives. As I said above, this is why it becomes hard to argue about whether the death penalty is right or wrong in the context of particular cases.