Letter: Execute convicted murderers

When will the excuses for not enforcing the death penalty ever end? The latest argument is how much pain there will be for the inmate — will it be quick enough, will it be cruel and inhumane? The three chemical formula became a cause of concern; then the type of chemical was questioned. The newest chemical is one dose of pentobarbital.

On Thursday, Feb. 7, federal Judge James Brady ruled that there was not enough known about this latest drug and postponed the execution of Christopher Sepulvado, who has been on death row for 21 years for murdering his 6-year-old stepson.

Gary Clements, director of the Capital Post Conviction Project of Louisiana, continues to waste taxpayers dollars on trumped up appeals for these murders who have a safe haven in Angola where they are cared for as well, if not better, than our loved ones in nursing homes. Our death row prisoners get meals of home-grown vegetables, beef raised on their farm and all the comforts many homeless do not have. Derrick Todd Lee has had a medical procedures, all at taxpayers expense. How can we be so blinded by this charade? The “scales of justice” have tipped so far they no longer balance, and the victim is no longer the consideration.

Imagine how much pain, fear and trauma each victim incurred. Shouldn’t this enter into the equation? Unless you have lost a loved one to a murder, you have no idea of the pain and suffering of these victims. This pain and suffering spills over to their families who struggle with a system of justice that has not kept pace with the technology of criminal investigations and now the science of forensics, which gives us the infallible science of DNA.

Anyone convicted with DNA evidence should have a limited time period for appeals. After all, the reason for the long wait on death row was to protect the innocent when eyewitnesses and fingerprints were the dependable crime fighting and conviction tools.

We in Louisiana should follow the lead of Texas and California and imitate their death row convictions. The death penalty is a deterrent to crime. The problem is we don’t enforce it; we let our inmates take up space in our overcrowded jails at the expense of the taxpayers.

Why can’t we see what a waste of funds Louisiana doesn’t have. Just look at the rising death statistics in Baton Rouge and other major cities based on crime. Don’t you think it’s time to do away with incarceration of murders for at least 20 plus years? Wake up Louisiana and do the right thing!

Lynne Marino

retired administrative assistant

Gonzales

Comments

1) Comment by prbeav - 25/02/2013

beabea, it is clear to me: We the People according to the preamble to the US Constitution have RESPONSIBILITY for first degree murderers. What shall We the People do: support them for life or execute them? I vote to execute.>>>>Second, given the RESPONSIBILITY to nourish trial lawyers and judges or perfect the law, what shall we do? I vote to perfect the law; use the gift of DNA and find more technical improvements. Foremost, reform the practice of law.

2) Comment by Duckyluve - 25/02/2013

What amazes me is that some people are so concerned about a cold blooded killer. The killer had no compassion for their victims and so we shouldn't have any for the killer. Bring back the electric chair.

3) Comment by beabea - 24/02/2013

The biggest thing I learned from this letter and from the exchange that followed was to consider what the death penalty process means for the victim's family, after rightfully getting my hand slapped for not realizing this letter had been written by someone whose own child was murdered. But if as HRoark suggests, we can't just let the government kill people without a rigorous appeals process to serve as a check on that power, then grieving families being dragged through this ordeal is going to be the inevitable result. When I say that I think the death penalty is barbaric, people seem to automatically assume I'm just talking about what it means for the killer. No. We have to think about what this process does to everyone involved, from the people whose job it is to carry out the execution, to the victim's family, to society as a whole. Is seeing the killer put to death, worth the psychological, social, and economic price that must be paid in order for that to happen?

4) Comment by HRoark - 24/02/2013

My opinion is not that the system is "too far gone," but rather that state sponsored killing should not be a part of our system. And we absolutely should be concerned what other governments do in the sense that we can learn what they do that creates a progressive global society, and avoid what they do to promote barbarianism and tribalism. Capital punishment has absolutely no deterrent effect on violent crime. Check the stats in countries without capital punishment, then examine the countries that do and decide your preference. As a society we do suffer terrible angst over the prospect of killing someone, and lawyers are the beneficiaries of our collective efforts to avoid doing it until the system runs it's course. We face a dubious choice of chopping their heads off immediately and killing a lot of innocent people or hiring lawyers and spending a lot of money while the condemned are in death row dungeons. I'm not a strong believer in rehabilitating recidivist criminals, serial killers and the like, then turning them loose. But we could save a lot of money and just keep killers off the streets, make live miserable for them, and avoid the legal fees...and angst.

5) Comment by prbeav - 24/02/2013

I think the exchange of opinion made possible by this forum is wonderful. It gives us all a chance to exchange heartfelt opinion in the absence of the objective truth. I am for perfecting the death-penalty practice, recognizing that we need huge reform.>>>>One of the biggest problems I see is that the legal system, I suspect lawyers, has made victims of 1) criminal's victims, 2) criminals, and 3) taxpayers, respectively.>>>>I hold the opinion that We the People could solve the legal problem. Perhaps Chem and HRoark hold the opinion that the system is too far gone to be fixed. I am not impressed at all with the opinions of foreign nations, but the opinions of fellow US citizens mean a lot to me, and I do not want to discourage anyone from expressing their blunt opinion, however they express it.

6) Comment by MBW - 24/02/2013

Sadly some of the most blood-thirsty people are the so-called "pro- life" Christians. Nevermind that the Bible has DOZENS of passages about forgiveness either.

7) Comment by On_The_Fence - 24/02/2013

“Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.” ---Macbeth ... Bless You, Mrs. Marino.

8) Comment by chem - 24/02/2013

On_The_Fence: That is all well and good, but SHE chose to put her opinion in the paper for all to see, so she is open to comment just like anyone else, including me and HRoark. If someone does not want any comments to his/her opinion, then it is a simple matter to keep the opinion private. She no more deserves a pass than my comments deserve a pass.

9) Comment by On_The_Fence - 24/02/2013

OR chem and HRoark, we could just allow, just this once, to let a grieving Mother have her say in a LTTE without argument from you.Perhaps your own LTTE would satisfy your apparent need to validate your opinions vs a Mother's need to vent her understandable distress and frustrations. Again, my heartfelt condolences to Lee's countless victims.

10) Comment by chem - 24/02/2013

While there are certainly people that in cold blood seek out others to murder, torture and rape, most murders are done in the heat of the moment. So to say that we as a society should sit back and cooly murder a person in the name of the state is to put ourselves in the same group as the Derrick Todd Lee's of the world. Not something I find very inspiring. Certainly nothing of which to be proud. The death penalty, like all public policy, should not be based on anything religious. Most of the stuff in religion is utterly ridiculous, outdated, and barbaric. The religious model is one of pure revenge. Again not something for which civil, intelligent should aspire. If the current trends continue, religion will be a relic of the past and no longer a danger to a modern, civilized society. And as I said before, the death penalty is slowly going the way of other anachronistic laws and will one day soon, be gone from our society.

11) Comment by HRoark - 24/02/2013

"not unlikely (sic)"...obviously meant "not likely"

12) Comment by HRoark - 24/02/2013

I wish we could begin to enter the civilized world, be less like Saudi Arabia, and stop state murder of criminals. I suppose that is not unlikely as long as Christians fail to recognize the utter hypocrisy and totally un-Christian behavior of saving the precious fetuses and declaring the death penalty as appropriate punishment for evil doers. Come on folks if you're going to support killing someone, at least recognize it as a practical way of eliminating people, not punishing them. Same as abortion. Read your commandments if you're going to insight the Old Testament. That particular one about not killing is not conditional. Until a rewritten version makes it to the mainstream Christian denominations, the death penalty is in violation.

13) Comment by old yat - 24/02/2013

Hey Twinkie: Please give it a rest!! Derrick Todd Lee is an animal, a predator and a convicted killer.I am a Christian and not fond of the death penalty,however in this case which has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt,I would gladly throw the switch on this animal.Ms.Lynne, I pray for you and Ed often and hope that one day soon justice will be served.As for the naysayers,unless you have lost a child of your own you will never, ever know the pain that loss brings.I can tell you first hand,I would not wish that pain on anyone.God bless you both,Ms.Lynne&Ed, you will always remain in my thoughts and prayers!!!

14) Comment by Duckyluve - 24/02/2013

If DNA proves they comitted the murder they should be executed by the end of that week. Why wait? If you stoop to taking a life that makes you an animal and do not deserve to be left alive

15) Comment by On_The_Fence - 24/02/2013

Lee's actions were not "in the heat of the moment". His actions were not self-defense. Lee's actions were cold, calculated and heinous. Lee killed for pleasure- his own. We now serve him. I object. My greatest condolences to Mrs. Marino and all the mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and friends of Lee's VICTIMS.

16) Comment by twinkie1cat - 24/02/2013

Capital punishment, along with excessive prison sentences, is a red mark against America and the states that still have them, right up there with slavery.

17) Comment by twinkie1cat - 24/02/2013

Whatnow: You also think most of the problems of the schools are caused by the teachers. The lawyers do what they are trained and hired to do.

18) Comment by twinkie1cat - 23/02/2013

BigHug: Why do conservatives always talk about Old Testament, law related religion instead of the New Testament. Jesus did away with the law and brought in forgiveness and salvation by grace, not works. The Old Testament is finished, no longer in effect and the reason we no longer do animal sacrifices to atone for our sin. I go to church every Sunday and I do read the Bible, by the way. In fact, sometimes I read the Bible in front of the church. Reading aloud is a gift God gave me. I thank God for it as one of the ways I serve God. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> prbeav: Jesus says that those who believe on him have eternal life. He also forgave the thief on the cross next to him and told him that he would be with Jesus in Paradise that day. So we do know that much and more about the supreme being. And NO God does not keep score because all sins are equal to God and demonstrations of our difficulties in being in relationship (not religion, people create religion) with Jesus Christ. All our sins were, however, forgiven with the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are good because we belong to God. We do not be good in order to belong to God.

19) Comment by maybe_sparrow - 23/02/2013

When will the excuses end? They aren't excuses and they won't end. Much of the rest of the world has accepted that capital punishment is barbaric. The U.S. is slow to learn but we will eventually.

20) Comment by beabea - 23/02/2013

Ms. Marino did not say in her letter whether she personally suffered the murder of a loved one, but if she did then I offer her my sincere sympathies and my apology for the tone of my first comment at the bottom of this thread. But if that is in fact the case then I think we can read her letter as an example of the needless suffering we impose on victims’ families by having a death penalty, because as frustrating and as nonsensical as the appeals process may appear to be, it is necessary given the finality and error-prone nature of this form of punishment. The prosecutors who seek the death penalty, and the judges who impose it, are just fallible human beings. They are also elected officials and thus subject to political influence and pressure. So if we are going to entrust them with these life-or-death decisions, do we really want them to do it more quickly and cheaply? Why not life imprisonment without possibility of parole, and just be done with it? Consider how much the level of scrutiny and appeals can be reduced when you take out of the equation, the part about government killing a citizen. What more is to be gained by executing the convicted murderer? Certainly not cost savings, and certainly not deterrence— and those are not statements of opinion, they are checkable facts so you don’t have to take my word for it. But despite all the facts telling us this system doesn't work, that it just costs society a lot of money and imposes needless suffering on the victims’ families, we press on—until finally the day arrives when the family can witness the execution of the person who took their loved one. And then what? Closure? Closure of what? Their loved one is still gone. Is most of the closure from the blessed relief of having the painful death penalty process finally being over? In that case, that is suffering that we as a society have inflicted on the family by having a death penalty in the first place. Of those who would say that if you murder my loved one, I deserve revenge—I would ask whether a revenge-seeking form of justice is really the hallmark of a civilized society. And for those who say that if there is DNA evidence, then case closed, end of story, execute immediately—I would remind them that DNA evidence cannot conclusively prove guilt, it can only conclusively prove innocence. Even the best DNA science can’t tell us for sure who did it, only for sure who did not. So the appeals process will still be necessary—as long as we are a society that cares about at least trying to get it right if we are going to allow the government to kill someone. So if we don’t want to put the families through this suffering, and society to this cost, we have to get rid of the death penalty.

21) Comment by chem - 23/02/2013

What the bloodthirsty crowd does not see, or more likely, refuses to acknowledge, is that they are no better than the person convicted of murder. Just because the state-sanctioned killing of an individual is cloaked in the supposed civility of law and a trial does not change the fact that someone is being murdered --- again. Given the travesties of justice that have happened in the past, and the current corruption in our "justice" system, it is not worth the risk of putting an innocent person to death just to pacify some barbaric notion of "justice." The death penalty must go. And like it or not, the time is fast approaching when that will happen in this country. More and more states are putting and end to that inhumane, barbaric practice.

22) Comment by Bighug - 23/02/2013

twinkie1cat, you should read your Bible. It is amazing how many Christians seem to have no inkling of what it teaches. Do you not understand what "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" means? We can all be thankful that we don't have to live under a government that uses the Bible as a guide for its laws. Well, at least until the Tea Party takes over.

23) Comment by HerbF - 23/02/2013

It's much cheaper to keep them in jail for life, than it is to execute them. A death sentence is followed by lengthly appeals which are very expensive and remove the execution from the time of the offense. So, I'm for eliminating the death sentence. Why should we let them cost us more money? They've done enough already. The threat to society is eliminated either way.

24) Comment by prbeav - 23/02/2013

"I am a Christian and I know what happens next.">>>>If there is a supreme being, I wonder how it responds to such arbitrary usurpation of its omniscience. Does it object? How? Does it keep score? In the entire evolution of humankind, has anyone or any institution accurately described THE supreme being? Or is it as it seems--they merely created an intellectual construct. Should people who claim to know the afterdeath, that vast time after their body stops functioning, have any doubt or fear? My position on all this is: I do not know and my life is better when I admit to myself and THE supreme being: I do not know what I do not know.>>>>As a contributor to We the People--citizens who would accept the US Constitution's gift of governance by the governed according to seven secular goals (see the preamble)--I support perfecting the death penalty.

25) Comment by prbeav - 23/02/2013

Louisiana should listen to Ms Marino's arguments and respond. Update to the certainty of DNA and expedite executions. Revise the appeals process accordingly.>>>>Here's only one supporting evidence, taking reports from Wikipedia: He was linked by DNA to the deaths of seven women in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas in Louisiana, and in 2004 was convicted of the murders of Geralyn DeSoto and Charlotte Murray Pace. Newspapers have suggested Lee can be linked to other unsolved murders in the area, but the police lacked DNA evidence to prove these connections.>>>>>First, there is no excuse for delay in this DNA confirmed case. Second, execution is more certain to stop this killer's murders than incarceration could be.>>>>We have DNA and We the People should update the legal system accordingly and continue to improve the certainty and reduce the cost of the death penalty.

26) Comment by nimby? - 23/02/2013

that it costs more to execute someone than feed , house and care for them for 30,40,50 years suggests something ain't right ...

27) Comment by twinkie1cat - 23/02/2013

The question should be, "When will we do away with the death penalty". In a nation where the majority of people consider themselves Christian and in a state where even the dominant church opposes execution, why do we even still have it? All the death penalty does is give the victim's family its revenge, which the Bible says, belongs to God. So they are as sinful as the killer. In addition, what if our state kills someone who later turns out to have been innocent? Are we going to remain as backward as Gov. Rick Perry of Texas who said during his, gratefully, short campaign that killing an innocent person does not bother him? I maintain that, unless the prisoner specifically asks to be executed instead of spending his life in torment at Angola, that state murder should cease. Personally, I would prefer it. But then I am a Christian and I know what happens next.

28) Comment by Whatnow - 23/02/2013

I'm with you, tradewinns. Also, if DNA is proven, there should be no delay in the death penalty. Most of the problems in this country are caused by the lawyers.

29) Comment by tradewinns - 23/02/2013

i am very tired of hearing terms like "developed world", "civilized world". exactly who are you to state your system of government or to whatever you attribute those words, is the best or highest form? just because it's yours means nothing! as far as the cost of the DP vs. life in prison, thats is an anomality. the reason the cost of pursuing the DP is so high is due to the tactics of lawyers. lawyers (almost all of them) are PAID (usually by the taxpayer) to "WORK" each case as much as possible, and they do not work cheaply. just for your edification, the U.S. supreme court has already ruled that the death penalty does NOT have to be pain free. so why is that still being pursued? cause it pays the lawyer to do it. hanging is still a viable alternative to the "go to sleep" death, lets restore it and make it the national method of execution.

30) Comment by swinham - 23/02/2013

Ms. Marino has a deeply personal reason for her position and anybody who has a heart feels for her loss, but the death penalty is not much of a deterrent, a lifetime of incarceration is, and some of her statements about California and Texas are perplexing. Although California has more inmates on death row than any other state, they have only executed 13 people since 1976, when the death penalty was re-instituted and none since 2006. Texas has executed 480 inmates during that same period, primarily because of a more conservative court system and a large death row population. The fact is the appeals process costs an average of over $2 million per inmate, enough to house a prisoner for 40 years even if the average over the next 40 years was $50,000 per year (It's hard to project the future cost, but it presently costs around half that amount in Louisiana state prisons). As Ms. Marino knows, the appeals process is MANDATORY, not discretionary. So, despite what personal satisfaction/closure victims may derive from individual executions, the death penalty is extremely costly and doesn't really make sense..

31) Comment by chem - 23/02/2013

The most glaring problem with the death penalty is its finality. Look at the number of people who have been acquitted of crimes since the advent of DNA testing. Some of those people were on death row. Innocent people have been executed, but I guess that's agreeable to the "law and order" types. So someone commits a senseless act of murder and we, as "civilized" people, are supposed to respond in kind. We are to be as barbaric as the criminal. The death penalty has never been a deterrent, despite those that claim it would be if we would only murder people on a regular, swift basis. When the state murdered people in years gone by, before all of the appeals, there were still murders being committed. Most murders are done in the heat of the moment, during which no one stops to think about the consequences. I can think of nothing so barbaric and cruel then to be convicted of something for which one is innocent. And it is even worse when one is sentenced to be murdered by the state. The death penalty simply needs to go away. It is a barbaric, anachronistic punishment that has long outlived its supposed usefulness.

32) Comment by [e-mail] - 23/02/2013

Keeping condemned people on death row waiting to die for years seems more painful than a minute of possible pain. I know that man's tendency is to cling to life, and that is as it should be, but if we're going to do it then we should go ahead and do it.

33) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 23/02/2013

Im sorry beabea, did you just imply its cheaper to house convicted murderers for life than it is to execute them? You obviously have no idea how much you pay per day to keep trash alive. Im sure they appreciate you feeding them three well balanced daily meals and providing them with free healthcare all for killing your neighbor in cold blood. Its nice to see people like yourself who are so concerned about the comfort of our nations killers and don't want to see them hurt. You are such a sweet kind loving soul. Hopefully one day one of these genuinely good hearted killers dont stab you and your family to steal your wallet, but if they do, lets use this post as your legacy and desire to not harm them in any way. After all, they are Americans and don't deserve it. Well stated!

34) Comment by Attila - 23/02/2013

Beabea is probably ignorant of the fact that Mrs. Marino lost a daughter to Derrek Todd Lee. His guilt was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt and she is still waiting for closure. God bless you Mrs. Marino, I hope that some of your pain will be lifted as soon as possible.

35) Comment by Bighug - 23/02/2013

Why not just once and for all certify a method and stop having judges contest it? Same reason for many of our laws, it allows judges, attorneys, police, prison workers, etc. to stay employed. If the judge in this case was ruling on a hanging, he would probably want the rope to be made from organically grown hemp. One advantage of capital punishment, beabea, is the low rate of recidivism.

36) Comment by beabea - 22/02/2013

Ms. Marino evidently wants the government to be able to kill its own citizens much more quickly and expeditiously. If she is indeed concerned about "wasting funds," she should consider how much more costly capital punishment is, than is life imprisonment without parole. The United States is almost alone in the developed world in still using this barbaric form of punishment, and despite our use of the death penalty, we still also have one of the world's highest homicide rates. Costly, ineffective as a deterrent, error-prone, and irreversible once applied--that's what the writer is advocating for.