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Why the Richards want Tsarnaev locked away, not executed
By adamg on Fri, 04/17/2015 - 7:57am
Bill and Denise Richard explain why they want federal prosecutors to offer the convicted murderer life without parole instead of seeking his execution:
For us, the story of Marathon Monday 2013 should not be defined by the actions or beliefs of the defendant, but by the resiliency of the human spirit and the rallying cries of this great city. We can never replace what was taken from us, but we can continue to get up every morning and fight another day. As long as the defendant is in the spotlight, we have no choice but to live a story told on his terms, not ours. The minute the defendant fades from our newspapers and TV screens is the minute we begin the process of rebuilding our lives and our family.
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Comments
I wonder what will be more
I wonder what will be more important: the wishes of the victims or sating the barbaric bloodlust of a bunch of goons in "they messed with the wrong town" t-shirts featuring angry sports mascots.
Goons and angry sports mascots
Yeah, because it's absolutely impossible that someone who has a position different than your's could be anything other than that, right? As evidenced by the depth of thought woven into your intricately argued post....
While we're arguing intricately...
I don't think it's out of line to question the tone of the loudest death penalty proponents. If there are calm and reasoned ones, they're keeping themselves well hidden (or are using disproven assertions about deterrence and cost savings and the like). The ones we're hearing from seem to mostly be speaking from emotion (and, honestly, in at least some cases it seems to be somewhat manufactured, almost jingoistic, rather than authentic -- that's where you get the t-shirts and chest-thumping about messing with the wrong town and so on). Any tragedy brings out the tragedy whores, and sadly, the Marathon bombing has drawn plenty.
I dunno
On "The Nightly Show" this week, Larry Wilmore basically said that a case like this is why we have the death penalty. Lot's of reasonable people see a value in ending Tsarnaev's life. It's just that those who are the most boisterous, the jockish if you will, are all for the death penalty.
For the record, I agree with the Richards family, both on moral (killing is wrong) and practical (don't make him a matyr) grounds. That said, I see the emotion on the other side.
Not watching it anymore
That episode pushed me over the fence. I really liked the show in its first month, but they kept playing with the format and making it worse. Reducing panel time so that they could do more dumb skits, and less "Keep It 100" and more dumb games like "AKS", and he's not doing the "I'll keep it 100 myself, ask me a good question" part anymore. It was a thoughtful show, but now it's just dumb.
The death penalty discussion (and more accurately, the way Larry basically threw impartiality out the window) was the concrete block that broke the camel's back. Alex Wagner was doing really well with her arguments in the face of such blatant bloodlust and/or pandering, and then she just *disappears* after the commercial break and is replaced with a random audience member?
I used to be pro-death penalty a long time ago, not really with any conviction. It's a difficult topic to wrangle for anyone, so I was looking forward to hearing both sides of the argument, not "Let's force him to have a sex change and then let him suffer by getting raped repeatedly in prison". The panel was two comedians and an anti-DP media figure, and they shouted out the (very polite) dissenting figure. WTF.
I have to admit
I usually only watch the first segment, but only because I have to wake up 20 minutes earlier than I used to (seriously), so I missed the substantive discussion. I did have to watch Neil Degrasse Dyson discuss conspiracy theories last night, though. I was barely awake for it, though.
some want life, some want death, i want it to be over
Larry Wilmore's argument amounted to this, Jahar deserves it because this is what we have it for. I didn't find the discussion satisfying. It went back and forth between jokes and jokes.
The Richard's Letter and the Globe article did a good job explaining the Richards proposal and their reasons, which are pragmatic, not premised on principle at least not explicitly.
A second Globe article offered other opinions about the sentence by other survivors' families. A mom of two boys who lost legs wants Jahar to get the death penalty. Officer Collier's has some family that oppose the death penalty, (in this case as well) and some family that appears to support it.
I admire the way the Richards expressed their proposal.
I respect the opinion of family of survivors who want the death penalty. Federal law provides for the death penalty.
On principle I oppose the death penalty. On practical considerations, such as the ones the Richards outline, I oppose it in this case. We'd see never ending appeals and stays of executions and it will go on for decades and cost millions of dollars. It is in fact more expensive than life without parole. And survivors and their families should be given the peace to move on when they're ready and as they are able.
I also recognize that the general public's opinion in this case, including mine, should be given less weight than survivors families. Some families want life imprisonment, some want death. I want it to be over. So do the Richards.
I absolutely do not think
I absolutely do not think that the families' opinions should be given more weight. That's the whole point of the justice system - an impartial means of delivering punishment that is not colored by being a direct participant or victim of a crime. Let's form vigilante gangs altogether. The fact that this was a truly horrific crime does not suddenly remove the balance of justice from the equation. He is entitled to the same rights as everyone else - including the right to not have his punishment determined by the victims.
My main problem with the Richards is...
Why do they think this is going to be over?
Do you understand how much stuff there is about this case that hasn't been talked about? The debate that needs to happen about the response of law enforcement that's been laughably short of any substance because all of the evidence in the trial was kept secret until now?
The possibility of accomplices, i.e. people who just knew what they were planning.
In the words of Dr. Manhattan, nothing ends. This isn't going to be over, not even with the kid's death. This event, for better or worse, will live in infamy forever.
That's what happens when tragedy occurs. There is a need to understand it, in order to respond better the next time and never seen it happen again.
This trial was obviously an ordeal for them. It must be tough being famous for having your child die in a cowardly mass-murder, and the Islamic Terrorist slant has every journalist in the world trying to get an exclusive.
But this should not be forgotten. And it's far, far from over. To insinuate that just the act of sentencing him to life in prison will "end" this is childish frankly.
But that's the cost of evil in society. There are truths to confront and it's difficult, but they must be done.
That's partly why Tsarnaev should be put to death (I have no opinion one way or the other). Because this is his fault, and look at how much suffering he has generated simply from trying to see him through a fair and legal process.
He's evil.
more weight
In the court of public opinion, I'd like to see the public listen more closely to survivors, like the Richards and Sean Colliers family than to me.
In court, I don't know if the Federal system has victim impact statements. If it does, their purpose is to help victims recover, not to inform the jury about the sentence.
even their opinion can change
Jeffery Curley's dad was the face of the charge to reinstate the death penalty which missed by one legislator's changed vote. Two years later he changed his mind and is now an advocate against the death penalty.
http://www.wbur.org/2009/06/23/the-ride
(No subject)
The amount of respect I have
The amount of respect I have for this family is impossible to quantify. Bless them and their grace in the face of unspeakable acts committed against them. They are such an inspiration. I have complete respect for their position on this and their courage to speak out on it.
Richard families grace
Grace is indeed the word to describe this family. From personal experience, the profound loss of a child cannot be made better by more death. A lifetime in prison is a more just punishment, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION. This can be considered restorative justice. I personally could not have begun my long road to sanity after my sons death if I knew another person was killed in the name of justice. I truly hope that the judge and jury respect the Richards request. My respect to them and the love that only other parents who have suffered this same loss can share
justice and justification
The Richards make an eloquent case that another killing will not bring them justice. We have a family friend who was killed in the twin towers on 9/11, his mother was very bothered by the fact that her son's death was used as a justification for a war that she did not support.
Amen
Amen
This
n/t
The children shall lead
^^^ Image fixed
Swirly, why did you do that?
Dammit! You just made me burst into tears in my office. I know this isn't about me but every time I see a picture of that little boy, it gets to me.
WHY did Tsarnaev put that backpack right behind a child? Who would hurt a family like that? Why? His mother held him in her arms and watched him die. What kind of person does that? It's incomprehensible.
I think we should put Tsarnaev in Supermax and make him look at that picture for the rest of his life.
.
Class acts
This family are really class acts. Kudos to them and all they have endured.
..and they are probably Christians...
...who, as Jesus told his followers, "forgive the sinner, but not the sin".
Forgiveness is such a powerful tool.
I just hope that the
Richards' well thought out and stated sentiment won't give the prosecution
an excuse togrounds to demand a new penalty trial should the jury decide against the death penalty."But your Honor, you instructed the jury not to attend any Marathon events. You never said they couldn''t read the front page of the Boston Globe."
Penalty Phase Includes Victim Testimony
They will likely hear this from the family in person.
Juries are always told not to
Juries are always told not to read newspapers or watch TV news while serving before the case even begins.