Cases that I support the death penalty - Man tosses children over bridge

By: relawson
Published On: 1/10/2008 12:07:34 AM

http://www.ajc.com/news/conten...
I thought I would take a break from the debates, primaries, and general election hysteria for a moment.

I have always been conflicted over the death penalty.  It's a tough issue.  I think there are many cases where it should not be used, and that it should only be used when there is absolutely no doubt as to guilt (more than just reasonable doubt).

Today's article about the man who threw his children to their deaths just boils my blood.  Before I go on, please look at these little angels.

My son is half Japanese so when I look at this child in the center I immediately think of him.  What a beautiful boy - and darling sisters.  There is yet another soul taken not pictured.

Ngoc Phan and three of her children, from left: Lindsey Luong, Ryan Phan and Hannah Luong.

Ngoc Phan and three of her children, from left: Lindsey Luong, Ryan Phan and Hannah Luong.

It is hard to transition from that photo into what I want to say next.  So here is the man who confessed to throwing these children off of the 80 foot Dauphin Island Bridge connecting to Mobile:

Although I didn't plan this, it's as if his son is looking down at his father - asking "why?"

Assuming the case is airtight, how can we allow this man to continue living for what he did?  I understand the argument that "life without parole is worse than death".  I just don't agree with that theory.  The crime this man has confessed to is so heiness that if there was a punishment greater than death I feel we should seek that.

What caused this man to do this?  Some will say his addiction to crack.  Although that drug may have had some impact on his state of mind, I can't imagine any drug or alcohol induced state of mind where I could toss my children over a bridge to their deaths.  

Should drugs be treated differently - as a mental health issue instead of a criminal issue - certainly.  But no amount of drugs excuses this behavior.  I say hang him, and hang him high.  That is one jury I would gladly serve on.

Here is the scene of the crime:

I hope that we are able to recover their little bodies from the cold waters off of Mobile.  Detectives say that they are unlikely to have survived the fall, and even if they did they could not have survived the cold waters more than a few minutes.  

Let's just pray that angels were there to deliver them into heaven.

Comments



Death Penalty (soccerdem - 1/10/2008 9:28:05 AM)
Throw him off the bridge with a weight attached to his feet.  Eye for an eye, etc.


Impartial jury (relawson - 1/10/2008 9:43:10 AM)
I don't see how I could be impartial if I were a juror on this case.

Short of a legal loophole, he will be convicted of capital punishment.  And I doubt any governor would pardon him.  Hopefully he doesn't flood the system with appeals.

I know, I've already tried, convicted, and sentenced him before the first hearing.  My perogative as a blogger ;-)  Harming children is just the most discusting thing a person can do.



I don't know... (afausser - 1/10/2008 12:01:04 PM)
Killing the guy would be too kind. Of course, if he doesn't feel guilty, or has some kind of mental illness, jail wouldn't be much of a punishment either.


Look at those dead eyes (Catzmaw - 1/10/2008 5:39:21 PM)
This clown wants to die.  Why accommodate him?  I think he'd be better suited to life in SuperMax - a place I oppose for most people - where he'd be locked up 23 hours out of the day, allowed no contact with anyone other than guards, and be taken completely out of the society in which he obviously does not belong.  Let him be forced to live with himself.  Not only do you not have all the appeals that go with death penalty cases (remember that old expression:  "hard cases make bad law"?), but he would drift into oblivion instead of enjoying all the attention and interviews of journalists and the support of death penalty opponents.  Living oblivion - a pretty good option for this guy.  


If he wanted to die (tx2vadem - 1/10/2008 6:02:26 PM)
Why didn't he kill himself?  

A question on SuperMax, not being well versed in our prison system, how close does this represent true sensory deprivation?  And to the extent that it does, does it produce psychoses like schizophrenia?



A lot of suicidal people can't work up the nerve to do it (Catzmaw - 1/11/2008 3:26:06 PM)
themselves, so they get the police involved (suicide by cop) or do something so repugnant that they're bound to be sentenced to death.  This man was probably full of rage at the mom and wanted to hurt her as much as he, no doubt wallowing in maudlin self-pity, felt she hurt him by rejecting him.  I'll bet it will come out that he was possessive, jealous, and given to rages and acts of domestic abuse.  Someone like that is very narcissistic and sees people only as they relate to him.  The reasoning is that since she hurt him she deserves to be hurt, too.  That his kids had a separate existence and deserved to fulfill their potential never would have crossed his mind.  The narcissist, being the center of his own universe, cannot admit a viable existence outside of himself.  If he was to be out of their lives, then it was an easy step for him to rationalize his way to thinking they'd be better off dead.  

SuperMax is extremely restrictive and associated with significant psychological distress.  To the predisposed it can certainly bring on psychosis.  As I said, I normally would not promote putting anyone in SuperMax as it borders on cruel and inhuman punishment to deprive a person of social stimulation.  I was angry when I wrote what I wrote, but there's a part of me which is still saying he would deserve to be so punished.