An Argument for Capital Punishment by Brian Nichols

Through the years I have waffled on the whole Death Penalty issue. When I was a young naive scallywag I often railed against such inhumanity. But as I aged and spent some time working in the criminal justice system, my feelings inched slowly toward the dark side. I would, in my vocation, sometimes run across a being who radiated pure, unfettered evil. I’m sure this sounds odd to many of you, but I feel these creatures do exist. I have come face to face with them. Ask any cop or jailer and you may well hear the same thing. That said, I would frequently question my own beliefs, and when DNA evidence showed that there were some on Death Row who were most probably innocent, I was somewhat at a loss.

But, never fear Conservatives, I am back in the fold. And it is with the safety of criminal justice employees in mind that I return.

One recent spectacular story is the perfect illustration of why. I am sure you all know the story, but let me give you a synopsis.

Brian Nichols, a life time loser, was to be retried for ‘invading his girlfriend’s home with a loaded machinegun and raping and sodomizing her for three days as a twisted “present” for her birthday’.
He faced a possible life sentence. Because of a stupid P.C. law, he was brought before the judge without handcuffs. While in the courtroom, he overpowered a female sheriffs deputy, took her gun, and began shooting. He murdered the judge, a court reporter, and a deputy. He also seriously injured the deputy whose gun he’d taken. She is still in critical condition. Her face was so badly mauled ‘officials later couldn’t determine whether she was severely beaten or shot in the face’.
And just for good measure, he pistol whipped a reporter as he escaped the court room.
While on the lam he apparently kept on with his murderous crime spree. Stealing and highjacking cars, and possibly killing another man...a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. He was captured on Saturday outside of Atlanta after taking another woman hostage.

What is it about this case that points to the need for the Death Penalty? Besides the obvious murder and mayhem this freak caused?

Here is what. Mr. Nichols was most likely going to be put away for life. He had little left to lose. You see, in order to protect our criminal justice system employees, we need to make sure that people like him do have something left to lose. Their lives. And personally, I hope that will be the case with Mr. Nichols, as he made the mistake of committing his atrocities in a Death Penalty state.
But, there are twelve states and Washington D.C. that have no Death Penalty. What of other animals, like Mr. Nichols, in those non-Capital Punishment states? Other feral rodents who have no fear of losing their lives. What of these creatures who truly have nothing left to lose. What control does the criminal justice system have over them? None. What is to stop these monsters from killing or maiming judges, jailers, and their fellow inmates? Their high moral standards? Their love of humanity?

And recently, there has actually been some common sense coming from a few politicians on this controversial issue. Tom Cross, a Republican leader in Illinois, has sponsored House Bill 2704, that ‘would require that the jury "foreclose all doubt" before sentencing a defendant to death.’ A higher standard of guilt for Capital Punishment cases. This bill would change the prosecutor’s responsibility to prove a case from ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ to basically free from all doubt. This law would help alleviate the fear of many that innocent men are being put to death. It would also bring back the idea of the Death Penalty as a deterrent, as justice would be meted out swiftly. As the system stands now, with cases seeing appeal after appeal and sometimes taking decades to be adjudicated, there is little connection in the criminal mind between his malicious action and the justice he is served.

Mr. Cross’s bill makes perfect sense to me.

Again, let’s look to the Brian Nichols case is a good illustration of why.
If ever there was a case where a jury could ‘foreclose all doubt’, this would be it. No DNA is needed here. The case does not lie on the word of a single witness. Or on questionable evidence or testimony. Here, there are a multitude of witnesses. There is overwhelming evidence of this man’s guilt. There is truly no question that this man committed the crimes he is accused of. He has made a direct attack on our criminal justice system and those who man it. It is in cases like this that the Death Penalty could and should be used.

In the end, we need the Death Penalty, if only to protect our criminal justice system employees from the human waste they often have to deal with. The subhuman creatures who have doomed themselves to life without parole. Those who feel they have nothing left to lose. I believe, these barbarians need to be shown, in no uncertain terms, that this just is not the case.

Crossposted @ The Wide Awakes.