Should the Boston Bomber receive the death penalty?

[RavenSky]

The Boston Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was found guilty on all 30 counts yesterday - no surprise. Now the jury needs to consider the death penalty vs life in prison.

Ordinarily, I am against the death penalty, but in this case I'm on the fence for two reasons:

1. There is absolutely zero question as to his guilt. He didn't even deny his involvement.
2. Would keeping him alive in prison encourage fanatical supporters to try to get him out?

 

[barbos]

Death penalty still takes decades of waiting and costs boatload of money.

 

[tupac chopra]

The Boston Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was found guilty on all 30 counts yesterday - no surprise. Now the jury needs to consider the death penalty vs life in prison.

Ordinarily, I am against the death penalty, but in this case I'm on the fence for two reasons:

1. There is absolutely zero question as to his guilt. He didn't even deny his involvement.

Do we have records of what he did say?

 

[bleubird]

I wonder if his death would make him a martyr to some.

 

[RavenSky]

I wonder if his death would make him a martyr to some.

That was the flip side of my thoughts, hence the fence sitting.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I was aghast over the attack. Not only was it a public event, but it was one of the most selfless events, a marathon. An event where even the top athletes don't get much in the way of any accolades. Why anyone would attack such an event is beyond me.

Should he get death? I like the majority of those from my home state don't believe so. What is the benefit? How exactly do we become safer by giving them death. They knew what they were doing was wrong. They knew if they were captured, they could get death. But they did it anyway. So it wouldn't be as a deterrent. Life in prison. Hope that maybe one day he'll understand.

 

[Terrell]

Usually I would say yes on this matter. Due to the martyrdom issue mentioned earlier I have second thoughts. I don't know if it's true, but I've heard he'll likely be in a super max prison where he's in his cell 23 hours a day with absolutely nothing to do & no human contact. For some this may be a fate worse than death.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

While it's always nice to kill bad guys, there really isn't any kind of benefit to it. Put him in prison and let everyone except the guards forget about him.

 

[Tigers!]

While it's always nice to kill bad guys, there really isn't any kind of benefit to it. Put him in prison and let everyone except the guards forget about him.

Except you won't be allowed to forget about him. Some drop-kick, drongo lawyer or bleeding heart social worker will remind you ad nauseum that it was his poor toilet training or domineering mother figure that caused him to do what he did and that he is being treated unfairly.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

While it's always nice to kill bad guys, there really isn't any kind of benefit to it. Put him in prison and let everyone except the guards forget about him.

Except you won't be allowed to forget about him. Some drop-kick, drongo lawyer or bleeding heart social worker will remind you ad nauseum that it was his poor toilet training or domineering mother figure that caused him to do what he did and that he is being treated unfairly.

I don't think there is much of that going on. The only people saying that at this point are his lawyers, who are trying very hard to have him avoid the death penalty. And in that, they are blaming the brother.

 

[ideologyhunter]

If it's punishment you want, what the Unabomber is facing for the rest of his days is pretty grim, and he doesn't have a forum from which to yap at the world, and death is his only escape. I should say that I'm anti-death penalty, and that no one anecdotal instance can erase the history of wrongful conviction. If hundreds of "exonerees" are now walking the streets -- and they are; I met four of them at a lecture series a couple of years ago -- it's pretty clear that our justice system should not be entrusted with the ultimate penalty.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

While it's always nice to kill bad guys, there really isn't any kind of benefit to it. Put him in prison and let everyone except the guards forget about him.

Except you won't be allowed to forget about him. Some drop-kick, drongo lawyer or bleeding heart social worker will remind you ad nauseum that it was his poor toilet training or domineering mother figure that caused him to do what he did and that he is being treated unfairly.

Oh no! That's ... well, I was going to say "horrible", but I think "irrelevant" fits better. If somebody is interested in figuring out or excusing his motivations, that's fine. I'm sure he'll get more than a few marriage requests as well. While not having to listen to morons is a bit of a benefit, it's not one that justifies killing someone.

 

[TSwizzle]

He should have been taken round the back of the courthouse and executed right after he was found guilty.

Some drop-kick, drongo lawyer or bleeding heart social worker will remind you ad nauseum that it was his poor toilet training or domineering mother figure that caused him to do what he did and that he is being treated unfairly.

They could always try the "exercising his freedom of religion" excuse.

 

[Keith&Co.]

Except you won't be allowed to forget about him. Some drop-kick, drongo lawyer or bleeding heart social worker will remind you ad nauseum that it was his poor toilet training or domineering mother figure that caused him to do what he did and that he is being treated unfairly.

There are also those conservatives that will suggest that their hobby horse is to blame. Role playing games, promiscuity, feminism, Saturday Morning Satanic Cartoons....

This guy'll likely cooperate with anyone trying to say it's not his fault. They all do.

But I notice that despite people having claimed serial killers were made because of playing Dungeons & Dragons, and serial killers agreeing with them, we still have AD&D, and the serial killers are still in prison....

 

[Keith&Co.]

He should have been taken round the back of the courthouse and executed right after he was found guilty.

No, no, take him out front. Cut off both his legs and leave him to bleed to death in the handicapped parking.

 

[bigfield]

The state should never engage in cold-blooded killing.

 

[fromderinside]

Render him to Uruguay. Insist he be assigned permanent solitary confinement with no visitors. no communication with prisoners, guards, outside persons. in other words, no human contact even for feeding and liquid providing ever.

 

[Archimedes]

He should have been taken round the back of the courthouse and executed right after he was found guilty.

Good idea. Justice systems that do things like drag people round the back of the courthouse and immediately execute them upon being found guilty strongly correlate with the kind of societies I want to live in.

In fact they should have done away with the entire trial and summarily executed him when he confessed to being involved.

 

[Archimedes]

2. Would keeping him alive in prison encourage fanatical supporters to try to get him out?

Is that an actual thing that happens?

 

[TSwizzle]

He should have been taken round the back of the courthouse and executed right after he was found guilty.

Good idea. Justice systems that do things like drag people round the back of the courthouse and immediately execute them upon being found guilty strongly correlate with the kind of societies I want to live in.

Oh the drama !

In fact they should have done away with the entire trial and summarily executed him when he confessed to being involved.