For those opposed to the death penalty, explain why it shouldn't be used in this case

Absolutely horrible story, and nothing but years and years of brutal torture would be punishment enough for this creature.

The time crept by so slowly and painfully that the 23-year-old Columbia University journalism student had decided it was time to end her life.

Over many torturous hours, she had been repeatedly raped, sodomized and forced to perform oral sex, a prosecutor told a jury on Thursday. The accused, Robert A. Williams, 31, had doused the woman’s face and body with boiling water and bleach, forced her to swallow handfuls of pills and to chase them with beer, sealed her mouth with glue, and bound her wrists and legs with shoelaces, cords and duct tape, said the prosecutor, Ann P. Prunty. And now, Ms. Prunty said, he was asking the woman to gouge out her own eyes with a pair of scissors.

Read the rest of this horrific story

For those opposed to the DP, how could you not support it in this case?

Sorry for all the edits, the link is now fixed.

[edit on 6-6-2008 by slackerwire]

[edit on 6-6-2008 by slackerwire]

[edit on 6-6-2008 by slackerwire]

[edit on 6-6-2008 by slackerwire]

This is certainly horrible, but I do not believe that the government should be able to take anything away that it can not give back...

The amount of people falsely imprisoned is staggering. Many of them have been put to death for crimes that they have later been shown did not commit.

Of course, I am going to say that I find the death penalty a little humane in dealing with people like this. This truly makes me sick. Hell, I even feel weird thinking about the horrible things that should happen to this guy. There is not way that I can really explain how that article makes me feel.


[edit on 6/6/2008 by apolluwn]

Originally posted by slackerwire
Absolutely horrible story, and nothing but years and years of brutal torture would be punishment enough for this creature.

So, because he did something incredibly horrible to that girl, someone should sink to his level, and do something incredibly horrible to him, or kill him out right? Will killing him, or torturing him, erase the horrible events that happened to her?

What should be done is keep him alive. Force him to work under heavy security to pay every dime for her medical treatment, both physical and mental, and then some.

After that, use him for medical experiments, that might result in actually helping people.

Originally posted by tebyen


So, because he did something incredibly horrible to that girl, someone should sink to his level, and do something incredibly horrible to him, or kill him out right? Will killing him, or torturing him, erase the horrible events that happened to her?

Naturally they won't erase what happened, but some people simply aren't fit to live. This creature is one of them.

I am a strong proponent of letting the victim decide the punishment, no matter what it is.

If she wants him to live, then so be it. If she wants him brutally raped by an entire prison's worth of inmates, then so be it.

Sometimes horrible things are necessary, this is one of those times.

Well, I support the Death Penalty; allthough I still think that is an easy way out. I prefer monsters of this kind to be tortured then left in a hole to rot to death.

Some facts about this monster....obviously prison does not help him or people like him. Obviously, he does not deserve to live and be a danger to OTHER people - including other prisoners and prison staff:

Mr. Williams, who was homeless at the time of his arrest about a week later at the scene of a burglary in Queens, has a lengthy police record dating to his childhood, the authorities have said.


He was charged in a murder as a juvenile, though the outcome of that case is sealed, a law enforcement official said, and he spent eight years in prison for an attempted-murder conviction in 1996

The justice system needs an overhaul. Monsters like this should NOT be allowed to EVER have contact with another human being - NEVER.

[edit on 6-6-2008 by greeneyedleo]

Kind of odd that this story didn't make national headlines.

I wonder what would happen if the races of the perpetrator and the victim were reversed.


Pic of the hopefully soon to be deceased criminal.

This is one of those cases whereby it would be of great scientific benefit, if not downright FUN, to test the tensile strength of the (in)human scrotum.
The animal deserves no less than he handed out.
There are some reeeaaalllly nasty types in this wolrd. Please, PLEASE, Ladies, be careful out amongst them.

Originally posted by slackerwire
Kind of odd that this story didn't make national headlines.

I wonder what would happen if the races of the perpetrator and the victim were reversed.

Whoa.. Just some friendly advice, You may want to tread lightly on that. You could potentially incite some real anger with bait like that.

Originally posted by slackerwire
I am a strong proponent of letting the victim decide the punishment, no matter what it is.

I think that has its merits, but what do you do if the victim is no longer alive? The family? What if there is none? We just worked ourselves back to where we are. The victim wouldn't even be able to choose the punishment really... You give them a list of the legal ways to punish them depending on the law and let them pick?

Anyways, this is really tough. I don't think you could actually find a punishment that did justice to the crime.


[edit on 6/6/2008 by apolluwn]

I do believe in the death penalty.
you people who would advocate some form of torture are no better that this criminal.
I'm for quick executions. The more miscreants disposed the better.
I think there are clear cut cases where evidence, past record and personality profile indicate that this is necessary.

However, I also believe that over zealous prosecutors are responsible for too many false imprisonments. Our justice system is broken. These prosecutors are of the same mind as many of the criminals. There have been many cases where evidence in defense of the accused was not permitted. It was late being presented according to the rules or some such flimsy irrational excuse.

Can't prosecutor be trained to look at both side of the story/look for the truth of the matter?

The prominent case for this in my mind was the case of Laurencia Bambenek who spent 10 years in prison because of such injustices.

Originally posted by apolluwn


Whoa.. Just some friendly advice, You may want to tread lightly on that. You could potentially incite some real anger with bait like that.

That wasn't bait. There are numerous cases where black perpetrators have done savage things to whites, yet not a peep is heard. Reverse the races, and it's in the headlines for weeks.

Bring back hanging, if only to save the rope industry.

I can't say I support or don't support the DP. Honestly, the death penalty doesn't do any good.

Now, in this case, I say amputate his hands and feet, cut out his tongue and remove his eyes and eardrums and let him live in his own little hell. No, wait... leave his eardrums so he can hear every bad word about him. Hell, if we throw him in prison, he's just gonna be a burden on society... why not put him on public display?

Anyone else wondering why the stocks went out of style?

reply to post by Earthscum


I believe what you are referencing is "to the pain". Love the Princess Bride.

Kidding aside, this guy is a monster. While killing him would not ease her trauma, it would prevent this man from doing this to some one else, as his record can predict. There is a difference between sentencing a man who is accused of murder, and has no criminal record, to death and sentencing a man like this to death. He is a ridiculously repeat offender, and at this point there is no rehabilitation that will save this man. Don't torture him though, that just lowers the individual who has to carry out the act to his level. I think kill him at the worst, at best lock him in a hole for the rest of his life and don't give him any interaction other than shoving food through a slit in the door. He took away this woman's life (though not in the biological sense, she will never be the same ever again), anything short of taking away all his freedoms is injustice.

In my opinion we could save a monkey or a cute lab rat by allowing this man to live. Why not let some good come out of his life. We can experiment on him and it would not be inhumane, because a human does not behave like he does.

Honest answer:

Killing this guy is not going to stop one murder, one rape, or any other crime.
But it may cause the next person to go ahead a commit murder so that there would be no witnesses.

reply to post by dragonfire2159


lol! Wasn't even thinking of that movie when I said it. Honestly, though... without hands and feet and eyes, he wouldn't be able to commit any more crimes like this, aye? That's just my thought on it, though.

on the 'hole' idea... maybe we could see if (Ukraine?) would let us drop him down one of their mysterious holes! (Sorry... been thinking about that since I read the OP)

I really don't think that spending money to feed the beast is the best choice, either... such a catch-22, really. He doesn't serve society, why let him be a drain? I mean, seriously... sometimes you have to bag up the garbage before it grows something that can infect you. And we all know that landfills (prison) are becoming worse than we intended. In jail he gets to hang with his boys, get into gangs, etc. In the 'hole' he just eats and does nothing but stay out of the eyes of the populace, but I guess... out of sight, out of mind.

Like I said, catch-22 situation. Personally, I don't think there is any amount of retribution that can happen that will do any good, even to the piece of mind of the victim. Death is too swift, torture is just lowering down to his level.

Originally posted by 3vilscript
In my opinion we could save a monkey or a cute lab rat by allowing this man to live. Why not let some good come out of his life. We can experiment on him and it would not be inhumane, because a human does not behave like he does.

Hey, why not? Even after testing on animals and finding no side-effects, we often do come across side effects inherant to only humans. I'd trade the guy for a monkey! Still should cut off his hands and feet, though... keep him from breaking out of his cage.

The death penalty is wrong in this case because it's too quick. This guy doesn't have any rights anymore, he acted like an animal and should be treated like one.

I say make his life a living hell, make him beg for death.

reply to post by Earthscum


Just to add a bit more, even if we put him in prison, he could possibly pollute criminals who are actually on the road to rehabilitation. I always consider prison like high school, there are cliques and bullies. Even if you want to better yourself, as I feel is the case with some petty criminals and first time offenders, you don't go to prison to actually be rehabilitated. It ends up creating an even worse criminal in many cases, in my opinion. A catch-22 indeed. I don't think any solution will end up being perfect. I am getting to like the medical experiment ideas more though, although I'd rather have him test things like radiation exposure, or the effects of space on a human not wearing a space suit. Peace out.

reply to post by dragonfire2159


those are decent thoughts. I'm starting to wonder how long a human CAN survive in the VanAllen belt... or what the lasting (lol) effects of Chernobyl residence at ground zero are.

Sadly, I bet if they could, Blackwater would recruit this guy in a heartbeat