General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsShould Billy Joe Wardlow Be Executed for a Crime Committed When He Was Eighteen?
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/should-billy-joe-wardlow-be-executed-for-a-crime-committed-when-he-was-eighteenAt his trial, in 1995, Wardlow testified that he had intended to intimidate Cole, not kill him, when he brandished a .45-calibre pistol he had stolen from his mother. Cole grabbed Wardlows arm, and Wardlow fired the gun, shooting Cole between the eyes. A jury convicted Wardlow of capital murder and sentenced him to death. Until then, he had never committed a violent offense. To sentence him to death in Texas, the jury had to decide that he would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society: in other words, the jury had to predict that he would be dangerous in the future.
...
He is now a thoughtful and responsible mana man of good and admirable character. As Brant Bingamon wrote last week in the Austin Chronicle, Wardlow has become a caretaker on death row, known for counseling prisoners having emotional trouble, fixing their typewriters, and scrubbing the showers to bring them to his personal level of cleanliness. In a letter to me about Wardlow, Tony Egbuna Ford, one of his friends on death row, emphasized, Billy IS one of the good guys. Billy DOES NOT belong here. And it is my deepest hope and prayer, that he is able to live his life, and not be another statistic for the Texas death penalty.
I believe the death penalty is always wrong, but who can argue in favor of killing someone 25 years after a crime committed when they were a teen? It's neither justice nor deterrence.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)argue for his execution.
It makes no sense on so many levels.
PTWB
(4,131 posts)Demsrule86
(68,347 posts)LakeArenal
(28,713 posts)Nature Man
(869 posts)and a lot of the former Confederate states in the South, it's all about the cruelty.
gulliver
(13,142 posts)In the meantime, I'm against it.
Solitary confinement is horrible and overused from what I can tell, also, as is prison itself.
PTWB
(4,131 posts)He has never denied shooting the 82 year old man between the eyes. Some feel that even in such cases where there is no doubt, the death penalty is still immoral.
gulliver
(13,142 posts)Separating convicted killers from society seems to me to be about the most stable solution. Outside of that there are too many forces to balance (vengeance, forgiveness, economic, moral, political, etc.).
Chainfire
(17,304 posts)The age 18 should not be an issue. By that age we should realize the consequences of robbing and killing. I don't believe in the death penalty so it is a rhetorical argument.
MoonchildCA
(1,301 posts)Specifically the ability to rationalize and understand long-term consequences.
MichMan
(11,778 posts)JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,282 posts)Maybe they shouldn't have drafted me at 19. No, wrong, they were smart to draft me while my brain was only half-baked.
struggle4progress
(118,032 posts)LeftInTX
(24,541 posts)I don't think the SC will grant a stay based only on his age, mainly because brain development varies from person to person. There is no statute.
If there is proof that he wasn't fully cognizant, then this can be argued.
marble falls
(56,353 posts)llashram
(6,265 posts)same age when convicted there would be no post here, he would already be dead for sure.
Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,145 posts)No one should be in solitary. In fact, I'd say there's not any value in keeping him incarcerated.
LeftInTX
(24,541 posts)However, Billy Joe Wardlow was an adult and unfortunately, I don't think the SC will reverse based solely on age.
His age could have been brought up at his sentencing hearing back in 1995.
I think age should be factor in sentencing.
The SC could possibly grant a stay on other factors.
I know what they are saying here. My son was into drugs at age 18 and a half in 2005. He didn't have run ins with the law, but there were legal issues with HIPPA, counseling, and many factors. We did use his young age to obtain services, family counseling, inpatient visitation , HIPPA access etc, although he was an adult. It is a gray area because the brain is not fully developed. However, in 1971, the 26th Amendment lowered the age of consent to 18. In the 1980's, the drinking age was upped to 21 in many locations.
aikoaiko
(34,127 posts)I'm sure his decision to pull the trigger was impulsive during an extreme situation, but he did decide to steal a vehicle and bring a gun when not in an extreme situation.
Bill has a big price to pay. If the murdered 82 year old were my father, I'd want him to pay that price fully.
If Billy were my son, I'd beg for mercy. In this case, I'm inclined to vote for mercy and life imprisonment with no chance of parole.
raccoon
(31,088 posts)The only one left to testify as to what happened between him and the victim. Same as with George Zimmerman.
To clarify, I think Zimmerman was guilty as Cain. I hope one day hell do something else and end up in jail.
obamanut2012
(25,905 posts)mvd
(65,148 posts)I began changing in my 20s from opposing it in most cases to opposing it in all cases. I am morally against it, but also against it for the cost, the inconsistency of sentences and the chance you execute the innocent.
I hope he uses the argument that he is now reformed and saw a threat when he did the killing. Of course the vast majority of young people do not murder, but this sounds like he was scared.
Buckeyeblue
(5,491 posts)Unless the crimes were against children. People should not be thrown away. Unless they committed crimes against children. People make mistakes. Big mistakes. We should have a way that we can safely give second chances to those who deserve them.