Should Scott Peterson get life in prison or death?

[hollywood926]

I know, I know. You hate the Scott Peterson topic. But this will be the last one. His story is on the way out of vogue.

[shesemsmom]

1. I believe there are times when the death penalty should apply

and this is one of those times

[hollywood926]

8. I agree with you, for some reason, even though...

I actually got sick to my stomach the day they executed Timothy McVeigh. And that was certainly a guy who deserved it! But I remember thinking, "Why am I feeling sad that this asshole is getting what he deserves?" But I just did. It felt wrong.

[livinginphotographs]

29. How about this?

The day Timothy McVeigh was convicted was the day I turned against the death penalty. I had no doubt he was guilty, but as I saw them interview the people outside, I realized that the death penalty was all about victims screaming for blood, and not about justice. They'd have executed anyone for that crime if they couldn't have found McVeigh.

[shesemsmom]

32. I know. I felt all the same things

I even cried. I felt badly for his family. But in his case it was the necessary righting of a, wrong

[elperromagico]

2. I made the mistake of watching Court TV's coverage today,

and most of them were just salivating for the death penalty.

I think some of 'em were masturbating under the table...

[jakefrep]

55. Probably because they want to televise the execution nt

[rawtribe]

3. In a theocracy

isn't a man allowed to kill his property?

[MissMarple]

4. There is a possibility he was wrongly convicted.

The death penalty is egregious, it should rarely, if ever, be used. In that respect, it is kind of like abortion.

[trotsky]

14. I agree with you.

As long as the possibility exists for human error in investigating or trying the case, we absolutely cannot execute someone.

[surfermaw]

20. Agree

There has been much too much publicity , CNN...Nancy Grace has made me sick, a man is innocent until he is proven guilty , these people have convicted him night after night.... If he did it he needs life, that will be punishment, he probably would trade for death.

[Carni]

5. I think he did it.... but the so called proof was all circumstantial

There is no hard evidence that Peterson killed his wife.

Does my common sense tell me he did it? Yes, it does...but there really isn't any hard scientific PROOF that he did it.

I doubt very highly that the man is innocent and I hold no respect for the way he conducted himself, but after hearing all the evidence in the trial, I still have reasonable doubts that he is guilty.

[madison2000]

6. I am sick to death of hearing about this case

and I don't care what happens to him.

[Radical Activist]

7. I don't know but

whatever news producer decided to make this the story of the year should get the same fate.

[Chef]

9. Off TV

I am diametrectly opposed to the death penalty (except in the case of spammers, virus creators, and people who leave their shopping carts in the parking lot). If they would stop giving this sad case the weight of the Dred Scott decision I would be happy. If they had covered the incompentence to the * administratio with as much elan, he would be gone.

[Placebo]

10. I don't know if he did it or not...

but I sure am SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT!

[Cats Against Frist]

51. Yeah -- call me crazy, but I don't think he did it

and I'm sick of hearing about it, too.

[Left Is Write]

11. I do not support the death penalty.

[Catchawave]

12. Life.....and not because I'm a "librul"

Just that his ass needs a life without viagra and all the other reasons he snuffed out Laci and Conner. Geesh.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

15. Life. Killing is 'the easy way out.' He should suffer by rotting in jail

the rest of his life, so he can contemplate what he did to his wife and baby. He's a piece of shit.

[fluffernutter]

13. life in prison.

[jmm]

16. I'm against the death penalty but

I'm all for it in the case of the Court TV anchors who love to talk about Mark Geragos like he's Clarence Darrow reincarnated.

[jus_the_facts]

17. Other.......

....life in prison because the death penalty is the easy way out...he should suffer in solitary confinement..with his conscience eatin' away at him for years on end. :nopity:

[Left Is Write]

21. Given what he's been convicted of, life among the general population would

probably be much worse for him than solitary.

[Merlot]

27. Life in prision cuz he's a pretty boy...

Once someone's dead, they don't have to live with the consequences of their actions. Laci's parent have to live with it the rest of their lives, so should he.

[Champ]

45. Good point

Laci's parent have to live with it the rest of their lives, so should he.

Before he even spends a year in prison he is already going to regret killing Laci, if he doesn't already. Thing is too bad, he should've thought about the consequences before committing such a terrible crime. Now he must(should) live with the guilt and loneliness for the rest of his entire life.

One thing to point out, if christianity is right, all he has to do is repent and get saved before he is killed by the state and he will enter the pearly gates of heaven. Is Justice served? If it isn't true, then he will just disappear, turn into a ghost, or come back to life in another lifeform(whatever you believe). I ask again is justice served?

[Gryffindor_Bookworm]

18. I vote for both.

Sentence him to life and then send him to prison with the general population. He's a high-profile baby killer.

The other inmates will institute actual justice.

[AlCzervik]

19. Life in prison in Gen Pop, he'll be the belle of the ball

[NEOBuckeye]

22. Whatever his punishment is, I say Cheney and Rove should take his place

If there were really any justice, these criminals, along with the Bush Family and the Neo-Cons would be the ones on trial.

[Taverner]

23. Honestly - I think he did it

And should spend the rest of his life in prison.

But...the death penalty is making the state into the killer he probably was,....

[DS1]

24. Answer - It doesn't fucking matter what we think, stop feeding the media

beast :eyes:

[China_cat]

25. I have a real problem

He may be guilty but there were no signs of the abuse (verbal and emotional if not physical) that usually presage a killing like this. Scott never isolated Laci from her friends and family, was not controlling of what she did, where she went, what she wore, etc.

Ok, he had an affair. Whoopee. He didn't seem sufficiently devastated by Laci's death. Well, I've known people who were inwardly torn apart but seemed totally cold on the outside. I looked that way myself when my mother died...like I didn't give a shit that she was dead. Even went swimming the day she was buried.

Yes, he dyed his hair and went elsewhere. Wouldn't you want some relief if the press had been as relentless toward you? Stupid again, but I can understand it.

Maybe he did kill his wife and child. But I just have this knot in my stomach that says that if the state kills him, we'll later find out that it really was someone else after all.

It just feels like he was convicted for being an asshole and not because there was really solid proof that he was a murderer.

[Pithlet]

30. I agree with you 100% n/t

[MrSandman]

26. He was properly convicted...

But who gave any of us the right to hire a killing if we dress it up in black robes and ritual.

[imenja]

28. Sexy?

That's sick.
I oppose the death penalty on principle, but listening to some of the details about the crime today, the argument the prosecutor made, and the fact he LAUGHED when his mother said they were putting up signs to look for Lacey, it caused to to question whether he might just not deserve it.

[Marnieworld]

31. Where's the choice that says how irrelevant in light of election fraud?

Really? Who gives two shits?

[Champ]

35. Really this is more about are you against the death penalty or for it

More then it is about Scott.

[Marnieworld]

37. ok fine

i am against the death penalty absolutely IN THIS CASE because they did not have any slam dunk absolute forensic evidence. it was highly convincing circumstantial evidence but not dna, fingerprint,witness,dental or any scientific evidence that proved it.

Ok now back to the apparent end of our democracy.

[Champ]

39. That is a good reason even for someone who is for it

Now as far as our democracy, I'm on that fight. :hi:

[Champ]

33. Life. Let the wife murderer cheating bastard

suffer everyday for the rest of his live. It obviously appeared to me that Scott wanted to be with another woman so he thought if he killed and dumped his wife he would once again be "free" to go after another woman. With life in prison... he now has NO woman and will have to spend the rest of his life in a inclosed building with hardcore criminals with plenty of time to think about his decision. JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED, it won't bring back Laci but niether will killing Scott. The Death Penalty in this case imo is letting him off the hook for the man hours in a human zoo he will have to face for the rest of his life.

[LDS Jock]

34. life.. I am against the death penalty for anyone

including him

[LoZoccolo]

36. I grit my teeth with envy!

If only I had thought of this for the flamebait debate!

[donheld]

38. I followed this trial

not at all

[Arkana]

40. Peterson should stew for life in prison.

They can only kill him once with the death penalty, but life in prison will kill him a thousand times over as he stews over this.

[fortyfeetunder]

41. I want hell for him on earth

Plaster pictures of his wife's body along with her unborn son all over the fucking room he has to spend the rest of his life in. He will have a living hell no death penalty could ever sentence him to. (And I want him to end up like some of those men in Oz, if you know what I mean....)

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

42. I'm basically pro-death penalty in those serious cases,

like this one. The death penalty was designed for cases like this. Peterson is clearly a remorseless murderer, who killed his wife and unborn child. Perhaps he could suffer in agony with a life sentence sans parole, but I say why should he live, with his wife and son dead?

[Champ]

43. Scott Peterson if he is human like the rest of us.....

will die no matter what. Would you prefer he spend about a month on death row with a (maybe I watch too many movies)last meal with anything he wants right before he dies in a non-painful way? Or spend the entire day for everyday the rest of his life in solitare confinement with criminals who have a long history of violent criminal acts may target Peterson because of the fame he recieved for his case?

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

44. When you put it that way,

you've got a point. Let's hope he doesn't get any chance of parole. It does seem that state-sanctioned death is too soft a punishment for this scoundrel. They'll waste him in prison.

[HEyHEY]

46. I want to say death..but I don't believe in it

I just don't like the idea of Government killing people.

[autorank]

47. Life in the electric chair...on a low current. Scotty, we still know ye.

And of course, there would be the obligatory web cam for us all to watch. See Scott, See Scott spark, See Scott bark (like a dog).

Seriously, I'm opposed to the death penalty since it represents state murder. Scottie really blew this one.

[New Democrat]

48. I never approve of state sanction murder.

It disgusts me to think my tax dollars are going to kill someone. I don't know the specifics on this case because i turn the channel everytime it comes on because it is not news so I dont know if he is truely guilty or not. If he killed his wife, he should get life in prison.

[Champ]

49. Nice Avatar, welcome to DU!

:hi:

As far as your post, I agree. The thought of anyone's life in the hands of justice system(as flaud as it is) seems, I don't know what word to use. I just don't think the justice system should be in the position of sentencing people to death. As far as deciding whether someone should spend time behind bars, on probation(parole), or be set free I have no problem with. I will admit, serial rapists and murderers who don't feel an ounce of remorse for their actions make it very difficult to be against the death penalty.

[New Democrat]

50. Too bad the guy in my avatar is pro death penalty though

[maveric]

52. Let him be "Some bad man's girlfriend", paraphrasing Dan Akaryod

from one of the worst movies ever made. Celtic Pride.
Let hi get "punked everyday for the rest of his miserable life.

[terrya]

53. Life in prison. Scott will be very popular in the showers.

If you get my drift.

[underpants]

54. IF they gas him will it be over & move on to the Eric Rudolph case?

PLEASE!?!?!?

No no death penalty ever.