Jury deciding sentence for man who rammed rally protesters

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Jury deciding sentence for man who rammed rally protesters

December 10, 2018

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Several people who were severely injured when a man drove his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally last year described devastating physical and psychological effects to a jury tasked with making a sentencing recommendation Monday.

Jurors on Friday convicted James Alex Fields Jr. of first-degree murder and other charges for ramming his car into a crowd in Charlottesville during a “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12, 2017. Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal, was killed and dozens were injured. Under the law, the jury can recommend from 20 years to life in prison.

Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, told jurors that her daughter’s death has been “an explosion in our family” and “we are forever scarred by the pain.”

“Some days I can’t do anything but cry and sit and stare as the grief overtakes me,” she said.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/382f1dcf62624f579fe0fcd51fdf3d7a

[berni_mccoy]

1. Interesting that death is not an option

He committed the crime as an act of terrorism. That should qualify it for the death sentence.

[Act_of_Reparation]

2. That's now how law works.

Thankfully.

[PJMcK]

3. I still could be a death penalty case

If he's tried in a Federal court with the enchanted hate crime charges he would be eligible for the death penalty.

I'm fundamentally opposed to the government being able to take someone's life. Life in prison without parole is a far better punishment and it is the morally correct behavior for an advanced society.

[YessirAtsaFact]

4. Life in prison is actually less expensive when you take the automatic appeals into account

It is also possible to correct the error if someone is wrongly convicted

[PJMcK]

5. All good reasons

It's also morally unsupportable and the government should never have that power.

[LongtimeAZDem]

6. That argument has always bothered me, because the automatic appeals are there to

make sure it was done right.

But, if we just throw them in jail for life without parole (which is a death sentence, just slower) we can let them rot and not bother with any pesky appeals.