Update - Pioneer Press Story
Hi All!
Jim Ragsdale got his hands on records that were supposedly sealed, which added a few details to the story of the Lemay-New tragedy, confirming that pot and booze were involved and that their was more forethought and malice involved than inferred by all the reported and unreported information that I had.
The facts were NOT all out when I wrote yesterday but hopefully they are now. Mea Culpa.
While this may slightly alter the perception of the case, I stand by my contention that there is not adult first degree manslaughter here, and that Lemay should not be held until July 12.
With that, I will return to regular blogging.
posted by PK at 6/15/2005 03:51:00 AM
1 Comments:
I have not researched all the facts here, but in general I can say that stern criminal charges and punishment should serve at least one of two purposes, or they are useless:
1) a punishment/deterrent for the person not to commit such an act again;
and/or
2) a deterrent to others to commit similar acts.
I am sure this kid has learned his lesson, feels terrible, and will walk on eggshells the rest of his life, but if he is not adequately charged, even if a plea is later reached and charges reduced, it is not a deterrent to others, in fact it will serve as encouragement to some idiots to use their impulsive violent urges instead of learning to control them.
i.e. "That John is such a a-hole. I'm going to punch him hard in the face and hope he falls backwards and hits his head-- what's the worst that could happen to me? I'll say it was unintentioned that he died (or was paralyzed, or brain-damaged, etc.)."
I don't think I am slippery-sloping this one. I feel bad for the kid. But it must also be kept in mind they were breaking the law.
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