Posted on 12/19/2005 6:28:04 PM PST by Graybeard58
BRIGHTON -- An Adams County judge sentenced a convicted murderer this morning to life in prison without parole after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled his death sentence was unconstitutional.
Robert Harlan was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering 25-year-old Rhonda Maloney and paralyzing a Good Samaritan who tried to come to her aid, Jacquie Creazzo, 11 years ago. In March, the Colorado Supreme Court overturned the 41-year-old’s death sentence because jurors consulted the Bible during sentencing. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with that decision, preventing prosecutors from seeking the death penalty again.
Kerri Gemeinhardt, Maloney's sister, said she is unhappy about the sentencing and there was no harm in using a Bible.
"I don’t think it should have been overturned," she said. "As long as he never gets out, I’m satisfied."
Harlan’s attorney, Kathleen Lord, said it’s a shame money was spent on seeking a death penalty.
"It was reversed because jurors brought something from the outside," Lord said. "It was a serious error of the law."
Former Adams County District Attorney Bob Grant, who handled the original case, spoke on behalf of Creazzo and said she doesn’t care if Harlan was given the death sentence as long as he is prevented from hurting anyone else. Creazzo is paralyzed from the waist down.
"He affected her life, but he didn’t end it," Grant said.
He should be swinging from a rope in the town square.
Harlan should be surgically altered to match his surviving victims condition, then he should be brutally raped by his fellow inmates. Only in a perfect world.
The bigotry here is obvious. Would they have acted the same if it had been a college psych. textbook, for example? Of course not.
The killing will occur in prison and the victim will be someone in jail for a non-violent crime, or a prison guard or other person doing work there, maybe even a missionary.
The judges know this, so whether they send the killer to Old Sparky to turn him or her into a crispy critter, they've actually condemned someone else to death.
Moral Absolutes Ping.
A very bad decision. Reading the Bible should certainly have no bearing on the jury's decision being valid. Total and utter idiocy. What if the jurors remembered Biblical or other religious teachings? What if jurors believed in the Bible (or other scriptures?) Why just consider an actual Bible verboten? If this is legitimate, then eventually only atheists and secularists will be fit jurors.
Freepmail me if you want on/off this pinglist.
All murderers and forcible rapists should be executed. Anything less is cruelty to the innocent.
Or if they had used the Koran, instead?
So, he's saying hat they can't use a Bible because it wasn't introduced during the trial?
Well, pinhead, what did the witnesses swear to tell the truth on? What do you think THAT was about, idiot?
Isn't the BIBLE what they swear on "to tell the truth, the whole thruth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God."? (or something to that effect) How can you expect people to swear on the Bible and then tell them they can't consult it to make a decision?
What the hell is this anti-Christian bullcrap?
So let's see... judges can consult court decisions from around the world, but juries can't consult the very Bible used to swear in witnesses. Ironic.
I don't get it. The Supreme Court uses laws in foreign countries can be used to make rulings in legal proceedings in the United States, but claims that using the Bible goes against the Constitution.
How can that make sense to anybody?
It only makes sense to people who have surrendered to demoniac forces. And I'm not kidding.
The killing will occur in prison and the victim will be someone in jail for a non-violent crime, or a prison guard or other person doing work there, maybe even a missionary.
The judges know this, so whether they send the killer to Old Sparky to turn him or her into a crispy critter, they've actually condemned someone else to death.
...uh...right....Mr. Dahmer will vouch for that....
I'm surprised Dahmer made it through the first day. Used to be the time killers like that were carved up with shanks while the guards held them down.
I think rapists should be emasculated prior to being executed.
Being separated from their bodies should do the trick.
Here's another article, slightly more info:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1543813/posts
Man Once On Death Row Gets Sentenced To Life In Prison (Bible used by juror)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.