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Killer re-sentenced to life after Bible ruling
Denver Rocky Mountain News ^ | December 19, 2005 | Felix Doligosa Jr.

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.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: activistjudge; atheistandstate; bible; christophobia; constitution; deathpenalty; deathsentence; gramsci; judicialactivism; judicialtyranny; moralabsolutes; robertharlan; ruling; theophobia

1 posted on 12/19/2005 6:28:04 PM PST by Graybeard58
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To: Graybeard58

He should be swinging from a rope in the town square.


2 posted on 12/19/2005 6:30:42 PM PST by claudiustg (Go Bush! Go Sharon!)
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To: Graybeard58

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.


3 posted on 12/19/2005 6:36:26 PM PST by claptrap (optional tag-line under reconsideration)
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To: claudiustg
Just more evidence of how Secular Humanism is entrenched as the dogmatic and fanatical state religion, brooking no dissent or challenge. Can't have people looking into alternatives (in any way shape or form) to guide real-life decisions, now can we?

The bigotry here is obvious. Would they have acted the same if it had been a college psych. textbook, for example? Of course not.

4 posted on 12/19/2005 6:36:47 PM PST by Liberty1970
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To: Graybeard58
The odds are the type of killer up for the death sentence is going to kill someone else if he's merely sentenced to prison.

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.

5 posted on 12/19/2005 6:40:32 PM PST by muawiyah (-)
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To: Graybeard58; odoso; animoveritas; Laissez-faire capitalist; bellevuesbest; Unam Sanctam; ...

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.


6 posted on 12/19/2005 6:53:50 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: Liberty1970


Or if they had used the Koran, instead?


7 posted on 12/19/2005 6:59:38 PM PST by Fido969 ("And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).)
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To: Graybeard58
"It was reversed because jurors brought something from the outside," Lord said. "It was a serious error of the law."

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?

8 posted on 12/19/2005 7:02:54 PM PST by Fido969 ("And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).)
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To: Graybeard58
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.

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?

9 posted on 12/19/2005 7:19:22 PM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Graybeard58
So let me see if I've got this right...when you're sworn in, it must be on a Bible...but you may not cite that same Bible in deliberations.

What the hell is this anti-Christian bullcrap?

10 posted on 12/19/2005 7:29:15 PM PST by Prime Choice (We are RepubliCANs, not RepubliCAN'Ts.)
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To: claudiustg

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.


11 posted on 12/19/2005 7:48:05 PM PST by mkmensinger
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To: Graybeard58; Liberty1970; little jeremiah; Fido969; Prime Choice; Soul Seeker; Salvation

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?


12 posted on 12/19/2005 7:54:30 PM PST by Clintonfatigued (Sam Alito Deserves To Be Confirmed)
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To: Clintonfatigued

It only makes sense to people who have surrendered to demoniac forces. And I'm not kidding.


13 posted on 12/19/2005 8:02:37 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: muawiyah
The odds are the type of killer up for the death sentence is going to kill someone else if he's merely sentenced to prison.

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.

Image hosted by TinyPic.com

...uh...right....Mr. Dahmer will vouch for that....

14 posted on 12/19/2005 8:10:08 PM PST by paulat
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To: paulat
When it came to Dahmer the prisoners realized that placing him in their prison violated their fundamental right to life, and to not be eaten by a cannibal.

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.

15 posted on 12/19/2005 8:15:05 PM PST by muawiyah (-)
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To: little jeremiah
All murderers and forcible rapists should be executed.

I think rapists should be emasculated prior to being executed.

16 posted on 12/19/2005 8:18:17 PM PST by Paleo Conservative (Hey hey ho ho Andy Heyward's got to go!)
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To: Paleo Conservative

Being separated from their bodies should do the trick.


17 posted on 12/19/2005 8:22:09 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: Graybeard58

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)


18 posted on 12/19/2005 11:47:40 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: Graybeard58
Here is an article on this crime, with a Second Ammendment twist.
19 posted on 12/20/2005 12:37:47 AM PST by jordan8
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