Posted on 01/14/2007 9:00:38 AM PST by workerbee
RALEIGH, N.C. — A man suspected of decapitating his 4-year-old daughter and leaving the body for her mother to find in their suburban home was arrested in Washington, D.C., early Saturday, authorities said.
Investigators have not found any history of domestic or mental health problems at the home, and still have no leads as to a possible motive in the killing, said Clayton police Lt. Jon Gerrell.
Amber Violette told police Friday evening she had found her daughter, Katlin, with her head severed from her body, police said.
An "edged weapon" believe to have been used in the killing was found in the house, though Gerrell declined to give more details.
"This is devastating for the whole community as a whole, and it's the most horrific thing I've seen in 13 years of police work," said Sgt. S.P. Lapsley. "That a father could do this to his child, I just can't believe it."
John Patrick Violette's vehicle was found at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and investigators learned he had taken a flight to Washington. Deputy U.S. marshals arrested the 37-year-old after police tracked his credit card to the hotel, Lapsley said.
Police said Violette, 37, would be held in Washington pending an extradition on a murder charge expected to be filed in Clayton, about 15 miles southeast of Raleigh. The U.S. Marshals Service said an extradition hearing is expected to be held Tuesday.
The mother is not a suspect in the investigation, and Lapsley said police don't expect to make any more arrests.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
These days it's just plain old drug abuse.
I am inclined to agree with you. Actions such as this are all but beyond human understanding. Better to send him to a Higher Court, where the Ultimate Judge can administer true Justice.
VietVet
Killing them painlessly is not for their benefit - it is for ours.
Shudder. I would be so creeped out if these people were my neighbors. Right now, I'm thinking he did this to "get back" at the wife for something.
Somebody, somehow, saw this coming.
Well , Jack, I can only suggest to you that anyone who engages in horrific and depraved acts is a horrific and depraved person. The acts define the behavior. Candidly, I don't believe that any horrific or depraved act can ever be justifiable or honorable regardless of the motive. In essence a depraved act remains a depraved act regardless of who is doing it for whatever reason.
Trial and execution is not a depraved act. It is justice. Ghoulish displays of depravity are not justice. It is ghoulish depravity. There is a distinction. That is why the founders forbade cruel and unusual punishment they recognized a human being's capacity to descend into barbarity and refused to allow government to be an instrument of that barbarity.
We really need an "express line" court, where heinous crimes can be tried immediately and quickly, followed by execution asap.
The article linked in #31 said he was seen walking up the driveway in the afternoon in a rage on his cellphone.
I suspect you are quite correct.
Her 911 call was devastating.
I agree.
Perhaps 50 years with the general prison population would be a more fitting punishment, all things considered.
So far, I missed the 911 call... didn't even notice mention of this on the morning (rabbit ear) news.
I don't think you have the moral or titular authority to speak on behalf of "civilized countries." Apparently it's not that clear-cut, since a number of civilized folks on this thread seem to believe in a more equitable fate for this murderer.
Because it distinguishes us from the perpetrator.
Be it is what civilized nations do.
Because, Jack, civilization is about the struggle between our capacity for brutish depravity and moral order.
We loathe this man because we recognize his act was cruel, brutal, and depraved. That is good. Brutal depravity in dealing with him makes a mockery of our moral reasoning.That is bad, Jack.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/1136073/
Some of it is there.
So what? Just because someone goes to church; they are incapable of committing an atrocity like this? Please.
That's why those kinds of statements from friends and neighbors of heinous criminals are so irritating.
anyone who engages in horrific and depraved acts is a horrific and depraved person.
I disagree. People cannot be horrific and depraved. Their acts can be. But I believe it depends to a minor degree on their motive.
Candidly, I don't believe that any horrific or depraved act can ever be justifiable or honorable regardless of the motive. In essence a depraved act remains a depraved act regardless of who is doing it for whatever reason.
"Honorable," no. "Justifiable?" Yes.
I'm sure you would agree that dismembering this puke with a blowtorch would be "depraved." Or using explosives to tear him limb from limb? Yet that is what our military does every day in Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other places where the face of war is seen. Would you consider the dropping of a JDAM or napalm "depraved?" Would you consider the calculated murder of other people with a high-powered rifle from a distant rooftop "depraved?" What if the shooter was a Marine sniper who just took out a Mahdi ringleader? Is the act "justifiable?" "Honorable?"
Trial and execution is not a depraved act. It is justice. Ghoulish displays of depravity are not justice. It is ghoulish depravity. There is a distinction.
The distinction is merely one of degree, not quality.
That is why the founders forbade cruel and unusual punishment
A meaningless phrase. All punishment is, by nature, "cruel." And if it's "usual," it's not particularly punishing.
they recognized a human being's capacity to descend into barbarity and refused to allow government to be an instrument of that barbarity.
Government should reflect the will of the people. If the government cannot stain its hand with retributive justice, then it should step out of the way and let the people do the job.
That said, essentially, I agree with you. There is really little point in degrading ourselves by wasting any time or effort on this wretch. Once the sentence is passed, a midnight trip out behind the machine shop, a 9MM hollow point to the back of his skull, and a trip to the incinerator. He doesn't deserve any more than an anonymous, meaningless death.
However, the rage expressed by many on this thread, including myself, is understandable in the face of such utter barbarity. Blood cries out for blood, and horror demands horror.
Look at that sweet little house and the child's bicycle.
I don't know how the mother was able to speak at all ... considering what she saw...
I just saw this for the first time..and cried out.. No words to really express my horror.
Because every time we, as a society, engage in publicly lowering our moral standards, it comes back to bite us. Every time we expose ourselves AND OUR CHILDREN (who will, one day, be "the boss of us") we cheapen the whole "life is valuable" theory. The shock value is diminished, life becomes cheap. When we punish acts of barbarity with acts of barbarity, we put ourselves on the same level as the killer. And that takes away our moral high ground.
This guy should die, no doubt about it. But, he should have a trial first....or maybe meet up with an "accident" during his upcoming incarceration. The State should at least have the appearance of equal justice for all.
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.