Posted on 08/24/2007 3:17:41 PM PDT by stm
A Florida judge sentenced John Evander Couey to death Friday for the kidnap, rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford.
Couey, a convicted sex offender, buried Lunsford alive in two black trash bags with her hands bound and her favorite purple stuffed dolphin tucked in her arms, Circuit Judge Richard Howard said. Lunsford's body was found in a grave in Couey's yard about three weeks after she disappeared.
"He secured her fate with a second bag," Howard told the court.
Howard called the murder "cold and calculated," causing a "slow, suffering and conscious death."
Couey, appearing in a red jumpsuit sitting between his attorneys, looked straight ahead when Howard read the sentence.
Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father, cried off and on when taking questions from reporters after the hearing.
“I’m grateful that the outcome was what it was,” Lunsford said, wearing a tie with Jessica's photo on it. “No matter what, it’s not bringing my daughter back.”
“Justice was served for this little girl, but what about the rest of them?” Lunsford asked, pleading for state laws to change for harsher sentences for child sex offenders.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This guy deserves all the tortures of the Inquisition. If I can’t bear to think of the suffering and fear that baby suffered, how much more terrifying it must have been to her. Nothing could be too cruel to do to him.
..but how long will this animal live on appeal?
I watched that today and was horrified at what her father had to sit through and hear. I was disgusted when it was declared that Couey had no prior criminal record that we all know he has.
I watched it too, and couldn’t help crying.
I think they should have given him life in general population.
Sadly, he may die of old age before he's executed and have a better jail life on death row, instead of the gen population housing.
Until someone stops paying the lawyers and judges to continue with the “game.”
Like most states, it can take 10 years before he actually meets the needle. Given his poor health he may die in prison before he can actually be executed. Either that or prison justice may prevail.
I would happily put a .45 caliber bullet into this piece of crap’s head. I might even pay for the privilege.
I agree. The man deserves a slow “medieval” version of his sentence delivered to him.
Unfortunately there is a pro-criminal rights movement here in FL
Before Jeb Boosh left office, he signed a moratorium on executions (Boosh liberalism again)....fortunately the new gov Charlie Crist removed the moratorium a few months ago.
But, still there is that move to do away with the DP....incrementally. In FL we used to put the crims in the electric chair...then libs didnt like that. Now, we inject them...but libs didnt like it either.
I hope Couey is executed, and soon. But FL is more and more a liberal state that values criminals rights over crime victims rights. Couey probably will never be executed
Time to bring back the good old public hanging (and drawing and quartering).
I understand that the Constitution prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment" (even though this monster's actions certainly did fit that definition, to a tee). So he cannot be tortured to death, as much as I would consider some sort of symmetrical justice appropriate.
But perhaps he will spend the next 20 years or so in mental anguish--continually dwelling upon his eventual fate--as he slowly exhausts his appeals.
I truly hope so.
Saddly he will stay alive for decades on appeal before Jessica gets justice. Perhaps Couy will get his justice at the hands of other inmates.
He should be strung up today imo.
Unfortunately he’ll probably be living on death row longer then Jessica was alive.
Good thing he didn’t get the Louise Woodward judge. He would have given him time served.
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