That was partly my point. As currently applied, it isn’t all that effective. After all, I think most of us would actually prefer to die in our sleep. Let people see some necks getting snapped or the firing squad at work and the deterrent effect may come back into play. Hangings and shootings are pretty memorable. It’s sort of like concealed carry laws deterring crime. Why? Potential instant death penalty, administered harshly. I guess delay is the other limiting factor. If you can’t do it quickly, it must be unpleasant when it is done. It has to instill fear through certainty and severity.
The problem I have with that in cases like this, is that I do not like giving the criminal any more press than he has had. I think he should just be swept under the carpet. To me, it seems that people that commit crimes like this, want attention. I don’t like giving them what they want.