Posted on 06/15/2010 12:41:30 PM PDT by SmithL
Ukiah, Calif. (AP) -- A Northern California man who fatally shot a family friend accused of molesting him for years was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison in the vigilante shooting.
Aaron Vargas, 32, was sentenced after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the death of 63-year-old Darrell McNeill.
Vargas said McNeill began sexually abusing him when he was 11
. . .several other people ... came forward to say McNeill had molested them.
Hundreds of supporters ... asked authorities for leniency for the shooter.
. . .
Judge Ronald Brown said he imposed the harsher sentence because he believed Vargas had gone to McNeill's house with the intent to kill him, and that the use of violence to solve problems would only encourage more violence.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
“yup around a hundred years ago.....it was a novel, not history....”
Are you not aware that novels are written by real historical people? In this case Mark Twain, who clearly was opposed to lynchings even when carried out against white men.
“they hung their friend Jake Spoon cause he traveled with dirt bags who were murdering folks ‘for sh!ts and giggles’ even though he did not do it himself.”
First of all, that was the “wild” west, and you can’t convincingly argue that our current situation vis-a-vis molesters is comparable. Second, their actions were informed by the fact that they had been lawmen, which means their actions are more applicable to rogue judges.
I'm sorry, but I cannot agree that nine years with likely half served is a heavy sentence for 1st degree murder. I think the guy is lucky he didn't get much worse.
He could have at least done some planning and used a rifle with a scope and hid out, shot him and then gotten rid of the weapon and pleaded innocence. At least then they would have come looking for all the people he molested.
It seems a lot of FReepers today are advocates of lawlessness.
Justice is incidental to law and order --J. Edgar Hoover
FReeper's acknowledge and respect the rule of law; we (like most Americans) get upset when it isn't enforced. But then sexual deviancy is "celebrated" in today's society. Look at the chld molesters and their morally depraved brethen that march in "gay pride parades".
You cropped my sentence short...what I said: “Harshly sentencing an abuse victim who kills their molester discourages victims from tracking down their tormentor and seeking justice, LEGAL or otherwise.”
I don’t advocate vigilantism, period. In such a case as the above I do understand what drove the man to kill his molester, who continued to stalk him as an adult.
Deadly self-defense and carrying concealed I believe in and practice. But it is children, the most vulnerable members of society, who fall victim to molesters. All they have, if they live, is the nightmares.
Time limitations on certain statutes involving sex abuse and molestation of minors should be lifted. That step would allow bringing these terrible perpetrators to justice. Perhaps then we would have less child molesters roving the streets.
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