For danderous criminals:
Posted on 03/15/2005 4:46:05 PM PST by Graybeard58
"Hey, what's up?" begins the amiable message from Justin Weinberger, the man who raped and murdered her 12-year-old daughter,Courtney.
"I consider myself a logical, honest, inquisitive, outgoing, loving and caring person. ... When I was out, I enjoyed driving, backpacking, playing sports, going to the lake and movie watching."
The Sconces are upset that Weinberger never refers to the nature of his crimes in his ad seeking a pen pal, instead intimating that marijuana is at the root of his legal problems.
Weinberger is serving a 10-year federal prison term in Alabama for an online child pornography conviction in Sacramento, Calif. He eventually will return to California to serve the rest of his life in prison for the murder.
He kidnapped Courtney Sconce after school on Nov. 8, 2000, as she walked to a neighborhood market in Rancho Cordova. Angry because FBI agents had been to his El Dorado County home a day or two earlier investigating the child-pornography case, Weinberger took LSD and began cruising for a girl to abduct, he later told officials.
Shortly after 2 p.m. that day, he spotted Courtney.
Her body was found hours later on the sandy banks of the Feather River in Sutter County. She had been raped and then strangled to death. A passer-by had startled Weinberger and he had fled, leaving behind a pair of boxer shorts with his DNA, and a distinctive baseball cap.
For months, investigators tried to find Courtney's killer, eventually focusing on Weinberger, a construction company clerk who was 18 at the time of the murder. Victims' rights advocates say Weinberger's personal ad shouldn't be allowed online because it is misleading.
"This is dangerous, absolutely dangerous," said Harriet Salarno, president of Crime Victims United of California and the mother of a slain daughter. "These prisoners were sent to prison for a heinous crime, and we should not allow them to cover up that heinous crime."
Salarno and others say they want a law that requires honesty in advertising among prisoners seeking pen pals. But that may be difficult.
Federal judges two years ago struck down an Arizona law that tried to ban inmates from posting personal information online, including personal ads.
They ruled that to restrict such postings violated the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech, and specifically the free-speech guarantee of the person posting the information on the Web.
"I certainly have sympathy for the victim's family members," said Kara Gotsch, public policy coordinator for the American Civil Liberty Union's Special Prison Project in Washington D.C. "But there is a First Amendment that protects the individual's right to say what they want, even if we disagree with what they're saying."
She said anyone who corresponds with an inmate should do independent research on that person's crimes.
"People are intelligent enough to recognize that they have to protect themselves," she said. "It's relatively easy to find out (about convictions); those are public records. And there are newspaper articles if it's a particularly egregious case."
Why is he still alive ?
"I certainly have sympathy for the victim's family members," said Kara Gotsch, public policy coordinator for the American Civil Liberty Union's Special Prison Project in Washington D.C.
This woman is a lying s*ck of sh*t, excuse my l*ngu*ge.
He's the rich boy son of a judge, any other questions?
(blech!)
"But there is a First Amendment that protects the individual's right to say what they want, even if we disagree with what they're saying."
Boy, you can count on the good old ACLU coming thru every time, can't you?
Wow, and here I was thinking I was being outrageous!
AMEN to THAT!!! And WTH's paying for it?!?!
A rhetorical question no doubt...
I'd like to know that too. I pay around 30 bucks a month for service and murderers have access on the States dime?
Then again, I thought the purpose of imprisoning danderous criminals was to revoke their freedoms. Do prisoners in jail have the right to keep and bear arms? Do they have a right to remain free from unreasonable searches?
The creep's in prison ya morons!
Deep Breaths. Deep Breaths. Ok, I'm better now.
he went out that day, in his new BMW, angry, and determined to pick up a young girl to kill. He is an overprivileged, spoiled brat. the only reason that he wasn't given the death penalty is because of daddy's connections
LMAO, he's looking for a pan pal? Are you kidding me? A pen pal? This clown should be on his knees thanking God he's still alive, never mind looking for a pen pal.
For danderous criminals:
LOL! No more freedom to have dander!!
WTF. Just caught this incredible statement. Gives a whole new meaning to 'Caveat Emptor'!
O'Reilly going to cover it tonight - He just started.
I use that all the time- Good stuff but expensive.
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.