The shooting in Charleston, SC this week seems to be the perfect case for the death penalty, when the shooter was charged with nine counts of first degree pre-meditated murder. The governor and others have called for the death penalty.

Just wondering if the death penalty is too good for the alleged shooter, Dylann Roof. Roof is only 21 years old. If he lives to be 70 or 80 years of age, he could spend over 50 years in solitary confinement. This could be a worse punishment for him than being put to death.

Originally Posted by Guest

The shooting in Charleston, SC this week seems to be the perfect case for the death penalty, when the shooter was charged with nine counts of first degree pre-meditated murder. The governor and others have called for the death penalty.

Just wondering if the death penalty is too good for the alleged shooter, Dylann Roof. Roof is only 21 years old. If he lives to be 70 or 80 years of age, he could spend over 50 years in solitary confinement. This could be a worse punishment for him than being put to death.

He does not deserve the death penalty. That would be to kind.

Yes to the death penalty. If it was assured he would spend all his life in solitary, that would be better, of course but in prison he could become a hero to Aryan Brotherhood if he was in general population.

The answer is clearly yes, he deserves the death penalty. Too bad we no longer utilize drawing and quartering ...

I think he deserves a trial prior to sentencing.

For him the death penalty is to good and for us life in prison would be cheaper!!

Originally Posted by Guest

I think he deserves a trial prior to sentencing.

Ah yes the letter of the law......we must be careful in this day and era of selective enforcement..........after he is found guilty the death penalty ends his life, his role model and financial liability......I would go for drawing and quartering done with a suitable mechanical device set on the slowest possible setting!

Originally Posted by Guest

I think he deserves a trial prior to sentencing.

I think he will get a trial even though he confessed to the murders. His next court date is in October when he will be arraigned.

I give his father and uncle credit for immediately calling the police to identify him when they first saw his photo on TV.

Interesting that Roof is in the jail cell next to the police office who is charged with shooting Walter Scott.

No death penalty. My ethos has progressed beyond an eye for an eye. Life with no parole. I see no need for prolonged solitary confinement which is very likely to be ruled unconstitutional in the next few years. Lock him away, treat him humanely, don't ever let him out.

I could accept his getting life in prison, in the general population of a predominantly black prison or section.

IF New York had the death penalty, the US wouldn't be spending a million dollars a day looking for 2 escapees. If found guilty, of course he deserves the death penalty. The only reason it costs so much to execute somebody is because the lawyers and courts have to milk every dollar they can get from the case.

How do lawyers get paid if their client gets the death penalty? I'm guessing its not considered work for charity.

Originally Posted by Guest

How do lawyers get paid if their client gets the death penalty? I'm guessing its not considered work for charity.

Good question. How does a lawyer get paid when he/she represents a 21 year old unemployed landscaper? If Roof gets a public defender, I guess the state will be paying for his defense.

I can only imagine how much money has been spent defending the Boston bomber so far and it's a long way from being over. Where does this money come from, the US Taxpayer?

So if there were no death penalty then trials would be shorter, there would be no appeals about unfair application, poor drug combinations and all the other issues. No court makes money from these cases. No lawyers are getting rich defending death penalty cases with rare exceptions, OJ, Dupont and a few others. The murder case which Scalia used to support that some crimes are so heinous that the application of death is needed, was just shown to be an innocent man sitting on death row for years. So if we had more rapid executions, an innocent would have been executed. Henry McCollum spent 30 years on death row before DNA exonerated him. Scalia has said that there is nothing unconstitutional about executing an innocent person!
Antonin Scalia Says Executing The Innocent Is Constitutional - Business Insider