Westerfield Sentenced to Death

[Lilly]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/LAW/09/16/westerfield.jury.ap/index.html

he will die by lethal injection.


it can still be oveturned by the judge, however, but it's extremely unlikely.

 

[nbcrusader]

Death is the recommendation of the jury to the court. You are correct that the judge could ignore this and go with life in prison.

Either way, Westerfield will enjoy years in prison while the appeals are heard.

 

[BAW]

In California, there really isn't any difference between a death sentence and a life sentence...I don't know why its even an option anymore

Westerfield has at least 20 years of appeals ahead of him...I don't see him being exectuted for a very, very long time, if at all.

At least with a life sentence, Danielle's parents could move on, knowing he will never walk the streets again but the inevitable appeals will keep this case in court for years to come.

 

[pinkfloyd]

Let him live in prison , forever , give him books about what he've done , similar cases , books about goods , law , some text , video , audio stuff to help him to realise what he had done .

 

[The Wanderer]

why on earth does it matter if he "knows and understands what he did?"

I would let the other inmates know what he did and maybe they will get a little justice

 

[BAW]

why on earth does it matter if he "knows and understands what he did?"

I would let the other inmates know what he did and maybe they will get a little justice

Right on...I prefer that method over the death penalty.

 

[BAW]

Let him live in prison , forever , give him books about what he've done , similar cases , books about goods , law , some text , video , audio stuff to help him to realise what he had done .

He knows EXACTLY what he did and why...he knows that he stole a 7 year old child from her bedroom, probably raped her and dumped her by the side of the road like a piece of trash. I say probably raped her because after he dumped her body, it was partially eaten by animals, leaving no tissue to analyze. He did this to satisfy his urge to have sex with a child. Plain and simple.

His intent was very clear judging by the child pornography found in his home that showed a little girl being violently raped by a grown man, screaming in pain.

I think a miserable life in prison, at the hands of the other imates, would be a more appropriate punishment.

 

[nbcrusader]

I think a miserable life in prison, at the hands of the other imates, would be a more appropriate punishment.

Unfortunately, with his status as a child molestor/killer, he will probably be kept away from the general inmate population. Otherwise, he wouldn't live to see his first appeal.

 

[The Wanderer]

well then, in that case solitary confinement in a dark hell-hole would get him ready for where he's going, sounds good to me...

 

[hiphop]

Right on...I prefer that method over the death penalty.

Normally I am not the one who wants anything bad to happen to anyone, but I am agreeing with Bono?s American wife on that matter. I think, too, that he perfectly understood what he did.

 

[pinkfloyd]

How I Wish She was here

nobody can bring back little girl now , why to make two unjustified murders , instead of one ??????? I still believe that he can be saved and " Eye for Eye " thing , can't work , it only would make it even worse .

 

[hiphop]

Re: How I Wish She was here

nobody can bring back little girl now , why to make two unjustified murders , instead of one ??????? I still believe that he can be saved and " Eye for Eye " thing , can't work , it only would make it even worse .

Well, if he stays in prison all his life, its not two murders. Only God can decide whether it would be justified or not. I think a person who rapes a child has to be locked away forever, so the possibility that the same person commits this particular crime again is very reduced.

This is not about an Eye for Eye thing, I think. It is about the security of the children that live in our society. Whereas I believe that crimes against property (personal or statal) should not be punished as hard as they are, I think that physically hurting, raping or killing someone should be punished hardly by our society.

I don?t believe in sending every raper to psychatry. People with serious mental illness, yes; but this may be around 0,1%. And I am sorry that I don?t know a better possibility, by all standards of humanity, except to lock them away. Do you know any possibility, pinkfloyd?

 

[BAW]

Re: How I Wish She was here

nobody can bring back little girl now , why to make two unjustified murders , instead of one ??????? I still believe that he can be saved and " Eye for Eye " thing , can't work , it only would make it even worse .

You don't need to worry...he won't be exectuted in this lifetime.

California currently has almost 600 death row inmates waiting for their exectution dates, including a man who raped and murdered a 2 year old...in 1979. There have only been 10 executions in CA since the death penalty was reinstated almost 30 years ago.

What Westerfield does have to look forward to being on death row is...a private, one man cell, private showers, meals brought to his cell, television, radio, books, a court appointed "advocate" to handle his appeals (at tax payer expense) and protection from the other inmates.

It also costs the tax payers of California more to house a death row inmate than a general population inmate.

So I guess you could say I'm anti-death penalty... but not for the reasons most people are.

And just out of curiosity, how could Westerfield being put to death make this tragedy any worse?

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

It also costs the tax payers of California more to house a death row inmate than a general population inmate.

It also costs the state more to kill a person than to keep them imprisoned for the rest of their life.

 

[DrTeeth]

Re: Re: How I Wish She was here

California currently has almost 600 death row inmates waiting for their exectution dates, including a man who raped and murdered a 2 year old...in 1979. There have only been 10 executions in CA since the death penalty was reinstated almost 30 years ago.

Why is this, are these inmates still appealing (sp??)?

 

[nbcrusader]

This just in....

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- San Diego Superior Court Judge William Mudd on Friday refused to overturn a recommended death sentence for David Westerfield in the February murder of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam.

"The court finds that the weight of the evidence ... supports the jury's verdict of death," Mudd said.

 

[diamond]

oh-
boo
hoo.

 

[martha]

.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Rest in Peace Danielle...

God help us all w/ so many monsters like Westerfield still on the loose..at least HE will never hurt another child.