Justice or a waste of time and money?

[M_Six]

Terry Nichols was given life in prison AGAIN today by an Oklahoma state court. He was already sentenced to life w/o parole in federal court. So what did this expensive and time consuming trial prove? Was it justice or a silly and fruitless waste?

[Mr. Goodbytes]

That DC sniper is getting another trial too. It's amazing how criminals end up getting more rights in court than the victims do.

[yeadon563]

" It's amazing how criminals end up getting more rights in court than the victims do. "

You say that until your ass gets into the fire. Then you'll thank G_d for those rights. They are not just for the criminals you know. They are the rights of us all.

I am in no way defending criminals or their acts! Your statement makes it seem that you don't have the same rights , as if criminals were a protected class. Just being a US citizen gives us all those same rights.

Yeadon563

[OuTpaTienT]

No it wasn't a waste because there was the possibility he could have received the death penalty. He had only been tried and convicted for the deaths of 8 federal agents. He still needed to stand trial for the remaining deaths. And thus he was convicted of 161 counts of first degree murder. Now how someone with that many murder-1's can be spared the death penalty is beyond me. But the process did need to play out.

I also agree with yeadon563 about rights.

[RayH]

First, he could have been sentenced to death. But if for some strange reason he gets his FEDERAL sentenced commuted, he still has to serve the state time. Maybe some federal judge will find some procedural error in the federal trial!

[TOAD6147]

Apparently 12 of his peers could not agree on whether he should die for his crimes. I believe it's called reasonable doubt.

[pickel]

They should have had the family members of the victums on the jury. That would have been REAL justice !!!!

[RADAR1797]

Quote:

by TOAD6147
Apparently 12 of his peers could not agree on whether he should die for his crimes. I believe it's called reasonable doubt.

Toad,

That was just asinine. They found him guilty BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. What they did not agree on was the punishment of death.

-RADAR

[Theophylact]

How much did this second trial cost the people of Oklahoma? Nearly $4 million in defense costs alone, according to this story. Probably several times that much for the prosecution (which hasn't reported its costs).

I think, considering that Nichols is already serving a life sentence, that the money could have been better spent. Since there's no statute of limitations on murder, they could have put off trying him until and unless his first conviction was overturned.

[OuTpaTienT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theophylact

How much did this second trial cost the people of Oklahoma? Nearly $4 million in defense costs alone, according to this story. Probably several times that much for the prosecution (which hasn't reported its costs).

I think, considering that Nichols is already serving a life sentence, that the money could have been better spent. Since there's no statute of limitations on murder, they could have put off trying him until and unless his first conviction was overturned.

Agreed the money could have been better spent, but when you got the families of 160 murder victims that want this guys blood (and IMO deserve it) then you gotta do something. If they waited for however long then there would have been less of a chance for getting a guilty verdict.