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Controversy about death penalty
Strengths and weaknesses of punishments
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Which punishment is crueler, life in prison or the death penalty? This is an issue that many politicians and the average individual debate regularly. The death penalty is the more controversial of the two because the end result is the death of an individual; to many, no one deserves that even when considering their crimes, but to others those individuals got what they “deserved”. Robert Glen Jones Jr., a Caucasian male at the age of 43, was executed about a month ago on October 23, 2013 after being convicted on six counts of first–degree murder, which resulted in the death of seven individuals. Jones is one of 36 inmates in Arizona to have been executed sine 1992, but also another interesting piece to the provocative death penalty subject (Kiefer).
Mr. Jones Jr. committed three crimes, which eventually led to his death earlier this year. It was in the late afternoon on May 30, 1996 when Jones and one of his accomplices, Scott Nordstrom, entered a Tucson, Arizona Smoke Shop. One witness described Jones as having red hair, and was also claimed to have been wearing cowboy boots (Kiefer). Immediately after entering the smoke shop, Jones shot Chip O’Dell right between the eyes (Kiefer). Jones and Nordstrom continued to shoot and then Jones chased an employee, Tom Hardman, into the back room, where Jones shot him to death (Kiefer). In the aftermath, a third employee was shot and wounded, while two others were able to escape safely and unharmed.
The smoke shop wasn’t the tandems only charade. Jones and Nordstrom waited only two weeks to kill again. June 13, 1996 was a scary night for four individuals at the Fire Fighters Union Hall, which is also located in Tucson. Carol Noel, one of four victims that night, was not only shot twice, b...
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1. Halperin, Rick. "Death Penalty News: Arizona executes Robert Jones Jr.." The Associated Press, 2013. Web. 24 Nov 2013. .
2. Jerreat, Jessica. "Violent robber who killed six victims in Arizona in 1996 is executed." Mail Online, 2013. Web. 24 Nov 2013. .
3. Kiefer, Michael. "Man who killed 7 in Arizona put to death." Usatoday.com, 2013. Web. 24 Nov 2013. .
4. The Associated Press. "Ariz. inmate asks Supreme Court to block execution." KTVK azfamily.com, 2013. Web. 24 Nov 2013. .
On September 13, 1986, Jonathan Wayne Nobles broke into a home in Austin, Texas and stabbed to death Mitzi Nalley and Kelly Farquhar, who were both in their early twenties. Ron Ross, while attempting to intervene, was also stabbed by Nobles nineteen times but survived losing only an eye. Nobles was sentenced to death for murder and was executed after twelve years on death row. While in prison Nobles became a pin pal of Steve Earle, a popular country music singer, and author of this essay. Earle struggled with drug addiction in the past and had spent some time in prison himself. Earle is familiar with life behind bars and is well aware of the changes people can go through while locked up. In the essay “A Death in Texas” Steve Earle writes about
In Oklahoma, a man named Richard Gossip got sentenced to be put to death for a crime he said that he did not commit in 1997. In 1997, Gossip was convicted of demanding and ordering the brutal beating of Barry Van Treese. Barry Van Treese was a man who owned a motel where the inmate, Richard Gossip worked. According to “evidence”, Gossip hired another young coworker of the motel, Justin Steed, to brutally beat and kill Treese.
Now this man killed allot of people so this paragraph isn’t for the faint of heart. The first victim will be Paul Lee Stein. He worked as a cab driver in the late 1960s 1968 to be exact. The zodiac hopped in the car of steins cab… A normal customer is all steins must have thought but boy was he wrong…. He asked to get taken across town. About a block before arrival he shot stein in the head with a 9mm. pistol. After he took his wallet keys and a piece of his shirt for proof. Now onto Darlene Elizabeth Ferrin the next victim on the list. She sat in her car with her boyfriend who survived the attack… he must have been devastated by the fact that he couldn’t help what is possibly the love of his life…. When the zodiacs car parked behind them. He got out and shot both multiple times with a 9mm. luger pistol. Later, Ferrin, had a medical professional pronounce her dead. The final victim will be Cecelia Ann Shepard. The zodiac pulled up his car by a couple having a picnic he then said he had just escaped from prison he held tied them up while holding a 45. He stabbed both of them but only Shepard died. As it can see he could be known as a very evil man and killed at weird times as the saying goes expect it when it’s least expect
Gado, Mark. "Carl Panzram: Too Evil To Live, Part I." Crime Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .
The purpose of this paper is to examine life on death row. The information obtained in order to write this paper came from one article. In reading the article it is very clear to see the obvious one-sided bias of the author, who is apparently adamantly against the current status of death rows across the United States of America. Unfortunately, no research could be found to illustrate other views or opinions of life on death row. The author of this article used many opinions, first hand accounts and experiences of prisoners living on death row to illustrate his/her ideas. However, there is an obvious bias of those currently living on death row against their living conditions and treatment. It can be assumed that few people would want to be somewhere or enjoy being somewhere when they knew that they would eventually be executed. It is can also be assumed that very few people would find awaiting executing a happy or fulfilling experience. It is interesting to note that while searching the Internet for information on the death penalty an abundance of web sites were found that belonged to prisoners on death row. All of whom claimed that they were wrongly accused, framed for, and innocent of the crimes that they were convicted of committing.
The mysterious person did not have a real name because no one was able to identify him. The murder gave his a name which was the Zodiac Killer. The Zodiac Killer was responsible for five murders in California during the late 1960s. The Zodiac Killers first two murders was on December of 1968 in Benicia, California. David Farraday, who was 17, and Betty Lou Jensen, who was 16, were the first two of a series of murders by the Zodiac Killer. The two of them were inside a parked, when the Zodiac Killer came up behind them and shot them. A similar case happened to the next victim of the mysterious killer. The following year, on July 4, 1969, another couple were shot dead in their car, in Blue Rock Springs Park in Vallejo, California. 22 year old Darlene Ferrin was shot dead, but Michael Mageau, who was 19 years old survived the shots. The strange thing after these murders is that the police received a phone call from an unidentified person that confessed to murdering those people. The next killings occurred two months later, on September 27, 1969. Two couples were also in a parked car in Lake Berryessa in Napa County. Cecelia Shepard and Brian Hartnell were shot at by the killer, but Brian Hartnell, who was 20 years old survived the mu...
A University of San Diego professor whose daughter’s disappearance become a recurring factor in his life, has finally gotten the peace he deserves. After approximately five years of three unsolved murders, assailant David Allen Lucas, was convicted and sentenced to death. Lucas was a carpet cleaner from Spring Valley, CA and was 23 when he first committed a murder, but this was not his first time being convicted. In 1973, at the age of 18 Lucas was incarcerated after being convicted of raping a 21-year-old maid who had worked for a family friend.
"Botched Executions In The USA." Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty. 20 May 2009 .
"Joe Ball | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers." Joe Ball | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers. Juan Ignacio Blanco, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Buckman, Adam. “Following Footsteps of a Killer.” New York Post (Nov. 2002): 124: Proquest. Web. 28 Feb. 2014
Gado, Mark. "Crime Library –The Slaughter of Innocence." Crime Library – Crime News and Stories. 28 Jan. 1997. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
Szekely, J. (1994, April 4). A Case of SEXUAL HOMICIDE? Tuscan Citizen. Retrieved from http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue2/1994/04/04/105840-a-case-of-sexual-homicide/
Johnson, Jason B. “ Slain Teen’s family: Cops eyeing 7-10 suspects.” Boston Herald. 7 ,April 1995
When someone is legally convicted of a capital crime, it is possible for their punishment to be execution. The Death Penalty has been a controversial topic for many years. Some believe the act of punishing a criminal by execution is completely inhumane, while others believe it is a necessary practice needed to keep our society safe. In this annotated bibliography, there are six articles that each argue on whether or not the death penalty should be illegalized. Some authors argue that the death penalty should be illegal because it does not act as a deterrent, and it negatively effects the victim’s families. Other scholar’s state that the death penalty should stay legalized because there is an overcrowding in prisons and it saves innocent’s lives. Whether or not the death penalty should be
"Executions by State in the U.S.” AmnestyUSA.com. Amnesty USA, March 2010. Web. 1 March 2010.