# Cop killer gets death sentence in PA-12 thumbs up to the jury! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 20, 2006, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115 "2006-11-20T06:50:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/1 "2006-11-20T06:50:28Z")
[I’ve been following this case ever since the piece of excrement who calls himself Robert Flor spread himself around in the county of my upbringing](http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-11182006-743897.html). He shot a police officer, wounded another, and an ER worker. Some years before, he came after Falls Townhip officers with a baseball bat. Shame they didn’t cap his worthless ass then. I know the anti-capital punishment folks will wring their hands and wail about how the death penalty solves nothing, blah blah blah. Fuck and that. Howzabout you lie on the floor facing the business end of a revolver, while the sociopath holding it yells, “DIE!” After you’ve changed your shorts, tell me how you feel. As for me, I’m happy to save the Commonwealth a bunch of money. I’ll give Flor a measure of consideration equal to that which he offered Officer Warunek. Bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Snowflake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Snowflake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowflake)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/2 "2006-11-20T07:14:10Z")
Maybe he can write a book and become beloved by the Green Party. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/3 "2006-11-20T07:16:30Z")
[QUOTE=Snowflake] Maybe he can write a book and become beloved by the Green Party. :mad: [/QUOTE] 😕 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/4 "2006-11-20T07:17:33Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Howzabout you lie on the floor facing the business end of a revolver, while the sociopath holding it yells, “DIE!” After you’ve changed your shorts, tell me how you feel. [/QUOTE] I’d still be against it, but that’s neither here nor there. I’d have nothing against killing the bastard myself. Revenge should be personal. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/5 "2006-11-20T07:42:33Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Howzabout you lie on the floor facing the business end of a revolver, while the sociopath holding it yells, “DIE!” After you’ve changed your shorts, tell me how you feel. [/QUOTE] Do you honestly believe that society should make public policy from the point of view of stark terror? You seem to be saying, lets get good and irrational and then decide what to do with criminals. ---
**Author:** ![Snowflake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Snowflake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowflake)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/6 "2006-11-20T07:55:44Z")
[QUOTE=Kid\_A] 😕 [/QUOTE] a reference to Mumia. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/7 "2006-11-20T07:58:53Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] I know the anti-capital punishment folks will wring their hands and wail about how the death penalty solves nothing, blah blah blah. Fuck and that. [/quote] So, is this a troll, then? > [@danceswithcats](#): > > As for me, I’m happy to save the Commonwealth a bunch of money. I’ll give Flor a measure of consideration equal to that which he offered Officer Warunek. Oh. Looks like a job for IMHO. > [@danceswithcats](#): > > Bastard. Well, I guess that poisons it for anything but the Pit. _C’est la vie._ ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/8 "2006-11-20T08:28:00Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Howzabout you lie on the floor facing the business end of a revolver, while the sociopath holding it yells, “DIE!” After you’ve changed your shorts, tell me how you feel. [/QUOTE] Having never been in that situation, I can only guess I might feel vengeful for a short while. However, I would still be against the death penalty for its inhumanity and utter pointlessness. [QUOTE=danceswithcats] As for me, I’m happy to save the Commonwealth a bunch of money. I’ll give Flor a measure of consideration equal to that which he offered Officer Warunek. Bastard. [/QUOTE] Firstly, the death penalty doesn’t save anyone money. Secondly, you are no better than Flor. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/9 "2006-11-20T10:07:55Z")
I never understand this love affair with the death penalty. If I truly wanted revenge on someone, I would want them to spend the rest of their life in prison. From my second-hand knowledge (novels, documentaries, TV / movies) American prisons seem like a pretty awful place. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/10 "2006-11-20T10:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=buns3000] Firstly, the death penalty doesn’t save anyone money. Secondly, you are no better than Flor. [/QUOTE] If you’re not using up space or feeding a prisoner anymore because he’s about to die, I would consider this savings somewhere. Nothing huge in comparison to non-death row inmates, but something. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/11 "2006-11-20T11:09:39Z")
[QUOTE=ParentalAdvisory] If you’re not using up space or feeding a prisoner anymore because he’s about to die, I would consider this savings somewhere. Nothing huge in comparison to non-death row inmates, but something. [/QUOTE] Yes, but it’s been extensively documented (I can’t be bothered to hunt up a cite) that the processes leading up to a execution cost more that a lifetime in jail. Perhaps it’s different in a country like China, where they don’t bother so much about due legal process. ---
**Author:** ![Li\_l\_Pluck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee59a6/32.png) [@Li\_l\_Pluck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Li_l_Pluck)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/12 "2006-11-20T11:56:55Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] Yes, but it’s been extensively documented (I can’t be bothered to hunt up a cite) that the processes leading up to a execution cost more that a lifetime in jail. Perhaps it’s different in a country like China, where they don’t bother so much about due legal process. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that’s what I was going to say, and that’s what I thought **buns3000** was referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/13 "2006-11-20T12:16:39Z")
[QUOTE=Snowflake] a reference to Mumia. [/QUOTE] That was my first thought as well. I was going to tell **danceswithcats** that he was about 20 years too late. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/14 "2006-11-20T12:39:58Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] Howzabout you lie on the floor facing the business end of a revolver, while the sociopath holding it yells, “DIE!” After you’ve changed your shorts, tell me how you feel. [/QUOTE] I’d probably want to kill the son of a bitch. Luckily society doesn’t(or at least shouldn’t) base it’s policies on scared, traumatised individual victim’s need for revenge. ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/15 "2006-11-20T12:40:32Z")
[QUOTE=ParentalAdvisory] If you’re not using up space or feeding a prisoner anymore because he’s about to die, I would consider this savings somewhere. Nothing huge in comparison to non-death row inmates, but something. [/QUOTE] If he’s “about to die” but not dead yet, I hope he’s still being fed. Still, if we’re going to kill him soon anyway, I guess making him really, really hungry pales in comparison. There are no cost savings in executing him. This is because over the long haul, the cost of the (publicly funded) appeals of death row prisoners exceeds the costs of maintaining them for life in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/16 "2006-11-20T13:17:09Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] Yes, but it’s been extensively documented (I can’t be bothered to hunt up a cite) that the processes leading up to a execution cost more that a lifetime in jail. Perhaps it’s different in a country like China, where they don’t bother so much about due legal process. [/QUOTE] That’s not _exactly_ true any more. Medical costs are skyrocketing. Individual inmates can cost the states millions in treatment alone. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/17 "2006-11-20T14:49:24Z")
[QUOTE=buns3000] If he’s “about to die” but not dead yet, I hope he’s still being fed. Still, if we’re going to kill him soon anyway, I guess making him really, really hungry pales in comparison. There are no cost savings in executing him. This is because over the long haul, the cost of the (publicly funded) appeals of death row prisoners exceeds the costs of maintaining them for life in prison. [/QUOTE] This is true. But when a death sentence leads to an appeal process that goes on for twenty years or more, I think it’s safe to say that something is broken. New rule: if you’re sentenced to death, you’re appeal gets fast-tracked. Two years later you’re either freed from jail or liberated from your body. ---
**Author:** ![Gidget\_Widget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gidget\_Widget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gidget_Widget)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/18 "2006-11-20T14:51:32Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] This is true. But when a death sentence leads to an appeal process that goes on for twenty years or more, I think it’s safe to say that something is broken. New rule: if you’re sentenced to death, you’re appeal gets fast-tracked. Two years later you’re either freed from jail or liberated from your body. [/QUOTE] That system would work better if the courts weren’t so bogged down. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/19 "2006-11-20T14:54:48Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] I know the anti-capital punishment folks will wring their hands and wail about how the death penalty solves nothing, blah blah blah. Fuck and that. Howzabout you lie on the floor facing the business end of a revolver, while the sociopath holding it yells, “DIE!” After you’ve changed your shorts, tell me how you feel. [/QUOTE] I’d feel terrified, and relived to be alive, and I hope I wouild still feel that any system of penal measures should not be designed and implemented by people who have just been the victims of crimes, because their approach will likely result in disproportionately harsh sentences. I might feel a bit of anger at the anti-gun lobby as well, because I likely would not have been in that situation if I were armed and could defend myself with a legally-carried firearm. I hope that even in spite of my terror, though, I would recognize that killing another human being in the calm, dispassionate way that the death penalty does, not reacting to any imminent danger, is not only wrong, but unwise to boot. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115/20 "2006-11-20T15:03:32Z")
[QUOTE=magellan01] This is true. But when a death sentence leads to an appeal process that goes on for twenty years or more, I think it’s safe to say that something is broken. New rule: if you’re sentenced to death, you’re appeal gets fast-tracked. Two years later you’re either freed from jail or liberated from your body. [/QUOTE] Sorry, that just shifts the cost, it doesn’t eliminate it. Additional judges would need to be hired (and paid for), or non-capital cases would be delayed (which add to their costs), or both. Sua [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cop-killer-gets-death-sentence-in-pa-12-thumbs-up-to-the-jury/381115.md?page=2)