# Texas law must really suck. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 7, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-law-must-really-suck/283488 "2005-01-07T00:50:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-law-must-really-suck/283488/1 "2005-01-07T00:50:26Z")
[http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/06/jealous.husband.ap/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/06/jealous.husband.ap/index.html) 4 months for murder. 15 years for wounding. Something is wrong here. > [@](#): > > FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – A man sentenced to just four months in prison for killing his wife, after a jury concluded he acted in a blind fury, drew a 15-year term for wounding her boyfriend. You gotta love the last line… > [@](#): > > Jurors said they recommended probation because they didn’t think Watkins could be rehabilitated in prison. We can’t fix him, so let’s just let him go! ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-law-must-really-suck/283488/2 "2005-01-07T00:55:06Z")
I bet we’d’ve killed 'em if he was retarded. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-law-must-really-suck/283488/3 "2005-01-07T00:57:30Z")
I’d rather give judes and juries discretion in sentencing, even if sometimes the results don’t seem to make sense, then have mandatory sentences. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-law-must-really-suck/283488/4 "2005-01-07T00:58:22Z")
It seems ridiculous, but it might have stemmed from some kind of behind the scenes jury room compromise. E.g., all the jurors agreed to this course of action because he would do no more/no less than X years in jail from it, perhaps splitting the difference between what various jury members thought he should get. Just one possible explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-law-must-really-suck/283488/5 "2005-01-07T04:16:16Z")
Hey! This is the same state where if you take a gun to work and kill someone, you go to jail for “life” (actually 40 years). If you miss your target and kill someone else, you get the death penalty (for killing someone during the commision of another felony - the attempted murder of your target). You can also get death for killing a 5.5 year old. Once that kid turns six, you just get life in prison, so try to stick it out for a few months.