# What do you think of this plea deal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 22, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751 "2011-11-22T15:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/41 "2011-11-23T15:02:59Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > I said “_ **As murderers go** _ he isn’t that bad.” Yeah, I got that. I still think it’s ridiculous, considering the circumstances of the case. It would be like saying, oh that guy who date-raped that chick because she said no after they made out all night … as rapists go, he isn’t that bad. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/42 "2011-11-23T15:09:40Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Yeah, I got that. I still think it’s ridiculous, considering the circumstances of the case. > > It would be like saying, oh that guy who date-raped that chick because she said no after they made out all night … as rapists go, he isn’t that bad. A better way to say it is there is more hope for rehabiliatation rather than “he isn’t that bad.” The date -raper you describe isn’t as bad as the guy who stalks strangers and breaks in their houses and rapes them. I’d be willing to entertain a lesser sentence along with intensive counseling for the date-raper, whose passions (that the victim encouraged) then got out of hand, compared to the guy who is far more cold in his calculations toward women. For the other rapist, I’m more inclined to life sentences in maximum security. The first guy needs to learn a serious lesson. The second is beyond hope. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/43 "2011-11-23T15:11:44Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Yeah, I got that. I still think it’s ridiculous, considering the circumstances of the case. > > It would be like saying, oh that guy who date-raped that chick because she said no after they made out all night … as rapists go, he isn’t that bad. Pretty much, **Jack Batty** , you’re arguing that there shouldn’t be recognition of mitigating factors. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/44 "2011-11-23T15:16:00Z")
> [@David42](#): > > Of course she did. The school’s dress code had no force when compared to gay rights; the school’s policy against sexual harrassment had no force when compared to gay rights. This is clear from the news reports. You should know better than to think you have all the facts based on news reports. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/45 "2011-11-23T15:30:28Z")
> [@David42](#): > > Pretty much, **Jack Batty** , you’re arguing that there shouldn’t be recognition of mitigating factors. All factors should be considered including the fact that this was basically an execution style murder - double-tap to the back of the dome. I can see no circumstance in this case that mitigates that. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/46 "2011-11-23T15:52:41Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Anyone who shoots people that upset them in the head is not harmless. One is simply not allowed to shoot people in the head, no matter how annoying they are. Otherwise, the law would say something like “Well, I suppose everyone’s entitled to a freebie.” He wasn’t just annoyed by King. He was teased and bullied by the other students as well. I think you underestimate the psychological damage that that causes a person. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to shoot and kill my bullies in middle school. I don’t find it strange in the least that someone who followed the system and found no relief would take matters into his own hands. It’s what humans do. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/47 "2011-11-23T16:14:50Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You should know better than to think you have all the facts based on news reports. Earlier I premised my argument on the presumption that the news articles are accurate. I concede that it could all be fiction as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/48 "2011-11-23T16:17:47Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > All factors should be considered including the fact that this was basically an execution style murder - double-tap to the back of the dome. I can see no circumstance in this case that mitigates that. That’s a compelling aggravating factor. The fact that no-one would enforce his rights to be free of King’s behavior, and even purposely made light of his rights compared to gay rights, is extremely mitigating. Or maybe you are saying if an aggravating factor exists, we shouldn’t also look at the mitigating factor? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/49 "2011-11-23T16:18:56Z")
What’s ironic here is that the victim was also apparently a target of bullying. Normally I am in favor of separate jurisdiction for juveniles. But in this case, the kind of crime in question. I just don’t have the feeling that it’s unjust to put this murderer away for 25 years. Maybe I’d feel different if he had killed the actual bullies instead of just a guy who said he had a crush on him. ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/50 "2011-11-23T16:25:11Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > What’s ironic here is that the victim was also apparently a target of bullying. > > Normally I am in favor of separate jurisdiction for juveniles. > > But in this case, the kind of crime in question. I just don’t have the feeling that it’s unjust to put this murderer away for 25 years. Maybe I’d feel different if he had killed the actual bullies instead of **just a guy who said he had a crush on him**. Did you not read the detailed article cited above? King did more than just say he liked him - he refused to leave him alone. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/51 "2011-11-23T16:27:13Z")
> [@David42](#): > > Or maybe you are saying if an aggravating factor exists, we shouldn’t also look at the mitigating factor? I repeat. There is no circumstance that mitigates an execution like this. I’ve looked at the mitigating factor; I’m discounting it. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/52 "2011-11-23T16:36:01Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > He wasn’t just annoyed by King. He was teased and bullied by the other students as well. I think you underestimate the psychological damage that that causes a person. \*\*I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to shoot and kill my bullies in middle school. \*\* I don’t find it strange in the least that someone who followed the system and found no relief would take matters into his own hands. > > It’s what humans do. Bolding mine. But you didn’t. That’s not a negligible difference between you and the boy in question. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/53 "2011-11-23T16:38:07Z")
> [@Laudenum](#): > > Did you not read the detailed article cited above? > > King did more than just say he liked him - he refused to leave him alone. Yeah, I read it. It doesn’t change my view. The kid shot him twice in the back of the head at point blank range. 25 years seem pretty fair. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/54 "2011-11-23T17:54:15Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I repeat. There is no circumstance that mitigates an execution like this. I’ve looked at the mitigating factor; I’m discounting it. Don’t you agree that McInerney would be more culpable if the facts were he sought out gays in order to harrass gays, and the school had told him to stop, and then he executed King? ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/55 "2011-11-23T17:55:02Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > I’d agree if he committed robbery or pickpocketed but murder is on a wholly different moral level. It doesn’t make a difference what the crime is. Are you going to lock up a six-year old if he did a really bad thing? A three-year old? The reason fourteen-year olds can’t drive, can’t drink, can’t smoke, can’t vote etc. is that they have impaired decision making abilities. If we recognize they can’t make good decisions, why punish them for what they’re incapable of? I am literally not the same person I was when I was 14. Neither are you (I hope). When this boy is 30, do you think he’ll be the same person as the kid who killed his classmate? Keeping him in prison until he’s 39 is a pointless waste of a life and of state resources that would have been better used elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/56 "2011-11-23T17:59:18Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > And I mean that a boy who shot someone in the head is not someone I would assume will be okay and safe to unleash upon the general public with a little counseling. “A little counseling” isn’t what’s being discussed, really. I think he should get intensive counseling until he’s 21, while in a juvenile prison environment. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/57 "2011-11-23T18:03:57Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > It doesn’t make a difference what the crime is. Are you going to lock up a six-year old if he did a really bad thing? A three-year old? > > The reason fourteen-year olds can’t drive, can’t drink, can’t smoke, can’t vote etc. is that they have impaired decision making abilities. If we recognize they can’t make good decisions, why punish them for what they’re incapable of? > > I am literally not the same person I was when I was 14. Neither are you (I hope). When this boy is 30, do you think he’ll be the same person as the kid who killed his classmate? > > Keeping him in prison until he’s 39 is a pointless waste of a life and of state resources that would have been better used elsewhere. When we’ve got a 3-year-old or a 6-year-old who is committing premeditated murder and shooting people in the head, I’m willing to discuss that. I think 14 is old enough to be held accountable for this act. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/58 "2011-11-23T18:04:37Z")
> [@David42](#): > > Don’t you agree that McInerney would be more culpable if the facts were he sought out gays in order to harrass gays, and the school had told him to stop, and then he executed King? Call me kooky, but if it ends either way with execution, \*how \*culpable he is don’t enter into it. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/59 "2011-11-23T18:18:05Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > When we’ve got a 3-year-old or a 6-year-old who is committing premeditated murder and shooting people in the head, I’m willing to discuss that. I think 14 is old enough to be held accountable for this act. Does it have to be a shooting? In the head? Does it have to be premeditated? Why? [Child Shoots Another Child on Playground in Hillcrest Heights](http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/maryland/child-shoots-another-child-on-playground-in-hillcrest-heights-063011) > [@](#): > > HILLCREST HEIGHTS, Md. - Prince George’s County Police say a five-year-old boy shot a four-year-old boy on a playground in the 4400 block of 23rd Parkway in Hillcrest Heights. ---
**Author:** ![David42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@David42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David42)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751/60 "2011-11-23T18:22:17Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Call me kooky, but if it ends either way with execution, \*how \*culpable he is don’t enter into it. Which again seems to lead to the conclusion that you do not believe mitigating factors should be recognized. How about Jews in a Nazi concentration camp executing the commandant in order to escape oppression? Why does their lesser culpability matter? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-this-plea-deal/603751.md?page=4)