# Why are rape/murder sentences so short?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-rape-murder-sentences-so-short/634727>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 14, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-rape-murder-sentences-so-short/634727 "2012-09-14T20:38:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-rape-murder-sentences-so-short/634727/1 "2012-09-14T20:38:23Z")

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> **[Holy Crap the Central Park Rape Suspect is Terrifying](https://jezebel.com/holy-crap-the-central-park-rape-suspect-is-terrifying-5943278)**
>
> Police have apprehended the man they believe raped a 73-year-old birdwatcher in Central Park yesterday. He's a 42-year-old drifter with a long history of sexual violence who was first accused of raping and murdering an elderly woman at age 18. And a...

Why is a guy that raped and murdered a woman on the street?!?!?

😕

But drug crimes get 20+ year sentences easy, I mean what the flying fuck? How is life in fucking prison not the standard for rapist murderers, how can violent rapists get less than a decade in prison?

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-rape-murder-sentences-so-short/634727/2 "2012-09-14T22:00:31Z")

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> [@grude](#):
>
> Why is a guy that raped and murdered a woman on the street?!?!?

Accused of, but never convicted. Your initially linked story did not accurately tell the whole story.

> [@](#):
>
> Mitchell’s disturbing criminal history began when he was just 18 and charged with molesting and beating to death 87-year-old Annie Parks during a burglary in his hometown of Jenkinjones near the border of Kentucky and Virginia.
> 
> **A jury acquitted him** , and months later he was accused of raping a woman in her 70s during another break-in, the Charleston Gazette reported.

(Bolding mine.) [Drifter nabbed in rape of 73-year-old woman in Central Park has disturbing criminal history – New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/nypd-suspect-custody-vicious-central-park-rape-73-year-old-woman-article-1.1158377)

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**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-rape-murder-sentences-so-short/634727/3 "2012-09-14T23:23:26Z")

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> [@Duckster](#):
>
> Accused of, but never convicted. Your initially linked story did not accurately tell the whole story.

I disagree. I read the OP’s link, and understood it. The OP did not, apparently.

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**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-rape-murder-sentences-so-short/634727/4 "2012-09-14T23:33:09Z")

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You both are right, here is the section I misread:

> [@](#):
>
> ```
> Mitchell's disturbing criminal history began when he was just 18 and charged with molesting and beating to death 87-year-old Annie Parks during a burglary in his hometown of Jenkinjones near the border of Kentucky and Virginia. [...]
> 
> After his release, the ex-con was arrested at least twice more before being convicted of kidnapping in 2003 and sent back to prison for eight more years.
> 
> ```

I read that as implying the conviction was connected to the earlier charges.