Weekly Crime Poll: Does a Killer's Social History Matter?
Friday February 15, 2008
This week attorneys for Joseph Edward Duncan III have filed several motions in federal court to delay the death penalty sentencing hearing scheduled for April in connection with the abduction of Dylan and Shasta Groene and the murder of Dylan.
One request for a delay until September was so that an expert witness could have time to develop a "social history" of Duncan which can be presented to the jury. They believe Duncan's life of abuse, neglect, torture, rape, and betrayal could mediate the death penalty in the eyes of some jurors.
Poll: Would a confessed killer's "social history" influence your decision in sentencing them to death?
See Also: Crime and Punishment Weekly Polls
Earlier Articles:
Duncan's Attorneys Try to Delay Sentencing
Comments
It always amazes me that the criminals expect their horrific actions to be justified or mitigated by pasts that are unpleasant. If the perpetrator had such a horrific life he/she should know the pain such misery causes and refuse to inflict that kind of suffering on any other human being, especially a child. If Duncan truly did suffer these things, which I highly doubt, then he should have known better than to hurt precious children like Shasta and Dylan. The past is never an excuse for heinous and criminal activity in the present. The sooner our legal system realizes this and stops glorifying it as a reason for such crimes the better off we will all be. I hope there are no jurors on his jury that find his pack of lies mitigating enough to deny him the just penalty for his actions - death. I hope for every mitigating circumstance the defense places before the jury, the prosecution plays one of the videotapes or DVDs that Duncan made as he tortured, burned, sexually abused and raped Dylan and emotionally abused Shasta as she watched her brother’s pain and degredation. The one salvation is that if he avoids the death penalty here he will not avoid it in the next life! Thanks for allowing me my say!