Justice?
January 26, 2012 Current Events, firearms, Politics, Self Defense 3 CommentsWe all know that the police really aren’t there to protect us. We also know where they are when seconds count.
Seconds ran out for 17-year old, Heather Catterton. And what were those precious final seconds like for her? Her killer says they went like this.
According to the taped confessions, Hembree suffocated Catterton for 10 to 15 minutes. In that time he said he tried smothering her with his hand followed by a Walmart shopping bag. He ultimately stepped on her throat with his bare foot to make sure she was dead, he said in the recordings.
No candle for Heather either.
But at least they got him, right? Even though the police weren’t there to save Heather’s life, they at least brought him to justice. Right?
Well they put him on trial. He was convicted and sentenced to death. But tell me, does this sound like justice to you?
“Is the public aware that I am a gentleman of leisure, watching color TV in the A.C., reading, taking naps at will, eating three well balanced hot meals a day,” Hembree asked in the letter. “I’m housed in a building that connects to the new 55 million dollar hospital with round the clock free medical care 24/7.”
He also asks if the public knows that the chances of his “lawful murder” taking place in the next 20 years, if ever, are “very slim.”
And some people claim the threat of prison is a deterrent to crime. You can read the letter in its entirety here (PDF). It is not for the faint of heart.
No, I’m not going to say the if Heather had a gun she might be alive today. Being addicted to crack and trading sex for cocaine is not exactly a safe lifestyle. Statistically, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened to her, but it still was not her fault. She was brutally murdered. She was one of three women killed by this man.
And this is the ‘justice’ he was brought to. A life of leisure for his crimes. This is the justice that the National Gun Victims Action Council (Don’t worry, that link goes to Bitter and her excellent post about the Brady’s newest unofficial arm) would wish for all criminals.
Personally, I prefer the kind of justice Sarah McKinley delivered. It only took 10 to 15 minutes for Hembree to kill Heather with only his hands, a shopping bag, and his foot. Sarah McKinley waited 14 for the police to arrive. She was facing 2 men, one of which was armed with a hunting knife. Because of a gun, no one needs light a candle for Sarah and her goblin will never terrorize anyone ever again. That sounds a lot more like justice to me.
(h/t Stranger)





