Fresh Hell in Frederick - Shanann Watts

[Irving]

Well yeah, but I think you know what I meant.

[Skip]

Well yeah, but I think you know what I meant.

Of course.

[Skip]

My prediction: DA offers to take the death penalty off the table if he cops to 1st or 2nd degree and life in prison w/o parole and he takes it.

There's no scenario where he walks free from this. None.

Should that piss us off?

That's not even letting the jury decide when the evidence is beyond any doubt (let alone reasonable).

[Martinjmpr]

Should that piss us off?

That's not even letting the jury decide when the evidence is beyond any doubt (let alone reasonable).

If a life sentence without parole is a foregone conclusion (and IMO it is) then what is the point? While the DA certainly has to consider the political fallout of such a choice, he also has to make decisions regarding how much of the taxpayer's money he's going to spend on a trial (and it would be a LOT, especially if he asks for the death penalty) when the outcome is not likely to change.

IIRC Hickenlooper already declared a "moratorium" on the death penalty anyway, which means that even if the defense couldn't find ONE juror opposed to the death penalty (unlikely that they wouldn't be able to find ONE and one is all they need) the governor would likely commute the sentence to life w/o parole. So if they can get that anyway without a trial, what would be the point of spending the money on a death penalty trial?

Money is a zero sum game. Every dollar that is spent on Watt's trial is a dollar that can't be spent on something else, perhaps something that may be of more value to this judicial district.

And that doesn't even take into account the emotional toll of having Shannan Watt's family re-live the horror as witnesses and as spectators.

EDIT: Regarding the cost of death penalty trials, consider that most of that cost is expended to benefit the defendant. He has to have 1st class legal representation (which is not cheap!) and he has to be allowed to call expert witnesses - who are paid for by guess who (if you guessed "the taxpayers" you win.)

To put it a different way, when a prosecutor asks for the death penalty he might as well be writing the defendant a check for a million dollars or more because that's what it's going to cost the defense and unless the defendant is wealthy (Watts is not) that cost will be borne by the taxpayers.

[BladesNBarrels]

...IIRC Hickenlooper already declared a "moratorium" on the death penalty anyway, which means that even if the defense couldn't find ONE juror opposed to the death penalty (unlikely that they wouldn't be able to find ONE and one is all they need) the governor would likely commute the sentence to life w/o parole. ...

Someone tweeted Kyle on Next (Channel 9 at 6:00 pm) that they didn't think Colorado had a death penalty.
Kyle's response was that we have a death penalty, but the current governor won't execute someone on his watch, so it would be up to the next governor.

I thought that pretty well summed up the actions of Gov. Hickenlooper with regard to the Chuck E Cheese convicted murderer from 1993 - His name is not important enough to print.

[Skip]

If a life sentence without parole is a foregone conclusion (and IMO it is) then what is the point? While the DA certainly has to consider the political fallout of such a choice, he also has to make decisions regarding how much of the taxpayer's money he's going to spend on a trial (and it would be a LOT, especially if he asks for the death penalty) when the outcome is not likely to change.

IIRC Hickenlooper already declared a "moratorium" on the death penalty anyway, which means that even if the defense couldn't find ONE juror opposed to the death penalty (unlikely that they wouldn't be able to find ONE and one is all they need) the governor would likely commute the sentence to life w/o parole. So if they can get that anyway without a trial, what would be the point of spending the money on a death penalty trial?

Money is a zero sum game. Every dollar that is spent on Watt's trial is a dollar that can't be spent on something else, perhaps something that may be of more value to this judicial district.

And that doesn't even take into account the emotional toll of having Shannan Watt's family re-live the horror as witnesses and as spectators.

EDIT: Regarding the cost of death penalty trials, consider that most of that cost is expended to benefit the defendant. He has to have 1st class legal representation (which is not cheap!) and he has to be allowed to call expert witnesses - who are paid for by guess who (if you guessed "the taxpayers" you win.)

To put it a different way, when a prosecutor asks for the death penalty he might as well be writing the defendant a check for a million dollars or more because that's what it's going to cost the defense and unless the defendant is wealthy (Watts is not) that cost will be borne by the taxpayers.

Justice and effective disincentives are the point. And a guarantee, no matter what, he is never a threat to anyone. (I know we think he'll do life but there is no preventing bleeding hearts from change that decades from now)

What is the cost? This state is shitting money! We spent $650,000 for Bluecifier!

Cost of incarceration is $39K/inmate/year. We have to deal with nine (?) years of appeals. So we're spending $390K no matter what.

Watts is 33 and will live to 75ish. So 40 years or so of life left, but again ~10 years or so spend on proceedings, so assume 30 years = $1.17M of savings from not having to incarcerate. We can't get him killed by 2028 for $1.17M?!?

If I'm Shanann's family, I want him dead, but the family should really speak out. And it used to be that the victims/family had a say in sentencing. Maybe they should again?

Letting him live with room & board/three squares/medical/dental after what he did doesn't work for me. If I have to re-live the hell that I'm already in, so be it, but a life sentence doesn't offer more closure than death for most folks.

It seems the states with the most hand-wringing Libs spend the most to execute, by design, to make it cost prohibitive rather than the debate the issue on its face. And I think that is the whole problem with CO. Like you said, just one juror and it won't happen. That one juror likely won't be the victim of the next cold-blooded murderer but he/she should know they're the reason why the next case might happen.

The most decent thing we can do as humans is stomp out evil complexity. If the state can't do that in this case, it will really send a strong message, and not a good one.

[.455_Hunter]

I think we could come up with something involving a slowly filling oil storage tank.

[Gman]

I think we could come up with something involving a slowly filling oil storage tank.

Screw that. The oil has some value, so why contaminate it with that worthless PoS?

Bullets cost pennies.

[ChickNorris]

Dang, mine cost at least a nickle ea.

[Irving]

I don't think anyone is protesting any of that part.