CPT Jack Durish, I'm not going to lie. It is utterly illogical. My principle, in general, is that capital punishment is wrong for a number of reasons. In this case, where a father had to choose to abandon a dying child to go to his other seriously wounded one, I find it a tad bit harder to hold an uncompromising grip on that principle. While I think Life would be the much harsher sentence and provide a long-shot for redemption, I can't find the energy to invest in advocating that position here.

I think it's because I'm a parent.

I'm sorry but this goes to the very point that capital punishment is necessary. It is just an unfortunate necessary evil!

SGT Jeremiah B. I understand your reservations toward capital punishment. Especially, when there's the chance we get it wrong but I'm having a hard time with your justification of it being ok in this case because "a father had to choose to abandon a dying child to go to his other seriously wounded one". What if we still had it wrong? Or what if we had it right but the father had two dead sons and didn't have the same impact? Either you are for it when we get it right or you are not. If it was my child killed by a terrorist or just indiscriminate killer and he was evidenced as the one I'd hope you as a juror would do justice. I'd do it for your son if the evidence was bullet proof. Is life only worth a punishment of death to you if it's in the context of the Boston City Marathon bombing or 911? Sounds harsh but I think it's a fair question considering I've sat on a jury of a murder trial.

MSgt Brian Welch
That's a fair question - As I said, it's not a rational statement. You could even go as far as saying it's a bit of a moral failure on my part. If the exception to the principle is purely emotional, what's the point?

As for how I, as a jury member, would vote in the case of your child...complicated question - What IS justice? Just because we say an action demands death, does it? What's the value of mercy? History is full of murderers that went on to do great things because they repented and turned their life around. So how do I handle it? I honestly don't know. I know for a fact that I can kill someone, so that's not the problem. If guilt is clear (and I mean outrageously clear), given the choice between death and freedom, I would probably vote death. If I was in that grey area between Absolute certainty and "reasonable doubt," it would be a much harder decision. What I would never do is exonerate someone simply to get them out of the death penalty.

Fortunately, conviction and sentencing are usually two different phases.

Those were the factors, exactly, that caused them to give him the death penalty. The "I was a little impressionable boy" didn't work.

You're all right 1LT Sandy Annala!

I think a bomb should be strapped to a leg and blow it off so he can bleed out rather than lethal injection.

I think the reason for death hinged on the fact he's a danger to society. No matter where you put him he could still inflict harm on others.

CPT (Join to see) , sounds good to me Sir. Lol