Real Life Crime and Murder #18

[ordinaryjelly]

I didn't mean to spark a huge debate, though it is interesting to read everyone's opinion. I was simply answering a question(s) asked and trying to give a little insight into life on death row. To the person who picked apart my comment on baby blankets, the unit knit (James probably knits 12-16 blankets a year) and donate them to the local elderly/homeless shelter. While that doesn't excuse anyone's crime, far from it, they do do what they can.

I just don't think when you are convicted of a crime you stop being human. (if I had been matched with a child murderer/paedophile I wouldn't have written, and no I don't think an 88 year lady is worthless it is just different.)

 

[Scarlett O' Hara]

I didn't mean to spark a huge debate, though it is interesting to read everyone's opinion. I was simply answering a question(s) asked and trying to give a little insight into life on death row. To the person who picked apart my comment on baby blankets, the unit knit (James probably knits 12-16 blankets a year) and donate them to the local elderly/homeless shelter. While that doesn't excuse anyone's crime, far from it, they do do what they can.

I just don't think when you are convicted of a crime you stop being human. (if I had been matched with a child murderer/paedophile I wouldn't have written, and no I don't think an 88 year lady is worthless it is just different.)

Now I can appreciate we all have different opinions, but I am not afraid to state that I couldn't disagree with you more.

The life and brutal murder of 88 year old Mrs. Myrtle Rutledge is no less tragic than if she was years younger. What on earth does the age of the person have to do with her horrific murder.

If you want to go down the road of vulnerability , I'll hazard a guess that a lady of this advanced age, like a child wouldn't stand a chance against a fit young 19 year old.

 

[SaLou]

I'm disgusted. I'll leave it at that.

 

[NeverEnough]

I didn't mean to spark a huge debate, though it is interesting to read everyone's opinion. I was simply answering a question(s) asked and trying to give a little insight into life on death row. To the person who picked apart my comment on baby blankets, the unit knit (James probably knits 12-16 blankets a year) and donate them to the local elderly/homeless shelter. While that doesn't excuse anyone's crime, far from it, they do do what they can.

I just don't think when you are convicted of a crime you stop being human. (if I had been matched with a child murderer/paedophile I wouldn't have written, and no I don't think an 88 year lady is worthless it is just different.)

I suppose it depends what definition of human you want to use. He may well have a head, two legs, two arms, and a Homo Sapiens genome, but ultimately human’s have a moral obligation to act in a humane way. Not to do so leaves you little better than a beast, and well even animals don’t kill their own species for drug money. Physiologically human. Absolutely. Morally human? Highly debatable.

And what does the phrase “he’s still human“ actually mean? Does simply being born entitle you an automatic expectation of a certain level of respect and reciprocal behaviour? Or is that respect and consideration actually earned due to the actions and achievements of your life? Vladimir Putin is after all still a human, as was Hitler, Genghis Khan, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, well you get my drift.

I’m sure he is a talented knitter. Colin Pitchfork made nice little sculptures.

Deborah Orr: This artwork was made by a killer. It is no less valid

London's Royal Festival Hall has been obliged to remove a sculpture and apologised for displaying it after The Times revealed that it was the work of a child sex killer, Colin Pitchfork. The institution acquired the artwork, Bringing Music to Life, for £600 after it had appeared in an exhibition...

www.independent.co.uk

And Jack Unterweger wrote nice stories and journalism pieces in between murdering prostitutes. Even murderers have other talents. Still murderers though.

 

[thegirlscout]

Well I have googled him, just as I suspect everyone reading this thread will have by now.

So from what I can gather he, with premeditation, stabbed to death a defenceless 88 year old woman, for the price of a fix of crack. A woman who had already paid him to deliver her furniture. A women who he identified as vulnerable, like a true predator, and whom he returned to under cover of darkness because of his greed for more money. He stabbed her over a dozen times and left her dead and naked for her own daughter to find. He then made great efforts to cover up his tracks.

Detailed account here.

James Goff Murders Myrtle Rutledge In Ohio - Murder Database

James Goff Murders Myrtle Rutledge In Ohio James Goff was sentenced to death by the State of Ohio for the murder of Myrtle Rutledge According to court documents James Goff had delivered furniture to eighty eight year old Myrtle Rutledge and he would later return to the home and would break in...

murderdb.com

It’s your business who you are friends with. That is nothing to do with me. But my god, it would take a shitload of baby blankets for me to overlook that.

Sounds like a ‘a very dear, sweet human’ indeed!
---

Not everyone on death row is evil

If you’ve ended up on death row you’ve done something terrible. I get being against the death penalty but humanising people saying they aren’t all evil or sweet humans I do not understand

 

[Aberscot]

I didn't mean to spark a huge debate, though it is interesting to read everyone's opinion. I was simply answering a question(s) asked and trying to give a little insight into life on death row. To the person who picked apart my comment on baby blankets, the unit knit (James probably knits 12-16 blankets a year) and donate them to the local elderly/homeless shelter. While that doesn't excuse anyone's crime, far from it, they do do what they can.

I just don't think when you are convicted of a crime you stop being human. (if I had been matched with a child murderer/paedophile I wouldn't have written, and no I don't think an 88 year lady is worthless it is just different.)

I don’t think the poor woman’s relatives would think her life was different, her poor daughter discovered her mother battered and naked body, I am sure she will never get over that.
But each to their own but what I can’t understand is you are actually spending money on him.
Aside from writing and accepting gifts from him you are spending money on him, putting money on his card and actually physically flying to Ohio to visit him.
What happens when hes executed will you find someone else to visit And write too?

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

But each to their own but what I can’t understand is you are actually spending money on him.

This is the part that jumped out at me, too. He’s very clearly benefiting from the situation. Not saying he should or shouldn't, and it’s OP’s choice who to spend money on, but my goodness when places like Ronald McDonald house are in need of donations to allow parents to stay nearby when their child is going through gruelling hospital treatment, and when the Air Ambulance service save lives every single day across the country while being a charity relying on donations, I know where any money I donated would be better used.

 

[50sGirl]

I didn't mean to spark a huge debate, though it is interesting to read everyone's opinion. I was simply answering a question(s) asked and trying to give a little insight into life on death row. To the person who picked apart my comment on baby blankets, the unit knit (James probably knits 12-16 blankets a year) and donate them to the local elderly/homeless shelter. While that doesn't excuse anyone's crime, far from it, they do do what they can.

I just don't think when you are convicted of a crime you stop being human. (if I had been matched with a child murderer/paedophile I wouldn't have written, and no I don't think an 88 year lady is worthless it is just different.)

I wonder if the 88 year old lady may have loved to have knitted baby blankets for her family but sadly that opportunity was taken away from her.
Murder is murder - it is not “different” because it is an elderly person.

Another poster asked if he’s shown any remorse?
Have you not asked him if he is guilty because you really don’t want to know?
Your husband must have the patience of a saint to accept that you’re not only writing to another man but that you want to visit a murderer and then give his gifts to your children.

Help me understand because I’m at a total loss.

 

[NeverEnough]

For anyone who is truly interested in the Death Sentence in America I would strongly recommend the book Texas Death Row by Bill Crawford. It doesn’t attempt to argue for one side or the other, it just gives the basic facts about the men (and women) executed since 1977. A brief synopsis of their crimes, their sentencing, their last words and last meals etc.

On reading it there were two distinct patterns which jumped out to me. First, almost without exception, the executed claimed to have had a religious reawakening at some point in their time on Death row. And second, in the majority of cases the last words included some sort of apology for their crimes. Yet even a quick Google of some of the names tells a completely different story. It doesn’t tell the story of repentant criminals, it shows a tale of people who vociferously protest their innocence, almost to the door of the death chamber, sometimes in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

It should never ever be forgotten that career criminals live by a completely different moral compass to others. Lying and manipulation are second nature to them. And to the poster with the friend on death row I will ask with the greatest respect, if what he feels for you (if he feels anything at all) is a genuine friendship, or does he see you as a means to get out the message that he has changed, pending yet another appeal?

 

[ordinaryjelly]

I don’t think the poor woman’s relatives would think her life was different, her poor daughter discovered her mother battered and naked body, I am sure she will never get over that.
But each to their own but what I can’t understand is you are actually spending money on him.
Aside from writing and accepting gifts from him you are spending money on him, putting money on his card and actually physically flying to Ohio to visit him.
What happens when hes executed will you find someone else to visit And write too?

No, I won't write to someone else.

 

[50sGirl]

I don’t think the poor woman’s relatives would think her life was different, her poor daughter discovered her mother battered and naked body, I am sure she will never get over that.
But each to their own but what I can’t understand is you are actually spending money on him.
Aside from writing and accepting gifts from him you are spending money on him, putting money on his card and actually physically flying to Ohio to visit him.
What happens when hes executed will you find someone else to visit And write too?

I bet if the money and gifts stopped he’d soon stop writing.
I watched a documentary years ago and they have so many gullible (sadly usually) women writing to them purely for what they can get out of them.

 

[Trauma Frotters]

It does not seem bizarre to me that a person of faith would communicate kindly with a convicted murderer. To me, it seems very much to be faith in action and while not something I would wish to do, I do not find it enraging or revolting.

 

[ordinaryjelly]

I wonder if the 88 year old lady may have loved to have knitted baby blankets for her family but sadly that opportunity was taken away from her.
Murder is murder - it is not “different” because it is an elderly person.

Another poster asked if he’s shown any remorse?
Have you not asked him if he is guilty because you really don’t want to know?
Your husband must have the patience of a saint to accept that you’re not only writing to another man but that you want to visit a murderer and then give his gifts to your children.

Help me understand because I’m at a total loss.

I don't know how to help you understand.

I haven't asked him about his conviction, not because I don't want to know but because at the beginning I said to him if you want to talk about then fine but don't feel you have to. He has never felt the need to.

My husband is the same as me, and shares the beliefs I have talked about before.

I think we are going around in circles.

If people don't understand why I am writing to James that is fine. You don't have to write to him.

 

[Davena94]

I bet if the money and gifts stopped he’d soon stop writing.
I watched a documentary years ago and they have so many gullible (sadly usually) women writing to them purely for what they can get out of them.

Do you not think this ladies letters/friendship itself means something to him considering he has pretty much nothing else to do other than write to her? Not being argumentative it’s just my view that he values her a lot more than money considering the position he’s in. Not like he can be one of these scammers who get rich off a vulnerable lady friend and run off with the money. Do you think he has more than one friend like this maybe?

 

[LaBlonde]

It does not seem bizarre to me that a person of faith would communicate kindly with a convicted murderer. To me, it seems very much to be faith in action and while not something I would wish to do, I do not find it enraging or revolting.

i think we need to draw a line under it tbh. i know it was always going to spark debate to come into this thread and admit to writing to someone on death row but, interesting points aside, it’s getting very personal towards the OP and the conversation is ultimately going nowhere. everyone, including the OP, has said their piece now.

 

[ordinaryjelly]

I bet if the money and gifts stopped he’d soon stop writing.
I watched a documentary years ago and they have so many gullible (sadly usually) women writing to them purely for what they can get out of them.

We wrote together for about 8/9 years before I spent any money on him. I'm not gullible and if I was he could get a lot more from me. I am fortunate to be in a financial position that sending him $10 worth of condiments doesn't really effect me.

 

[Scarlett O' Hara]

Oh for Chr1sts sake, if someone basically butchered and battered my mother to death and added the indignity of leaving her half naked, I would loathe, pour scorn and totally hate those do gooders and "persons of faith" that wrote and engaged with them.

 

[thegirlscout]

He also cut the telephone wires so she couldn’t even call for help, not that she probably would have been able to after your pen pal stabbed her multiple times in her head, neck, shoulders, and ankle with a fishing tackle knife. This is the same man who made baby blankets that you swaddle your children in?

 

[Eureka]

We wrote together for about 8/9 years before I spent any money on him. I'm not gullible and if I was he could get a lot more from me. I am fortunate to be in a financial position that sending him $10 worth of condiments doesn't really effect me.

Can I ask a question? Apologies if it's silly. What do you get out of the relationship emotionally or spiritually. Like do you see it as a genuine friendship or is it something you do purely for faith reasons.

 

[NeverEnough]

Sounds like a ‘a very dear, sweet human’ indeed!
---

If you’ve ended up on death row you’ve done something terrible. I get being against the death penalty but humanising people saying they aren’t all evil or sweet humans I do not understand

Exactly this. You end up on death row if you are found guilty of murder, and the ones who do usually end up there because they will be attempting to get away with the crime. Even the most pro death penalty states will offer to take the death sentence off the table in exchange for a guilty plea. If you are genuinely remorseful and accept your guilt you generally avoid the row. If you fancy your chances with your day in court? Well it’s your call and I trust your lawyer has explained the consequences so you make that decision with open eyes. Who knows maybe a few are generally innocent. They usually have many years, even decades, to prove this at appeal but rarely seem able (just sayin’). But you can’t tell me that all 300+ executed in Texas, for example, were victims of monstrous injustices. Even the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway, avoided the death sentence by cooperating.

If you know that you live in a state with the death sentence, and you choose to plan and commit a murder anyhow, and then choose to attempt to evade justice at trail when life imprisonment is offered for a guilty plea, and you are rightfully found guilty, then the consequences are all yours and a result if your own arrogance, stupidity or both. And I have not an ounce of sympathy for them.