Real Life Crime and Murder #18

[GiggleBee]

I read about this last night and just saw the update. The death penalty baffles me at the best of times, but they are literally experimenting on this guy now aren’t they? And if it goes wrong it could kill everyone else in the room. What the actual duck?!

Supreme court declines to halt first US nitrogen-gas execution in Alabama case

Court rejects bid to stop Alabama from proceeding with execution using nitrogen gas on convicted murderer Kenneth Smith

www.theguardian.com

This feels very Hitler/gas chamber to me I don't fully agree with the death penalty anyway but this just seems to take it a little to far with it being so similar to Hitler.

 

[LouBug19]

Me too. Can’t find anything that says it isn’t, but I think there’s one appeal outstanding.

They have 30 hours from 6pm (there), they’re 6 hours behind us.
---
They’re denying him food for 8 hours prior, and then clear fluids only until 2 hours before. I guess because of the risk of vomiting.
That’s if they go ahead at 6pm - he could be without food and water for longer than that if not.

Happened at 2.30am our time. Sounds absolutely horrible, witnesses said it wasn't pleasant. The state will see it as a win for them though.

 

[Dusty2020]

Happened at 2.30am our time. Sounds absolutely horrible, witnesses said it wasn't pleasant. The state will see it as a win for them though.

Oh god that’s sounds rough, thinking of those who had to witness that

 

[maytoseptember]

The same " progressive " types who take their kids to drag queen shows.

I know you were being facetious but it won’t be that, not in that part of Essex. It’s not known for being a particularly progressive, liberal or leftie area (it’s no Brighton!) people are just… ordinary.

So I genuinely can’t imagine why some parents didn’t run a mile, either after he was forced to disclose about the offences, or the police got in touch. Some kind of twisted obligation to “be kind”? Because they felt like historical offences weren’t really relevant and the risk was low?

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

Happened at 2.30am our time. Sounds absolutely horrible, witnesses said it wasn't pleasant. The state will see it as a win for them though.

Awful. They’ve said the writhing was probably involuntary movement but it doesn’t sound like it. Being conscious for some minutes while you suffocate is not humane.

 

[NeverEnough]

Oh god that’s sounds rough, thinking of those who had to witness that

Genuinely interested in which bits you think sounded particularly rough and would have traumatised the witnesses? The report sees he shook and writhed for a couple of minutes and tried to break his restraints, which is hardly an unknown reaction from people about to be executed. Unless of course you’ve bought into the myth that all the executed accept there fate with stoicism and bravery like true heroes. (Whatever people who get the death sentence are, they are certainly not heroes).

And before we build this guy up into a martyr let’s remind ourselfs how he ended up here. The bottom line? He agreed to kill a completely innocent woman for $1,000 dollars. One measly 1000. As cold blooded evil as it gets. His partner in crime was also executed over a decade ago, and the husband who hired them (a pastor, a supposed man of god ) killed himself. Perhaps the lesson we should be taking from this isn’t don’t execute a killer by nitrogen mask, but rather don’t agree to murder someone in the first place?

 

[BaxterBillions]

Genuinely interested in which bits you think sounded particularly rough and would have traumatised the witnesses? The report sees he shook and writhed for a couple of minutes and tried to break his restraints, which is hardly an unknown reaction from people about to be executed. Unless of course you’ve bought into the myth that all the executed accept there fate with stoicism and bravery like true heroes. (Whatever people who get the death sentence are, they are certainly not heroes).

And before we build this guy up into a martyr let’s remind ourselfs how he ended up here. The bottom line? He agreed to kill a completely innocent woman for $1,000 dollars. One measly 1000. As cold blooded evil as it gets. His partner in crime was also executed over a decade ago, and the husband who hired them (a pastor, a supposed man of god ) killed himself. Perhaps the lesson we should be taking from this isn’t don’t execute a killer by nitrogen mask, but rather don’t agree to murder someone in the first place?

Have you ever witnessed an execution, up close and personal?

 

[Stillwater]

Isn’t there something about how society should be judged by how it treats its criminals. Or something.

 

[Rockin' Robin]

I read about this last night and just saw the update. The death penalty baffles me at the best of times, but they are literally experimenting on this guy now aren’t they? And if it goes wrong it could kill everyone else in the room. What the actual duck?!

Supreme court declines to halt first US nitrogen-gas execution in Alabama case

Court rejects bid to stop Alabama from proceeding with execution using nitrogen gas on convicted murderer Kenneth Smith

www.theguardian.com

I have just finished reading an article in the DM about this. I personally find this method incredibly cruel, plus the fact that he had been on death row since 1988. I realsie that having to wait this long, is part of the punishment, but it seems barbaric to me.

 

[InTheDollsHouse]

Inflicting unnecessary suffering on someone - whether a criminal or not - makes the people in charge no better than the criminal themself.

They did not know for certain what would happen, but they did it anyway.

They still do not know what he felt or experienced, but they will do it again anyway.

That is not okay.

 

[whoareyouu]

Happened at 2.30am our time. Sounds absolutely horrible, witnesses said it wasn't pleasant. The state will see it as a win for them though.

Nah that’s not OK. What he did was abhorrent and his victim will have suffered but justice isn’t revenge.

 

[LouBug19]

Nah that’s not OK. What he did was abhorrent and his victim will have suffered but justice isn’t revenge.

I've watched a lot of death row documentaries and like someone said they are on death row for 20 odd years before being executed. They tried to execute him before and it went horribly wrong buy poking him for hours everywhere in his body including his neck. There was one documentary where the family kept getting letters from lawyers etc about the man getting hearings to grant clemency for murdering their family member and they said that was torture for them. They kept having to hear about him and they wanted him to get life so they wouldn't get updates.

There's a man on sky news now, he was on death row for a murder he didn't commit. He's very fascinating to listen too and talks about being tortured daily his crime. He's holding back tears, it sounds a horrible ordeal for him. Keeping them alive and in prison for life is the answer, it is not a deterrent.

 

[NeverEnough]

Inside the 'violent execution' of 'writhing' Kenneth Eugene Smith

The 58-year-old convicted killer had a firefighters-style mask placed over his face as he was strapped to a gurney inside the execution chamber at the William C. Holman prison in Atmore, Alabama.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Interesting account of the murder here. I love the use of language. "He was by no means a perfect person". Really? No one's perfect but we're not talking about an unfortunate apple scrumping incident here. We are talking about a murder for hire, not even a clinical one, the poor woman was set upon and stabbed 8 times .

"Look at the context of his life as a whole.". What? Really? Was he nice to animals or something? What exactly is the trade off in context which balances the scales to cold blooded murder?

The death sentence is up for debate. This method is certainly up for debate. But what isn't up for debate is Kenneth Eugene Smith is no great loss to humanity and the end of his life makes the world just that little bit a better place.

I'm sure he loved his wife. His wife ought to take a long look at herself and ask herself if the love of a convicted murderer is worth having? Can a man like that even feel love?

 

[MedeaWho]

Inside the 'violent execution' of 'writhing' Kenneth Eugene Smith

The 58-year-old convicted killer had a firefighters-style mask placed over his face as he was strapped to a gurney inside the execution chamber at the William C. Holman prison in Atmore, Alabama.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Interesting account of the murder here. I love the use of language. "He was by no means a perfect person". Really? No one's perfect but we're not talking about an unfortunate apple scrumping incident here. We are talking about a murder for hire, not even a clinical one, the poor woman was set upon and stabbed 8 times .

"Look at the context of his life as a whole.". What? Really? Was he nice to animals or something? What exactly is the trade off in context which balances the scales to cold blooded murder?

The death sentence is up for debate. This method is certainly up for debate. But what isn't up for debate is Kenneth Eugene Smith is no great loss to humanity and the end of his life makes the world just that little bit a better place.

I'm sure he loved his wife. His wife ought to take a long look at herself and ask herself if the love of a convicted murderer is worth having? Can a man like that even feel love?

Killing a human being via a method deemed too unethical for animals does NOT make world a better place. Exactly the opposite.

 

[Phil Anne Throw Pee]

I've got a school friend who married someone on Death Row - she's stark raving mad. He was executed and now she's engaged to another one.

 

[Gossngiggles]

Killing a human being via a method deemed too unethical for animals does NOT make world a better place. Exactly the opposite.

You’ve put this perfectly.

 

[LouBug19]

Killing a human being via a method deemed too unethical for animals does NOT make world a better place. Exactly the opposite.

It just reminds me of the holocaust. That gas was used to kill millions of people horribly. Now they are using it to execute people who take over 20 mins to die. We aren't painting the guy as a Saint.. I don't think the death penalty is justice, he should've got life without parole. The way they killed him wasn't justified, he deserved to be in prison for life, he didn't deserve to be a guinea pig so that other states now use it.

 

[Gossngiggles]

I’ve been reading about Alfie Steele today and it’s honestly so shocking that so many people raised concerns over a long period of time but he still remained in the home until he was murdered. Even when teachers, neighbours etc are raising concerns and telling the authorities what they have seen he wasn’t protected. I can’t imagine what he went through.

This quote from the report the makes me think wtf "were often hampered by two adults who sought to deliberately lie, mislead and cover up what was happening to this little boy" were they expecting his mum and her piece of tit boyfriend to be honest and say they were abusing Alfie? They had reliable people giving them information about what was going on in that house.

Social services needs a huge shake up, I did my degree 20 years ago now and there was talk of lessons being learned (in the wake Victoria Climbe and Baby P ) and better practice and interagency working then but still the same things happen again and again and the same trite lines are being trotted out two decades on.

 

[Eureka]

The guy was a scumbag but I personally believe everyone deserves to be treated with a basic level of humanity. Otherwise we are just as bad as the criminal IMHO.

 

[CabalofBolorneaise]

I’ve been reading about Alfie Steele today and it’s honestly so shocking that so many people raised concerns over a long period of time but he still remained in the home until he was murdered. Even when teachers, neighbours etc are raising concerns and telling the authorities what they have seen he wasn’t protected. I can’t imagine what he went through.

This quote from the report the makes me think wtf "were often hampered by two adults who sought to deliberately lie, mislead and cover up what was happening to this little boy" were they expecting his mum and her piece of tit boyfriend to be honest and say they were abusing Alfie? They had reliable people giving them information about what was going on in that house.

Social services needs a huge shake up, I did my degree 20 years ago now and there was talk of lessons being learned (in the wake Victoria Climbe and Baby P ) and better practice and interagency working then but still the same things happen again and again and the same trite lines are being trotted out two decades on.

Totally agree.

They say “oh nobody else gets as much stick for making a mistake at their job as we do” but the mistakes in question are literally the difference between life and death. Every serious case review has the same failings listed and they’ve not learnt from them, of course people are frustrated.

Even the ones where it doesn’t end in death, it’s unnecessarily prolonged suffering for the same failings. The whole system needs to be overhauled, I’m sure most individual workers care deeply about the people they encounter but the decision making just isn’t there and it’s always “there’s no communication between boroughs/counties/departments so X concern wasn't passed on and we couldn’t realise that X had happened, Y was happening and Z was the inevitable result”.

People say they’re baby snatchers but it’s the exact opposite to me, they leave kids in situations nobody should be left in for far too long then pull shocked Pikachu faces when the inevitable happens.