Friday, May 12, 2006

Sometimes It Just Don't Pay To Be A Bitch

Father John Robertson committed a crime which seems to have come straight from the pages of a Father Andrew Greeley novel. Using a sharp letter opener, he stabbed a nun multiple times, right inside the church, right at the altar, covering her with an altar cloth of some sort as he did so. The stab wounds, which he inflicted after strangling her into unconscous submission, formed the pattern which was reminiscent of the upside down cross. Additionally, he “annointed” her head with her own blood, an act which has ben theorized as being meant to add to the humiliation of the victim.

This was twenty years ago, and though Robinson was briefly investigated as the possible perpetrator, he was quickly absolved of the crime. He seemed to be unconcerned at the degree of suspicion that was cast his way. He performed the nuns funeral mass. After so long, the case was quickly forgotten.

Due to increased interest in solving formerly unsolved crimes due to advances in forensic technologies, the case was reopened, and this lead to Robinson apartment and offices being searched, which turned up the letter opener. As it turns out, the implement held a few trace, microscopic drops of blood, which contained enough of the nuns DNA to provide a positive match.

Robinson has now been found guilty of the crime, for which, unlike a good Andrew Greeley novel, there seems to be not much of a motive. Insofar as is currently known, the nun was a harsh taskmistress, a serious, no-nonsense disciplinarian who may have been something of a busybody. No word on whether there was the potential that she may have had knowledge of other unsavory activities her murderous colleague may have been indulging in.

What I find most incredile of all about this unbelievable story, is the sentence-five years to life.

Are they fucking kidding? That means of course that this priest might well get out of prison after serving a mere five years for this heinous, undoubtedly torturous and painfully cruel act. Of course, he probably will not. The chances are quite good that he will spend the rest of his life in prison. On the other hand, who knows for sure?

This is one of those crimes that call out for the death penaly, and why I am all for it, in general. If somebody like this has the potential of being released after only five years, in a state that has the death penalty, how much more lax will sentencing be if the death penalty ever is done away with. After all, prison rights reformers/activists, if the death penalty is ever sucessfully done away with, will need another issue to champion, right? So, we go back then to that tired old scenario where crimes are to be blamed more on the society that spawned the criminal than on the actual perpetrator, who should be shown some degree of compassion, and maybe given yet another chance to make amends, to contribute to society in positive ways. I see the handwriting on that wall all too well.

And that is definitely enough to make you want to kill somebody.

23 comments:

autogato said...

Yes, it does seem incredible that this might merit five years at minimum. The crime was an ugly one - and to parade about as a man of the people, a servant of the people, for so long makes it seem so much worse. It doesn't matter how much of a bitch the woman might have been, murder is not the proper avenue. Like those men who'd rather kill their wives that admit an affair and get a divorce. I don't understand the logic. Divorce, while someone embarassing if you've been sticking your penis elsewhere, and expensive, is not near as much of an embarassing pain in the ass as a murder trial. And that's got to be WAAAY more expensive than a divorce lawyer. If you really want your divorce to go quickly, just give your wife everything you've got and call it good. Probably less painful than all the ass beatings you'll take in prison, you know?

SecondComingOfBast said...

Beatings might be the least that's in store for his ass.

autogato said...

For his safety, it might be wise to keep him in solitary confinement. He's a priest who killed a nun. And he's a priest - a person who by association wth the word will probably be considered a child molester. And from what I've heard, people who commit crimes against children are not always well received by the rest of the prison crowd.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhmy... I was recently reading about this case, but I wasn't aware that he had been found guilty. The sentence is laughable... and in my personal cynicism, I fear that instead of having a “hard” time in prison, he will end up being revered by the catholic inmates. It’s certainly happened before. Gross. Gross. I’d like to shove a letter opener up his ass. In my state, we have the death penalty, and it’s exercised fairly frequently at the nearby prison. Yes, the usual protestors show up, but what the media doesn’t have an accurate picture of is the number of people who support the death penalty, i.e. everyone else in our community. Seriously, the majority of the people I know are in favor of doing away with people like this who are like a rabid dog and should be put down before they hurt anyone else or spread the disease.

SecondComingOfBast said...

I wish everybody in the area of a execution that are pro-death penalty would stage a little counter protest every time there's an execution. Even if the local antis joined the other side, I bet in most case they would at least equal all these people that are being bussed in from who knows where.

autogato said...

What types of things might they do? You have such good ideas for protest. I do enjoy reading them.

Really, I do.

SecondComingOfBast said...

I wouldn't necessarily advise any kind of dramatics in a situation like this, just the idea of all the people that are pro-death penalty showing up in force would be enough to get the message across. Sometimes you have to be willing to match your opponents shout for shout. Or at least be willing to stand up and be counted.

Rufus said...

Okay... well, first off, the "rabid dog" argument doesn't work at all here because he hasn't killed anyone else in the last twenty years. I'm guessing that's what the defense said. Secondly, I'm guessing he killed her in such a gruesome way to make it look like a Satanic killing and deflect attention from himself, which apparently worked. I'm also guessing the defense made this case during the trial. Thirdly, the reason we have a criminal justice system is so the public at large doesn't get to vote on whether or not the death penalty is used, so both groups of protestors are wasting their time. And no doubt the guy should have gotten a stronger sentence, but I'm still not seeing how this one cries out for the death penalty, aside from a few emotive arguments that just don't work for me.

SecondComingOfBast said...

Just the brutal nature of the crime calls out for it, in my opinion. But I wasn't actually talking so much about protests in this case, but in a general sense. Of course I don't think cases or penalties should be determined by protests on either side, but I would just like to see the Pro-death penalty crowd coming out in force to express their views just like the Anti-death penalty crowd does.

autogato said...

The Satantic ritual killing faking does make sense. This crime did take place during a time in American history when as a country, we are a bit, oh, obsessed with the notion that these things would occur. Back in the 1980s, there was a rash of people who suddenly remembered having been used in ritual satantic abuse at the hands of their parents. Many of them developed psychological problems of great severity. Several parts of the situation were a travesty for the mental health system. It's an embarassment to see how some of it was handled. But anyway, so yeah, the time was right for that. (Did anyone else read the extremely shitty book MICHELLE REMEMBERS? It is supposedly an account of one woman's journey through her supposedly ritual Satanic cult abuse as a child - memories that she had repressed and were uncovered by a psychiatrist, who, when reading the book you will wonder how the guy ever kept his license b/c he does so much unethical stuff).

And I must disagree with Rufus. Protest is not without a point. True, the jury decides on the death-penalty in this case, not the public. However, public displays about one's opinion on the issue are helpful in the point of education and consciousness raising. It stimulates people to think about different sides of the issue. It might not help this man on trial now, but maybe in future trials, years down the road, jury members will have been stimulated by such protests to think a bit more critically on the issue.

SecondComingOfBast said...

Well, the main thing about the value of the protests, to me, is not so much how they might make prospective jurors think about a trial-they should do that anyway, in a fair and impartial way, hopefully, not out of emotions, which runs rampant on both sides in the majority of protest demonstrations. The vast majority of riots I would imagine had their genesis as "peaceful" protests.

On the other hand, anti death penalty people are presuming to speak for the conscous of the world, and the country, and like to imagine they are in the majority. In borderline cases they well might be, but not always, in fact I think in most cases they are decidedly in the minority. The fact that they are in a good many cases, especially high profile ones, arriving from all over the country, is a sure way to up their numbers and the attendant publicity, especialy when celebrities become involved, along with a sympathetic to some degree press.

The Pro-death penalty people I think should be just as involved as they are. They too should come out in force, and be just as vocal and strident-thought peacefully and reasonably so.

Rufus said...

Well, I don't know if they're in the minority or the majority. I just think that it's a serious ethical question and much harder to answer than just figuring out what the majority wants and going with that. A lot of the arguments that people make against the death penalty are just emotive and irrational. But, a lot of the arguments people make for the death penalty are just as emotive and irrational. So, public opinion really isn't useful here.

Anonymous said...

I can tell Rufus has never lost someone he loves to a violent death caused by, say, a RABID DOG that should be put down before it hurts again or SPREADS the disease. Who knows what disgusting karmic ooze this guy squeeged out on all the people he has come into contact with all these years while he should have been in prison ...or dead?
Hello- the death penalty is about killing *killers*. You can't take the emotion out of that. People being murdered is an emotional subject, and if it’s not emotional to you, then perhaps you have never experienced loss through violent crime and so you have no concept of the depth of emotion involved, or you have a serious lack of empathy. Is it really punishment when the government feeds, clothes, educates, medicates, entertains, and legally represents murderers for the rest of their lives? Families of victims pay taxes, in part, to keep these murderers comfortable, warm in winter and cool in summer. That type of punishment should scare the shit out of other murderers, huh?
Sorry, I'm getting a little emotional and irrational here. I'd better leave the subject to calmer, wiser people.

Rufus said...

Probably so.

Anonymous said...

Your answer was exactly what I bet a friend it would be. LOL. You're so smart. I really envy you.

Rufus said...

Trolls have friends?

Anonymous said...

Aw... now you hurt my feelings, but we've already established that I have too many of those. Seriously, I'm not a troll. I'm just an emotionally unstable person who has momentary bursts of irrational rage. You're not. That's all. Now, seriously, I really *do* envy you. Peace.

Rufus said...

No harm, no foul.

SecondComingOfBast said...

See how emotional people get on this issue? And you have both presented valid viewpoints. Rufus's point seems to be that it is an ethical issue that shouldn't be decided by the whims of the people, which is true-that is why we have laws against lynching. At the same time, Meowcatt perfectly expresses the anguish felt by the family members of victims-who are themselves permanent victims-and those who sympatize with them.

My only point is that, in the area of public protests, one side has as much right to express their views as the other. But when it comes right down to when or if the death penalty is implemented, it should always be approached in a thoughtful, meaningful way, free of the emotion that is usualy involved in both sides. When a person is executed, it is never an occassion to cheer, or throw a party. Though I support the death penalty, personally, it should be approached soberley, with every possible assurrance that it is being implemnted appropriately.

After all, way too often, a family member in their search for justice, may tend to skirt past eivdence that might point out evidence of innocence, if there is enough circumstantial evidence that suggesst guilt. They have sufferred pain and loss, and they want revenge.

On the other hand, ani-death penalty advocates can be coldly clinical in their insistance on the ethical dilemnas involved, yet just as emotionally charged in their beliefs.

It's one of those issues where there is very little if any common ground. But both sides need to be heard, and considered. But it is a fact that anti-death penalty advocates travel the country to attedn rallies to support their cause, while not many Pro-death penalty advocates do the same. Or, if they do, it doesn't get as much press attention, which in itself would be troubling and indicative of unfairness on the part of the press who, with the exception of pundits,should be impaprtial in their coverage.

I just wish people could get this emotionally charged over the budget deficits and the national debt.

Anonymous said...

You're so right, meaning, we are both right. Or is that all right? I'm totally illogical, especially on this subject.
As a teen I was beaten and raped and my boyfriend was beaten to death in front of me by a group of charming guys who might one day walk freely down my sidewalk, so yeah, I got a little overwrought. But Rufus, logical and intelligent as always (why I admire him so much- I really wasn't being sarcastic, though I realize now that it read that way) is also correct and he was right about calling me on my knee-jerk, cliched "rabid dog" statement, too. I have no excuse except that which I've given- I can't be rational or logical about this. But maybe you're right Patrick, and I should go demonstrate on "my side" next time an execution rolls around. Again, Rufus is right about it not doing any good, parhaps, but it might *feel* good. Therapy by protest. hehehe. Or would that be therapy by support? Anyway, sorry to take up so much of your blogspace with my personal bullspit. I will go back to my lurking. But keep it up- you are always interesting!!!

SecondComingOfBast said...

Perfectly understandable. You need to get well, and to feel that your sufferring counts for something. Those guys should at least be in prison for the rest of their lives, not one day be free to walk the streets-I don't care how much they may or may not have changed.

My only point about the protests was quite simply that Pro-death penalty advocates have every bit as much right to demonstrate as do Anti-death penalty advocates. They not only have the right to do so, they should, and they should get as much coverage-fair and impartial coverage-by the media as the other side gets.

Rufus said...

For the record, I do think there are good arguments for the death penalty. It seems perfectly acceptable that a society might decide that there are certain actions that are so horrible that a person who commits them has removed themselves from the human community in doing so. And that the society therefore reserves the ultimate punishment for those actions. I can definitely accept that.

I was just saying that the decision of life and death should be treated in a very somber and serious way, and not be made a matter of public opinion. But, I can accept that society decides that certain people will never be redeemed or rehabilitated. Actually, a perfect example would be our home town zero Karla Homolka, who I could certainly accept being put to death.

I don't actually think the pro and anti death penalty people are so unlike each other. They both believe that human life is ultimately sacred. They just come to different conclusions about how best to honor it.

SecondComingOfBast said...

Karla Homolka? Sounds like possibly a great subject for a post, Rufus. Care to elaborate?

Your last paragraph, by the way, was very well put.