NASHUA, N.H. (CBS) – New Hampshire’s state medical examiner took the stand Thursday in the trial of Christopher Gribble, who has admitted to killing a mother and maiming her daughter during a 2009 home invasion in Mont Vernon.
Dr. Jenny Duval, the state’s medical examiner and final witness, described the autopsy of Kimberly Cates. The testimony was so graphic, Kimberly’s husband David, along with his family and friends, stood up and walked out of the courtroom. Until that point, Cates had sat in the front row through all of the testimony.
Now, let's get one thing straight right now. I'd prefer the DA refer to this POS as "the condemned". Sadly, although NH has the death penalty, they haven't used it in over 60 years and aren't going to pursue it in this case - especially since I believe NH still has hanging on the books. Barring that, I'd like to see the husband in this case get first crack at this POS - preferably with a cinderblock and a jar of battery acid.
What really threw me was this, though:
If jurors find Gribble sane at the time of the crime, he will be sentenced on all of the charges. First-degree murder convictions bring an automatic life sentence in New Hampshire.
If they find he is insane, he would likely be sent to the state hospital with a chance for a hearing to be free in five years.
Gribble has already admitted to the crime. If he is criminally insane, to the point of committing a heinous murder and attempted murder, there's a chance he could be out in five years? Are you kidding me? If the guy is so deranged that he escapes punishment for his horrific crime, he should be locked away from other people for the rest of his remaining days. The only question should be which building he be housed in.
Barring that, hang the bastard. Slowly.
That is all.
9 comments:
If he is criminally insane, wouldn't that invalidate his confession?
I'll buy the rope. Heck, I was a scout, I'll even tie the knot.
Never been much for presentation-grade wood-work, but my father could make a very nice presentation case for the rope as well.
Hand delivery at no charge.
So... A crazy killer out on the streets is as equal in the eyes of the court as a murderer locked away for life?
Sadly, although NH has the death penalty, they haven't used it in over 60 years and aren't going to pursue it in this case
They can't. Under current New Hampshire law, the death penalty is an option only in certain very specific circumstances:
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/lxii/630/630-mrg.htm
The murder of Kimberly Cates doesn't fit any of the definitions of capital murder, so the death penalty isn't available.
This time.
One of the bills currently pending in Concord would add cases like the Cates murder to the list of capital crimes. That bill was written as a direct response to the Cates murder, and her widower husband testified in support of it. When it becomes law (I don't say 'if' because after the Gribble trial I can't imagine it not passing), murder committed during a home invasion will become a capital crime.
He'd be going down if he walked out anytime soon... Just sayin...
They found the scumbag guilty. Now we get to pay for is murdering hide for the foreseeable future....
http://www.wmur.com/news/27319034/detail.html
In Starship Troopers, when talking about someone who has committed a murder, one of the characters says something like 'of course he was insane...he killed someone.'
What Heinlein was trying to get across was that if you were a killer, whether because of disposition, or mental illness, you deserved to be put down like a dog in the street...it is not worth societies efforts to rehabilitate you.
I'm not sure I go quite that far...but once you are cured enough to leave the mental hospital...have a good time in jail.
I don't care if sane or insane - something like this crime should be eligible for the death penalty.
Hopefully the introduced legislation will take care of that issue. And to think that last year (or 2 years ago), they were trying to get rid of the death penalty.
I'm generally against the death penalty as a governmentally-imposed sanction, for reasons not germane to the argument here.
That having been said, if someone killed because they are permanently insane, put them down like a rabid dog.
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