Criminal sentencing

[LDB]

You have to wonder sometimes about criminal sentencing. A man murdered his brother and the brother's family, a total of six people including children. He was tried and convicted. His sentence was six death penalties plus 60 years.

I get the six death penalties, each conviction carrying it's own death penalty. What's the deal with the extra years though? Are they going to keep the corpse in a cell for a decade afterward on each count? For one conviction do they execute them and then incarcerate the corpse for a decade? Dead is dead. What's the point of anything else?

 

[BigCat]

How do you give death penalty 6 times? Hmmm something to think about.

 

[Turtle]

But wait! There's more!

It has to do with mandatory sentencing and also being found guilty on charges other than the murder charges. If you are sentenced to death for murder, you could also be sentenced to, say, 10 years for using a gun while committing a felony, a separate charge. The man above could have had 15 or 20 separate criminal charges filed against him, including the ones for murder. It's known as "stacking", and in particular, 924(c) stacking, which is the federal code that allows for multiple charges.

For example, one guy named Weldon Angelos (whom the Supreme Court eventually refused to hear his case) was accused and found guilty of selling marijuana worth $350 to a police informant on several occasions. It was his first offense of any kind, and he was sentenced to a total of 55 years. It was alleged, though not quite proved, that he had a firearm strapped to his body. No photographs or any other evidence existed other than the informant's testimony, and Angelos never used or brandished his gun. However, section 924(c) of the federal code provides for mandatory sentences for dealers who carry firearms during their drug transactions; meaning Angelos, who had no prior criminal record and never touched or brandished the gun, was sentenced in November 2004 to a minimum of 55 years to 63 years in prison. Without the firearms 924(c) stacking, he would have been sentenced to 3 years, or less.

 

[LDB]

Yes, it's all as you said. It just seems silly the exact way they put it. And yes, there's also that whole how do you execute them six times thing. Then again, some of them are so heinous it would be nice to be able to bring them back and kill them again a few times for what they've done.

 

[zorry]

Maybe have smething to do with the fact some stuff could get turned over on appeal or sentences reduced for good behavior? Death penalty could be overturned prior to execution ?

 

[greg334]

I guess trying to explain the reasoning about being charged separatly, convicted separately and sentenced separetly will not happen because it won't make a bit of sense to many of you.

 

[asjssl]

I guess trying to explain the reasoning about being charged separatly, convicted separately and sentenced separetly will not happen because it won't make a bit of sense to many of you.

Wow...how nice...you just called us idiots....sorry were not as smart as you Cliff.....

Sent from my ADR6300 using EO Forums

 

[Turtle]

Wow...how nice...you just called us idiots....sorry were not as smart as you Cliff.....

I'm not sure standing up and raising your hand in response to that statement is the smartest thing in the world to do.

 

[greg334]

Well that wasn't the intent.

 

[witness23]

Well that wasn't the intent.

Should've been.

 

[jbailey13]

I think the extra 60 years is in case the courts decide later that the death penalty is unconstitutional, or any other reason to get rid of death sentences... this way, he'll still have to do the 60 years?