Paroled Murderer in Tennessee Is Charged With Killing Again

TBO.com/AP ^

[zaxxon]

Paroled Murderer in Tennessee Is Charged With Killing Again

By Bill Poovey Associated Press Writer Published: May 18, 2005

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Tony Pope went to prison for bludgeoning his girlfriend to death with an iron skillet and was back out on the streets five years later despite a warning from a friend of the victim. "It not only scares me to think that someone like this can go free, but it puzzles me as to why you'd release him to possibly do it again," Vicki McCurry wrote to Tennessee's parole board before a 2001 hearing.

The board did not listen. On a 4-0 vote, it released Pope after he had served one-third of his 15-year sentence.

"I'd give my right arm to change that vote," said Bill Dalton, one of seven gubernatorial appointees on the board.

Earlier this month, Pope was charged with killing his wife with a hammer; strangling his 13-year-old stepdaughter; and fatally dropped and punched his 5-week-old son. Investigators said Pope told them his wife was leaving him and taking the children.

[af_vet_1981]

I'd like to observe that the majority of functions in this country that are loosely credited as belonging to the criminal justice system revolve around paying the salaries and expenses of those who make a career out of it ...

[GailA]

The board did not listen. On a 4-0 vote, it released Pope after he had served one-third of his 15-year sentence. Since he only got 15 it must have been plea bargained down. Also if it was not premeditated it would have been 2nd degree murder carrying a lesser sentence. The 30% is accurate.

Having been through this 6 times with the TN parole board I have to question how much of a campaign the victim's family mounted against the early release of this killer.

My 16 year old son Jeremy was murdered by a sociopathic 14.11 year old who wanted to see what it felt like to kill. He was plea bargained out at 20 years. The first parole hearing just 10 months after sentencing. We fought early parole tooth and nail both locally, nationaly and state wide each time a hearing was scheduled.

Parole's have to be fought not just locally, but state wide and nationaly. There are orgs that do this for homicide victims survivors.

[sport]

I heard someone say that America had the best justice system that money can buy.

Incidents such as this prove this statement.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

What perplexes the h#ll out of me is this:

No JUDGE, nor his family members, friends, etc. have EVER been the victim of crime? No Parole Board members, nor their family members, friends, etc. have EVER been the victims of crime? How do these people live such CHARMED lives that they are untouched by the scum that lives and breathes amongst us, that they release back into society again and again to do even MORE harm? People in this line of work (lawyers, too) are surrounded by some really scarey people. How can they not SEE that these people need to be locked up or killed to save the rest of us?

Are ALL Judges, Lawyers and Parole Board members Liberals? How can that be?

*Scratches Head*

[TheDon]

Amen. Execution is the only way to prevent a convicted murderer from being a repeat offender.

[najida]

Agreed.

There should be a rule that if you parole a murderer, he gets to babysit your kids for the first year. ;)

[Dashing Dasher]

Seems to work everytime!

Fry 'em!