Posted on 08/24/2007 3:17:41 PM PDT by stm
A Florida judge sentenced John Evander Couey to death Friday for the kidnap, rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford.
Couey, a convicted sex offender, buried Lunsford alive in two black trash bags with her hands bound and her favorite purple stuffed dolphin tucked in her arms, Circuit Judge Richard Howard said. Lunsford's body was found in a grave in Couey's yard about three weeks after she disappeared.
"He secured her fate with a second bag," Howard told the court.
Howard called the murder "cold and calculated," causing a "slow, suffering and conscious death."
Couey, appearing in a red jumpsuit sitting between his attorneys, looked straight ahead when Howard read the sentence.
Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father, cried off and on when taking questions from reporters after the hearing.
“I’m grateful that the outcome was what it was,” Lunsford said, wearing a tie with Jessica's photo on it. “No matter what, it’s not bringing my daughter back.”
“Justice was served for this little girl, but what about the rest of them?” Lunsford asked, pleading for state laws to change for harsher sentences for child sex offenders.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
This guy deserves all the tortures of the Inquisition. If I can’t bear to think of the suffering and fear that baby suffered, how much more terrifying it must have been to her. Nothing could be too cruel to do to him.
..but how long will this animal live on appeal?
I watched that today and was horrified at what her father had to sit through and hear. I was disgusted when it was declared that Couey had no prior criminal record that we all know he has.
I watched it too, and couldn’t help crying.
I think they should have given him life in general population.
Sadly, he may die of old age before he's executed and have a better jail life on death row, instead of the gen population housing.
Until someone stops paying the lawyers and judges to continue with the “game.”
Like most states, it can take 10 years before he actually meets the needle. Given his poor health he may die in prison before he can actually be executed. Either that or prison justice may prevail.
I would happily put a .45 caliber bullet into this piece of crap’s head. I might even pay for the privilege.
I agree. The man deserves a slow “medieval” version of his sentence delivered to him.
Unfortunately there is a pro-criminal rights movement here in FL
Before Jeb Boosh left office, he signed a moratorium on executions (Boosh liberalism again)....fortunately the new gov Charlie Crist removed the moratorium a few months ago.
But, still there is that move to do away with the DP....incrementally. In FL we used to put the crims in the electric chair...then libs didnt like that. Now, we inject them...but libs didnt like it either.
I hope Couey is executed, and soon. But FL is more and more a liberal state that values criminals rights over crime victims rights. Couey probably will never be executed
Time to bring back the good old public hanging (and drawing and quartering).
I understand that the Constitution prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment" (even though this monster's actions certainly did fit that definition, to a tee). So he cannot be tortured to death, as much as I would consider some sort of symmetrical justice appropriate.
But perhaps he will spend the next 20 years or so in mental anguish--continually dwelling upon his eventual fate--as he slowly exhausts his appeals.
I truly hope so.
Saddly he will stay alive for decades on appeal before Jessica gets justice. Perhaps Couy will get his justice at the hands of other inmates.
He should be strung up today imo.
Unfortunately he’ll probably be living on death row longer then Jessica was alive.
Good thing he didn’t get the Louise Woodward judge. He would have given him time served.
Ted Bundy’s last Florida murder conviction was in 1980. He was executed in 1989.
Eileen Wuornos was convicted in Florida in 1992 and executed in 2002.
Not unless the guards turn their backs. I've spoken to job applicants who indicated a criminal record on their applications about their experience in The Florida prison system and one thing I learned from them is that the guards in the State prisons here in Fl. rule the prisons with an iron fist. Homicide and forcible rape are rare occurences in Fl. prisons. Seems the inmates are more afraid of the guards then they are the other inmates.
Bullshit. The ACLU will run his appeals for the next 20 years.
I just wish that they could have done something to the other losers that were living in the trailer. They had to know something was going on when the cops started searching for the girl. If they had said something, they could have saved that poor girl’s life.
I hope this worthless piece of garbage gets stomach cancer and suffers for the next ten years before getting the needle.
gee...waiting now in a nice air conditioned private room with 3 square meals a day plus medical plus computer priviledges plus knowing that you'll be alive for probably at least 15 yrs if not more....
no justice....just resignation that this is the "best" we can do.......
and the best we can do is not ever going to save the next little precious Jessica....
He will not live that long. I would put a C note on the bar he will be dead long before his execution date comes up, even without ACLU meddling.
I would be delited if he were tied to an ant hill, cover with honey and let the ants do all the work at a slow painful pace.
Amen.
It is a real indictment of our system where life means a pretty nice life.
I am against the death penalty except in exceptional occurances or when an individual is threatened. However, life oughta mean occupation inside a welded cell and not becoming a bird in a gilded cage.
I doubt that he will dwell on anything except what he did with that little girl. Most criminals do not think past the ends of their noses.
One day in general population would do the trick.
Regards
Fry the bastard....YESTERDAY...on television every evening for all of his live pedophile friends.
Either he has not aged very well...
or I've gotten really old all of a sudden.
Either he has not aged very well...
or I’ve gotten really old all of a sudden.
I read somewhere he’s a Meth user.
That would explain a great deal.
That would explain a great deal.
I’m glad the “Retarded” defense failed. A lot of guys he worked construction projects with stepped forward and refuted it.
The justice will finally when he gets the chair or the injection. Actually some say justice will come if he is put in the regular population.
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