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DA Kearney: Wolf's death penalty moratorium a slap to victims' families
The York Dispatcj ^ | 17 February AD 2015 | Thomas L. Kearney, Sr.

Posted on 02/17/2015 5:34:41 PM PST by lightman

After much thought and careful consideration, I am deeply saddened and disturbed at the actions taken by our governor this past Friday. Gov. Tom Wolf elected to place his own personal beliefs above the law of this commonwealth. As an elected district attorney, I took an oath to uphold the constitution of our commonwealth as well as the Constitution of the United States of America. Gov. Wolf recently took a similar oath; however, he has decided to usurp the roles of our Legislature, our courts, and the will of the people of this commonwealth.

What Gov. Wolf does not understand is the pain and anguish that victims' loved ones feel when someone that they love is taken at the hands of another. This moratorium is an affront to the memory of those murdered and their families. Nor does Gov. Wolf understand the weight placed on a prosecutor as the decision is reached to seek and ultimately ask a jury for another human's life. The decision to seek the death penalty is done only in the most serious and extreme of murders. In one swift action this past Friday, Gov. Wolf has revictimized the very victims that we fight for each and every day by dismissing the tireless efforts of our juries.

Men like Harve Johnson, who viciously beat and tortured beautiful 2-year-old Darisabel Baez on April 7, 2008; Paul Gamboa Taylor, who beat to death his wife and three children under the age of 4 with a hammer on May 18, 1991; or Mark Spotz, who has three death sentences pending for a four-day killing spree in 1995, do not deserve this compassion. And what does the governor say to the family of 16-year-old Trista Eng, who in July 1993 was brutally raped and murdered by Hubert Michael while on her way to work at a fast food restaurant?

A moratorium benefits only the clearly guilty and most culpable. This decision is a slap in the face to those who served on our juries and, most importantly, our victims and their families.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: deathpenalty; pennsylvania; wolf; york
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To: Ditto

You’re guilty for being an illiterate knee jerk reactionist. The only thing I am guilty for is speaking earnestly. These men should be killed, they were sentenced to death by a jury of their peers.

I am also guilty of trying to convey sarcasm through text.
You are guilty of putting words in my mouth, multiple times.
Seriously, go back to school, learn to read. One would think you are a paid shill here to start arguments with conservatives.

Or do you not think those men should be killed? Do you not think their sentence should be followed through with? Do you think one foolish man with no regard for the constitution should be allowed to dictate and micro manage every law? People like you sicken me. Twist my words, then call me a liar? Are you kidding? You must be kidding. My bad.


21 posted on 02/17/2015 8:11:44 PM PST by FreedomStar3028 (Somebody has to step forward and do what is right because it is right, otherwise no one will follow.)
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To: FreedomStar3028

You speak out of both sides of the mouth. The /sarc tag has only been known here for 14 years, maybe it is too short to teach you.


22 posted on 02/17/2015 8:14:21 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Oh, here comes Ditto’s best friend to also harass me. Well done.

I said. “Horseshit. Why don’t lawful men kill them anyways?”

Your buddy Ditto then put words in my mouth saying “So , you would storm the prison, beat or kill the guards and lynch the inmate?”

I said. “Yes, I said that. I would storm the prison, beat or kill the guards, and lynch the inmate. You should go back to school. I find your reading comprehension lacking.”

If I have to put /sarc on that for you to understand, you also need some learning. Ya know? Because obviously, I said nothing of the sort. Nothing grinds my gears more than someone putting words in my mouth, then implying I am a liar.


23 posted on 02/17/2015 8:24:32 PM PST by FreedomStar3028 (Somebody has to step forward and do what is right because it is right, otherwise no one will follow.)
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To: FreedomStar3028

You said “ Horseshit. Why do lawful men not take matters into their own hands? Kill them anyways.”

Which is not what you claimed to say.

I believe it is best left at that before God. Now go claim you said what you want. I have set forth the truth.


24 posted on 02/17/2015 8:31:35 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: Mears
If we could be assured that these bastards never get out it wouldn’t matter....the problem is the chance they could be released by some bleeding heart.

Yes it does matter. We pay for their upkeep, their Nautilus gyms, their endless appeals, their color TVs, ad nauseum. Convicted capital murderers need to be permanently rehabilitated after an expedited appeals process that lasts no longer than one year. After that, a .22 in the head in the nearest garbage dump.

25 posted on 02/17/2015 9:15:00 PM PST by jimt (Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.)
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To: SandRat
awwwww... Gov. Wolf's just emulating Obama.
Four years of Wolf will change Pennsylvania for the worse forever.....
26 posted on 02/17/2015 9:58:46 PM PST by Aut Pax Aut Bellum (Ever notice how a spiral goes faster as it nears the bottom?)
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To: lightman

I’m all for justice including the death penalty if it is based on factual non circumstantial evidence. That said, our justice system is not always just when we let rich people like OJ and pedophiles that are billionaires do what they wish and then have crony politicians cover for them.

The Chinese just executed a billionaire for murder. You’d never see that in our now corrupt crony justice system.. Some of these Wall St types that got away with murdering our economy and then bailed out deserved major prison time but got richer instead


27 posted on 02/17/2015 10:14:18 PM PST by apoliticalone (Guns are like a parachute. Don't have one when needed and you won't need another.)
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To: lightman
I suppose the reason a governor can do this is because he generally (in PA? not sure) has the ability to pardon or commute a death sentence. Remember all those old movies of the guy in the chair staring at the phone, praying for a call from the governor? So basically I suppose he could pull an Obama and say "I have this power and I will use it for every case so as a practical matter it's over anyway so don't even bother going through the motions".

The legislative response could be "go ahead and pardon/ commute the death sentences of convicted killers. We won't make it easy on you by just dropping it though, you will have to sign your name to their paperwork. By the way, remember Mike Dukakis? Yeah, that's going to be you."

But more likely they'll say a few things in the paper about how outrageous he is that he ignores the law and then look the other way as it gets rolled out.

28 posted on 02/18/2015 6:02:02 AM PST by pepsi_junkie (Who is John Galt?)
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To: FreedomStar3028
People like you sicken me.

I'm glad to be of service.

29 posted on 02/18/2015 7:02:41 AM PST by Ditto
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To: lightman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gscut1p4kY


30 posted on 02/18/2015 10:16:49 AM PST by Daveinyork ( Marbury vs.Madison was the biggest power grab in American history.)
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