Woman slain at Route 24 rest stop - Murderer one of 17,000 unregistered Massachusetts Sex offenders

Boston Globe ^ | July 19, 2002 | Francie Latour and Emily Ramshaw

[cookiedough]

Recidivism is 2% -- could be higher, since perps don't commit their crimes in public -- that figure, if accurate and if it is a meaningful statistic, does not take the privacy in which these crimes are committed into account.

Personally, I don't think sex offenders should be allowed back on the streets. They can get therapy for the rest of their lives for all I care -- as long as they are not let out to prey upon the rest of us.

[metesky]

Guess what, your state is one of them.

Would that be Massachusetts, the state I was born in or Maine, the state I've lived in since the Great Escape and whose flag is flying on my profile page?

[cookiedough]

I agree. It's time the federal government took charge of this arena. In Mass., the sex offender registry is mostly a joke. I can get a list only of the sex offenders who live within one mile of my home, and only by going to the police station to request it. When I do request it, the police are not happy to help -- almost like I'm the offender!

This seems to be a state full of people who champion the rights of those poor, unlucky, mentally ill criminals.

[two23]

Too bad she wasn't armed. Unarmed women should not use rest stops. Women travelling alone should not use rest stops.
Crime is not random. Victims are chosen based on "easy target".
Even a simple pepper-spray may have given her a chance to escape.

[Dakotabound]

Come to North Florida. There are jurisdictions down here where, if you need two shots to get the job done, they'll recommend a local firing range so you can improve your aim. Perhaps not really but you sometimes get that sense of things.

Plus, "thanks" to the brutal murder of a British tourist at a rest stop, Florida has armed security at almost every one on the Interstates. Double-plus, it's legal to carry a firearm in your vehicle within a few rules. Triple-plus, we have concealed-carry.

[MissAmericanPie]

Why didn't the cop shoot him, right there on the spot?

[PeterPrinciple]

"Recidivism is 2% -- could be higher, since perps don't commit their crimes in public -- that figure, if accurate and if it is a meaningful statistic, does not take the privacy in which these crimes are committed into account."

I don't disagree with you. Time is the true test.......but keep your eyes on this.

Many people (including you and me) can state in GREAT DETAIL the things we DON'T WANT........but when asked what we WANT will tend to stutter and fumble. Personally, I would like to see some of these offenders changed....and there is hope here. Note that I still think they have to be responsible for their crimes and that there are consequences for their crimes.

Iowa has surprisingly supported this program financially because they see it as a very practical cost effective program.

[Lady Jag]

Why didn't the cop shoot him, right there on the spot?

Don't cops have to go through a lot if they shoot a perp? They interviewed the trooper on local TV. He looks like a state cop with years of experience and a build that hints he may have played football in his youth. He said he'd never walked into a crime scene like this where he caught the murder in progress. They thought she was still alive and tried to revive her and he seemed shaken by the violent scene. I can see why he didn't shoot.

[BearCub]

I for one don't want to support them for the rest of their lives. They need to be put to death.

Unfortunately, it's cheaper to keep them in prison the rest of their lives.

[BearCub]

Even a simple pepper-spray may have given her a chance to escape.

Even pepper spray and stun guns are illegal in Massachusetts. I think their legislature is as guilty as the killer.

[spectre]

You want an example of Vulnerable.

Two years ago, I was coming out of the Mall..parked the car in the back parking lot, didn't want it dinged.

A car pulled along side of me, and the man in it told me to "get in, I'll give you a ride to your car"..I told him "thank you, but I can walk"...he insisted I get it, he told me "what's the matter, too good to get in the car with me"? He was hostile, and kept insisting I get in his car..I was, by this time, frightened, and cornered..and vulnerable. I'm petite, weigh around 102, no match for the big guy in the car..should he decide to get out and grab me...cold sweat, heart pounding. Panic attack, almost frozen with fear.

Thank God, a woman drove up and realized I was in a bad situation. She said it was the "look on my face". She opened her door and told me "get in". The man persisted, and challenged her asking her "who are you". I lied, and said "she's my Aunt". We both were able to get out of there and find a Security Guard. Long story, made short.

Moral, don't park in Mall parking lots unless there are alot of people around. Carry a gun, stun gun, pepper spray! THIS guy wasn't going to give me a ride to MY car.

sw

[american colleen]

Hey! I work in Brockton (nights!) and grew up in Brockton. Brockton is like any other big city - be careful because there are a lot of bad people out there, the same as everywhere else.

Brockton was a wonderful city until public transportation made the city the last stop on the line from Boston... and they stayed.

By the way, try to find a house in Brockton under $200,000 - you can't.

The killer in this story killed in Bridgewater (a bucolic town located south of Brockton), he did not grow up in Brockton, he grew up in East Bridgewater (another bucolic town south of Brockton) and he lived for a while in Brockton, probably because Brockton has a lot of apartment buildings, unlike the towns surrounding it.

[american colleen]

The other day, I called the police to come over because there was a coyote in my neighbor's yard and 4 small children under age 6 live there and were playing in the yard. The cop told me that the State only protects criminals and coyotes... you can shoot neither!

[Lady Jag]

Pepper spray and stun guns are not illegal in Massachusetts. You need an FID (permit), but it is as easy to get as going to the police station and filling out a simple form.

[BearCub]

Pepper spray and stun guns are not illegal in Massachusetts. You need an FID (permit), but it is as easy to get as going to the police station and filling out a simple form.

Okay, they're not illegal then. But no reputable supplier will ship them there (I see 'not for sale to residents of MA, MI, NY... all the time). Getting a permit to protect yourself? What about the millions of people passing through on the interstates every day? How are they permitted to protect themselves?

[cubreporter]

Here it is again! All the talk. All the talk. We alll know these perverts are out there. When will something be done to stop it? When?! The laws have to change. I am so angry. It is time for the good, upstanding citizens of this country to stand up and work towards changing the laws that allow these low life pond scum perverts to go back on the streets to murder and rape again. There should be jail immediately once it is proven the person is the guilty party AND you keep them confined until you know they are guilty or you know they are innocent and THAT'S when you let them out. We need to shout loud and clear...from the rooftops, from wherever. It is time this kind of assault upon children, little girls, little boys and adults STOP! We have a right to be on this earth and go about our business without being preyed upon by worthless trash who choose to behave in this manner. They don't want to work and contribute to being a productive member of our society and I am sick to death of hearing about the horror they inflict on others day in and day out. These are our children and our elderly relatives and it's about time we all speak up to make sure the laws are changed to benefit the VICTIMS and not the perverts! "One Nation Under God."

[waterstraat]

Alexandra should have pulled out her handgun and shot him, and then she should have walked around his body to be on her way. End of story, happy ending. The only inconvenience to the woman would be that she would have to clean her gun, and reload it, that night.

Every woman decides, must decide, if she wants to end up a bloody mess on a bathroom floor, or to get back on the highway. Those are the choices for every American woman.

[Lady Jag]

What about the millions of people passing through on the interstates every day? How are they permitted to protect themselves?

That is true. A lot of states's licence to carry laws for some reason will not reciprocate with Mass. As a Mass. resident it is harder for me to carry my guns out of state than it is for a New Hampshire resident with a permit. I know that's a fact, although I don't know why. Also, it wouldn't be too hard for me as a Mass. resident with a CCP to get a NH permit and therefore travel with guns much more easily. We need a solution but I don't know what it would be.

[loveliberty]

This case should be given the same degree of media coverage as the Smart and Runnion cases.

American women and children are the victims of defense lawyers and liberal judges who send these animals out to prey upon the society.

American citizens must insist that the Founders' concept of legal justice be re-examined and re-instituted as the basis of our court system.

Dr. Russell Kirk's writings, which a decade or so ago were so important to understanding conservative thought, dealt with historical philosophical foundations of justice and that concept which was present at the time of the formation of the American constitution. For a sample of his writings, consult http://www.townhall.com/hall_of_fame/kirk/kirk457.html.

There is no excuse for what defense lawyers and liberal judges have loosed upon us today!