So, I wanted to post about this some time ago, but it seemed a little outdated.
Now, the young lady who plead guilty at basically her first appearance to the four deaths that resulted from the Campus Walk Apartments fire is applying for clemency. It seems more relevant, so i thought I might start a discussion to work out some of the things going on for me and see what some of my sloofers and colleagues think.
First of all, a little on me: I'm a fierce victims' advocate and very anti-domestic violence. I am extremely critical as well of the flaws that keep from solving some of the larger issues in our justice system. I like to see people fairly convicted and cases that are free of appeal. I grew up fighting for the underdog and protecting those around me and will never lose that edge. I usually take a perspective opposite of the prosecution (even in threads here) and poke and prod until I am personally satisfied with the proceedings. Most of my fellow websleuthers know this and have willingly allowed me the latitude to do things my way as I respect their wishes as well. I would not be on this site if it were not for having googled some victim of some horrible crime at some point in time and landing here. And, as many of you would share, my primary motivating factor is the "Why?"
My high school years were very volatile. My father was sick much of the time with a cancer that had been deemed incurable and I was already an outside force in many of the campus groups, getting along with nearly everyone, but not really close to anyone. My younger brother and sister and I have always been close friends and I have a few cousins that were always around.
One of the people that was there in sports/music/drama/nerd-dom/loner-dom with me is the young lady who started this fire. She was a year behind me and her sister and i were in the same class. We were off-again/on-again close. I would say there was not enough distance to call us acquaintances nor enough proximity to consider us close friends. We ran in the same circles and would frequently be at the same gatherings or events well past the ending helping with clean-up and making sure that everyone involved was safe, happy and as healthy when they left as when they came. JD (initials for the young lady) was an inherently great person. Not just a good person, a great one. The only thing she didn't conquer wholeheartedly was boys (and the relationship with them). I don't know why that was. It was almost as if the phrase late bloomer was made for her.
Now, I'm having a torn heart over this whole clemency thing for a number of reasons, but here's the utmost one: This girl is a girl who would walk away from this and honor the memory of the dead every day. And, in NC, clemency has a number of interesting meanings. It could mean a conversion of sentence or any number of resolutions. But, what of the victims? That's the big thing for me.
Just to briefly outline what happened, basically, a very poor choice (no one knows what choice exactly, out of fun, or mean spiritedness) led three girls to set a futon on fire after a night of drinking (Valentine's in fact) at a friends house.
Two of the girls walked away and JD pled guilty to four counts of first degree murder (no plea deal, no trial, just walked in and did it in the early admin hearings).
I don't personally agree with every application of the "Felony Murder Law" which allows some accidents and deaths without intentions to be tried as First Degree (and even Capital) cases because of a felony being committed in the course of the death.
But, what are other people's thoughts on this? I'd be glad to post links to the case at large from MSM sources and some of both sides of the current case for and against clemency.
Has anyone else ever come up against anything like this personally?
Now, the young lady who plead guilty at basically her first appearance to the four deaths that resulted from the Campus Walk Apartments fire is applying for clemency. It seems more relevant, so i thought I might start a discussion to work out some of the things going on for me and see what some of my sloofers and colleagues think.
First of all, a little on me: I'm a fierce victims' advocate and very anti-domestic violence. I am extremely critical as well of the flaws that keep from solving some of the larger issues in our justice system. I like to see people fairly convicted and cases that are free of appeal. I grew up fighting for the underdog and protecting those around me and will never lose that edge. I usually take a perspective opposite of the prosecution (even in threads here) and poke and prod until I am personally satisfied with the proceedings. Most of my fellow websleuthers know this and have willingly allowed me the latitude to do things my way as I respect their wishes as well. I would not be on this site if it were not for having googled some victim of some horrible crime at some point in time and landing here. And, as many of you would share, my primary motivating factor is the "Why?"
My high school years were very volatile. My father was sick much of the time with a cancer that had been deemed incurable and I was already an outside force in many of the campus groups, getting along with nearly everyone, but not really close to anyone. My younger brother and sister and I have always been close friends and I have a few cousins that were always around.
One of the people that was there in sports/music/drama/nerd-dom/loner-dom with me is the young lady who started this fire. She was a year behind me and her sister and i were in the same class. We were off-again/on-again close. I would say there was not enough distance to call us acquaintances nor enough proximity to consider us close friends. We ran in the same circles and would frequently be at the same gatherings or events well past the ending helping with clean-up and making sure that everyone involved was safe, happy and as healthy when they left as when they came. JD (initials for the young lady) was an inherently great person. Not just a good person, a great one. The only thing she didn't conquer wholeheartedly was boys (and the relationship with them). I don't know why that was. It was almost as if the phrase late bloomer was made for her.
Now, I'm having a torn heart over this whole clemency thing for a number of reasons, but here's the utmost one: This girl is a girl who would walk away from this and honor the memory of the dead every day. And, in NC, clemency has a number of interesting meanings. It could mean a conversion of sentence or any number of resolutions. But, what of the victims? That's the big thing for me.
Just to briefly outline what happened, basically, a very poor choice (no one knows what choice exactly, out of fun, or mean spiritedness) led three girls to set a futon on fire after a night of drinking (Valentine's in fact) at a friends house.
Two of the girls walked away and JD pled guilty to four counts of first degree murder (no plea deal, no trial, just walked in and did it in the early admin hearings).
I don't personally agree with every application of the "Felony Murder Law" which allows some accidents and deaths without intentions to be tried as First Degree (and even Capital) cases because of a felony being committed in the course of the death.
But, what are other people's thoughts on this? I'd be glad to post links to the case at large from MSM sources and some of both sides of the current case for and against clemency.
Has anyone else ever come up against anything like this personally?
