To watch the execution or not watch?

[hipmomx2]

What a horrific crime! I'm sorry that your innocence was lost at such a tender age. When I think of myself at age six, I cannot imagine trying to understand losing a friend to violence. And by her own daddy..... Bless you for the burden put upon you. And your parents for having to try & explain.

Reading the responses gives a lot to think about. I talked to someone whose father was killed for $200 in his pocket. He was a man who would & did give to anyone in need. She did not attend the execution, but awaited the call with several close friends in a somber evening gathering.

In your place,I think I may choose to go, to represent Tuesday. But then, I really like the idea of making that day a tribute to good, done in remembrance. I also wish you peace in your decision.

Does Correll know you? What if you wrote him a letter while there is still some time for him to have to think about what you have to say? ... Like some of us don't give a doodle-damn that he has been forgotten while he waited in prison for his fate. And his life has been extended a lot more years than he deserves. And how you learned what happened to your little playmate & struggled to understand. And what you have accomplished in your life & that Tuesday should have been there too & had birthday parties & proms & boyfriends & graduations. And if you are there to witness his execution or not, you represent what he stole from his own daughter.

I think that would be difficult letter to read. And I think he deserves it..... I don't care that he was addicted to drugs & had an alcoholic father; he slaughtered three generations of a family because he was jealous & insecure. Rather, I'm outraged that it took so long to exhaust his appeals in the system. ( This rant from a person who was so undecided about the death penalty, I spent time on both sides of the street (pros on one side, cons on the other) in front of the governor's mansion during the protests when Spenkelink was about to be the 1st to go to Old Sparky after many years capitol punishments had been on hold. Now, I fully support the death penalty...... ok noZ, tell us how you really feel. )

For some reason I can't cut and paste so I'll post my response to you directly beneath this

 

[hipmomx2]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ution-date-20150116-story.html#panel=comments

Closure is b.s.

 

[hipmomx2]

Isn't it strange how things work. His death warrant was signed and execution scheduled.

Closure is b.s.

 

[wfgodot]

"Closure" is a construct contrived by the unaffected, a means to cease caring and to leave it with you.

 

[Sonya610]

Hipmomx imo....if you decide to attend then do it for the sole reason of honoring the victims.

There may be lots of hype about it bringing closure but the execution isn't about you, so don't expect it to do anything "for" you. If you expect the execution to somehow be a miracle for you then yes, I expect you will be very disappointed.

A few years ago I listened to several of the Georgia Execution Tapes and they were really quite somber. Things may have changed but on those tapes it was clear the execution was carried out by the prison staff/guards that had been overseeing the prisoner for many years, in many cases the prisoners thanked the guards for their kindness etc... It was really quite depressing as it was apparent that it was highly unpleasant for all of the men involved, guards, prisoner, etc... There was often little or no focus/mention of the victims.

 

[ATasteOfHoney]

Im not sure. I am pro Death penalty for certain cases but still would not ever want to see anyone put to death. It is an imprint I don't need on my life.

And for what you wrote above (pro-death penalty but can't watch what you theoretically put into effect) is the reason why I am NOT pro-death penalty.
If you can't watch it or stomach it; then don't "roll" that way.
I put my money where my mouth is.
For me, executing someone for their actions makes me no better than the criminal. Which is a bit ironic to me.
I say lock 'em up & throw away the key.

All moo & all that

 

[Sonya610]

And for what you wrote above (pro-death penalty but can't watch what you theoretically put into effect) is the reason why I am NOT pro-death penalty.
If you can't watch it or stomach it; then don't "roll" that way.
I put my money where my mouth is.
For me, executing someone for their actions makes me no better than the criminal. Which is a bit ironic to me.
I say lock 'em up & throw away the key.

All moo & all that

I disagree.

I would be for duct taping it's mouth and putting a bag over it's head if that would reduce the stress involved for the executioners.

The sadistic killer brought this upon themselves, no one else should be unnecessarily stressed when the murderer of innocents dies as a result of their own actions.

 

[Elley Mae]

I am not sure if I'm posting this in the correct place so if not, I apologize and please let me know. I'm interested in your thoughts and feelings on this. When I was 6, June 30, 1985, my life long friend, Tuesday Correll, was killed by her father, Jerry Correll. He also killed her mother, grandmother, and aunt that night. My parents were friends with them long before she and I were born.
He received the death penalty on all 4 counts. 30 years have gone by without justice and though he still does not have a date, I must decide if I will attend the execution. His appeals have been exhausted at all levels so it is, in all likelihood, quickly approaching. I am very pro death penalty, especially for him. I just don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't give me the sense of closure, or the feeling of justice that I have waited for for so long.
I would love to know your opinions.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-12-09/news/0340670047_1_correll_blood_divorce

I would definitely go if it were my friend and family that was murdered, most definitely.

Jerry Correll, 59, is scheduled for execution on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m., according to a death warrant signed by Gov. Rick Scott.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ry-correll-execution-date-20150116-story.html

 

[Zuri]

Hipmomx2, I am so sorry for your loss of innocence at the age of 6. How incredibly traumatizing at such a young age. It must have been so hard to process the senseless loss all this time. Whether you decide to go or not is a personal decision that only you can make. You are not the same person you were at 6 nor is the murderer.

The two men that killed my brother were sentenced to LWOP. The shooter was up for the death penalty and during the trial, he plead guilty to avoid the DP. He ended up dying in jail at the age of 50. When the trial was over, there was no closure. Learning of his death brought no closure. The senseless act remains and the pain endures.

From my experience, I would say that if you are looking for a sense of closure for your 6 yo self, it probably won't happen. I have found that dwelling on the negative was not a way to honor my brother, so I turned that energy into a positive. Perhaps on the day of his execution, doing something positive in your friend's honor, could take something away the horrific way she died. I think you might derive more satisfaction from it, than witnessing a man put to death, the image which will forever stay with you. Remember your friend as she was. Not the horrible man who killed her.

Hugs to you.

 

[zwiebel]

Killers get to have the last word at their execution, and there's no right of reply for victims or their loved ones. I wouldn't go. Wouldn't give him the opportunity to have his last words listened to by a representative of the victims. He already silenced forever voices he didn't want to hear - I don't think it would be a great injustice if his final words also went unheard, by anyone with any connection to his victims.

My experience of having a murderer and a victim in my family is that some murderers like to exploit every opportunity to justify what they have done, and portray themselves as the victimized one.

My thoughts are with you, whatever you decide.

 

[ZaZara]

Hipmomx2, I am so sorry for your loss of innocence at the age of 6. How incredibly traumatizing at such a young age. It must have been so hard to process the senseless loss all this time. Whether you decide to go or not is a personal decision that only you can make. You are not the same person you were at 6 nor is the murderer.

The two men that killed my brother were sentenced to LWOP. The shooter was up for the death penalty and during the trial, he plead guilty to avoid the DP. He ended up dying in jail at the age of 50. When the trial was over, there was no closure. Learning of his death brought no closure. The senseless act remains and the pain endures.

From my experience, I would say that if you are looking for a sense of closure for your 6 yo self, it probably won't happen. I have found that dwelling on the negative was not a way to honor my brother, so I turned that energy into a positive. Perhaps on the day of his execution, doing something positive in your friend's honor, could take something away the horrific way she died. I think you might derive more satisfaction from it, than witnessing a man put to death, the image which will forever stay with you. Remember your friend as she was. Not the horrible man who killed her.

Hugs to you.

All that Zuri says. Thank you for these words, Zuri.


Hipmomx2, when you were 6 years old, you were a helpless child and there was nothing you could have done to protect your friend.
Today, you are able to honor her and her family, to make a difference for others, to raise some funds for shelters, to plant trees or even a garden, to make a positive change in life in their memory.

Or you may go to a prison and see life leave a man.

Think of it as two roads.

If the choice were mine, I'd nourish my soul with the positive experience, and the beautiful memories of that experience.

 

[hipmomx2]

Since the death warrant was signed, I have been contacted by many of the family members that I searched for for so long. That, in itself, is worth so much to me. I will step aside and if they choose to attend, I will go and wait outside just to be there for them. If they do not, I will do everything I possibly can to try and gather as many people who were effected by this and who want only to honor and remember them, and spend the day remembering the good times and getting to know a family that I have spent my life praying for. I want to say thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for your kind words and support. It helped me so much. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Spinsteraunt]

I'm very impressed with the amount of thought and processing you've committed to this very difficult decision. I wish you peace.

 

[ponder8]

The man who did those terrible things 30 years ago has now had a long long time, with little to do but think about, and fight against his punishment. That fight has failed and he's about to face the final consequence. He's suffered, and personally I'd take comfort in that. One day soon a switch will be flipped and his life will end. Whether you're there or not, it'll happen and he'll be gone. That's the most important thing, so don't beat yourself up about maybe missing an opportunity. You're clearly putting sound thought into this decision. Now do what your gut is telling you and afterwards know you made the right choice at the time.

 

[anxietyqueen]

I am not sure if I'm posting this in the correct place so if not, I apologize and please let me know. I'm interested in your thoughts and feelings on this. When I was 6, June 30, 1985, my life long friend, Tuesday Correll, was killed by her father, Jerry Correll. He also killed her mother, grandmother, and aunt that night. My parents were friends with them long before she and I were born.
He received the death penalty on all 4 counts. 30 years have gone by without justice and though he still does not have a date, I must decide if I will attend the execution. His appeals have been exhausted at all levels so it is, in all likelihood, quickly approaching. I am very pro death penalty, especially for him. I just don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't give me the sense of closure, or the feeling of justice that I have waited for for so long.
I would love to know your opinions.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-12-09/news/0340670047_1_correll_blood_divorce

Hi hipmumx2,
How did you go with making a desicion? Any closer to it yet?
I've been thinking about you and the good answers you've recieved here from others.
We don't have death penalty in Australia so i had never heard that question be asked before.
Good luck.
Kate

 

[hipmomx2]

Well, justice delayed again

 

[hipmomx2]

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/le...correll-put-until-supreme-court-rules-n308266

 

[hipmomx2]

Hi hipmumx2,
How did you go with making a desicion? Any closer to it yet?
I've been thinking about you and the good answers you've recieved here from others.
We don't have death penalty in Australia so i had never heard that question be asked before.
Good luck.
Kate

Hello to you in Australia. My "motive" in the beginning of my really intense searching for answers was always to find the family. I had looked and looked and found nothing. I think in the middle of that my focus shifted to him. Then a miracle happened, the family found me. I guess that should be enough but to be really honest, I want him to be executed. I want him to face what obviously terrifies him. I want justice and peace for the family. I watch a lot of true crime shows and its hard for me to understand the light sentences given for murder in other countries. I guess it's the same for them. Idk if there is a right answer. Thank you for your kind words.

 

[hipmomx2]

I'm very impressed with the amount of thought and processing you've committed to this very difficult decision. I wish you peace.

Thank you! That's nice to hear. Lately, my family has been giving me the "let it go, make peace with it" speeches and it's just not that simple. I don't know if they truly know the effect this has had on me. Thank you for your kind words.

 

[Koshka]

Don't know if you still look in here, hipmomx2, but I'm thinking of you and hoping you find peace.