Dudley,
In each State Constitution there is a provision for distinct and separate powers. Among those powers the Legislative branch writes the law AND by virtue of the state coffers allocates funding from statewide resources to fund the enforcement of such law.
(And I’m going to add this is VERY simplified)
By virtue of the process, the entire State of Ohio may be compelled to fund every penny expended in these trials. Just as they may have in the past.
If I remember right Franklin County Ohio is feeling the same pressure to a lesser degree. But just for the simple reason of the cost of 4 trials, it is bad public policy to accept a plea. It negates the detergent to the next 4, or 5,10 or a gang in any Ohio community, big or small, to truly consider the death penalty before slaughtering 8,20 or a hundred people.
I don’t believe the AG or any prosecutor made the decision lightly to charge death penalty specs, but the circumstances were there and this idea of hillbilly justice must stop.
I don’t pretend to understand the mindset of the Waggies, not one of them. None of us knows at this point just how violent and evil the plan actually was. There are however a couple of things that can occur. One being that a single Juror may not be able to vote for the death penalty. Even though each must swear they can do just that when chosen to serve.
It is part of the process and the Waggies have been provided DP publicly paid attorneys to do the best job possible to find them innocent, not guilty or an acquittal. Most importantly these certified defenders will do everything possible to protect the Waggies rights.
I just read that Pike County has to date expended between $500,000.00 to $600,000.00 on the Investigation. That figure does not include BCI, other counties, the Office of the Attorney General, or the Feds. AG, now Governor DEWine said tens of thousands of man hours have been expended in this investigation. It’s untrackable he said.
IMO using Pike as the only comparison the State has already spent millions of dollars for staff, testing, per firm and other expenses I can only speculate. Travel to 10 States especially Alaska where hotels in Kenai at government rates are $89.00 to $258.00 per night depending on season. Plane tickets from Chicago to ANC can range from $600 TO $1,500 also depending on airline and time of year. Rental cars. $60 to $150.00 per day depending on summer or winter. Meals average $10 for breakfast to almost $16 for lunch and dinner $22 up. This has NOT been a cheap crime to investigate.
Let the process run it’s course just as it has for the other men and women on death row in Ohio. To do otherwise would be to show favoritism based on an economic basis alone.
The Waggies could have stopped all of this at any point up until the first punch thrown at CRSR, or the second prior to the first trigger pulled. They alone as a group, if found guilty, are responsible.
They own, if found guilty, sole responsibility for every charge and every dollar expended to investigate the crime, prosecute it and to defend it. Sadly killing 8 people for any reason violates the law, basic humanity and so many morals and ethical considerations I don’t want to go down that road.
By murdering 16 year old Christopher Rhoden Jr., they denied that young man of a projected 60 years of life. As a democracy we need to think about that. 60 years, he will never be married, never walk for high school graduation, never have a child, never own a home or anything any of us take very much for granted.
None of the Rhodens deserved to die. And dead they cannot seek justice, the living must do it for them.
In my opinion
