[a_psycho_smurf]

I still don't think robbery deserves 98 years when no one was killed...? When you compare that to du Pont heir Robert Richards IV getting no jail time for raping his 3 year old daughter.

[Xfactor]

He set about building his life — while, prosecutors say, being fully aware of the clerical error and never notifying authorities.

Stop reading here because of a scrivener's error and failure mention or further mention. Illegal as fuck.

[jinhwangtikatang]

Originally Posted by Megamel29 ↗

I'd like to know more specifics relating to the crimes he got the 98 year sentence for. For all I know at this point, he could have tortured the people at the places he robbed and that info just hasn't been released. Or maybe the jury/court/judge wanted to make an example of him? I don't know.

http://www.rippdemup.com/justice/ren...or-98yrs-16037

[Megamel29]

Originally Posted by jinhwangtikatang ↗

http://www.rippdemup.com/justice/ren...or-98yrs-16037

Hmmm I would imagine at this point it would have come out if he had assaulted the hostages. That article states that he was charged with kidnapping because he moved people from the front of the store to the back. It does seem like they made an example out of him. And he has shown that he has changed his ways. As I see it now, it would be more beneficial to him and the tax payers for this man to be released from prison.

[Cads]

Originally Posted by 30564U ↗

Ah...well then, let's look at that. First, he married a woman who already had the two children...so they were technically fatherless prior to the convict actually marrying their mother. Second, she apparently was providing for them prior to meeting said convict. Third, being sentenced to 98 years in prison is his lawful sentence...he legally owes that state and it's residents 98 years in custody regardless of any clerical mistakes.

Let's look at this logically and not emotionally. Do you know what it takes to actually convict someone of a crime and then have that individual get sentenced to 98 years? It's like an act of God. In other words, this guy was so guilty that a jury of his peers (and we all know that the only folks serving jury duty are the ones not smart enough to figure out how to get out of jury duty) and a judge both felt so strongly that this guy is a criminal (and a pretty bad one at that) that they all got together and damn near gave this idiot 100 years in prison. My God, they don't hand out that much time to murders. Stop thinking that this was a cruel misfortune...this idiot needs to be locked up for the betterment of society. He should have gone straight a long time before this.

I'm sure his wife will find another equally poor candidate for a husband/father soon enough and those boys will be just fine. It's not their fault that their mommy can't make good choices and picks convicted felons as husband/father material.

I'm calling bullshit on all of this. Yes he was a bad criminal, frequent offender, probably had prior convictions for the same thing multiple times, whatever, but the point of prison (at least I hope so) is to lock up truly dangerous people to society and to reform. Sometimes the case is obvious that a person with a life sentence will always be a danger, whereas this guy proved beyond a reasonable doubt he was reformed.

Now I understand the court can't just renig their decision off of an error, otherwise they have a category 5 shitstorm, but that doesn't mean this isnt fucked up. 8 years is a long time to change and he was obviously not of a criminal mindset anymore, so the situation is still fucked up whether or not it's "the law." Sometimes the law is unethical, and I find him being locked up very disturbing.

The fact is this is what it is and it wont change, I get that, but don't act like this is the "right" thing. Because this is just grade A fucked up and in a better world he should be free again for his second chance, him being in prison is doing nothing for society, it's COSTING us money, whereas during those six years he actually contributed quite a bit. Sometimes looking at things with logic AND emotion is the best bet here. There are shades of grey you do know that right? Because your posts can be disturbingly black and white sometimes.