Crime and Punishment

At about the time that Brittany Norwood was beating and stabbing Jayna Murray to death inside a store in a shopping mall, two employees in the Apple store next door heard sounds of the struggle coming through the wall. The Apple Store employees were closing up for the night. One of them heard strange sounds from the other side of the wall: grunts, thuds, hysterical … [Read more...] about Jana Svrzo and the Zebras

Defenders of Caylee's Law have been arguing in my comments and elsewhere that even though the rush to legislate will result in a poorly-written law, my fear that it will punish innocent parents and babysitters far more than it helps any child is unfounded, because prosecutors will use their discretion wisely and mercifully. In most cases, I'm sure they're right, but why rely on … [Read more...] about Never Rely on Prosecutors For Mercy

I've been getting slammed in the comments to my earlier post about why Caylee's Law is a bad idea, as has Radley Balko on his piece in the Huffington Post. Perhaps people will ease up a bit if I point out that Serena Straus, a former prosecutor in the Bronx Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence Unit, also thinks that Caylee's Law is a bad idea. Some of her reasons are … [Read more...] about “Caylee’s Law” Is a Bad Idea

I haven't posted anything about Casey Anthony trial. I'd pretty much like to keep it that way because, really, I don't know anything about the case. On the other hand, I know there's a long and painful history of laws like this: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 6, 2011 Contacts: Michelle Crowder, "Caylee's Law" petition-starter, 918-289-8479 (CDT)Brian Purchia, Director of … [Read more...] about We All Knew This Was Coming: Caylee’s Law

Well...I sure didn't see this one coming: CHICAGO -- The FBI has requested a DNA sample from "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski as part of its investigation into the 1982 deaths of seven Chicago-area people who took cyanide-laced Tylenol from packages that had been tampered with, officials said Thursday. Wouldn't that be something? Damn. I remember the Tylenol poisonings. In a way, we … [Read more...] about TYMURS=UNABOM?