Saturday, March 21, 2009

Sentence as an adult?

The Rengel murder trial finished with a conviction.

As a result MT, a young person, is likely to go to jail if sentenced as a youth for up to 6 years or if sentenced as an adult for between 5 to 7 years.

So what's the difference? Probation. If sentenced as an adult MT is on probation for the rest of her life.

Should she be sentenced as an adult for this? Perhaps not. My sense is that the attempt to sentence as an adult is driven more by small "p" politics than by anything else.

This crime is horrid. It's the sort of twisted, sordid brutality that hurts then entire community. The cry for vengeance, which is not unwarranted, is very powerful. That said, justice should be blind (or here deaf), to the shifting moods of the public. I'm unsure of where I stand on the issue but it is a tough call for the Court.
James Morton

5 comments:

penlan said...

I don't feel too bad for her. She was relentless in her pursuit to have Rengel killed, constantly trying to coerce her boyfriend into committing the act. And it went on for a very long time. She knew exactly what she was doing & her persistence was monumental. Horrible & twisted most definitely.

This is not to say that in other cases sentencing as a youth are definitely applicable.

Gayle said...

I find it hard to believe that someone so young could be found to be so calculating, devious and clever. I work with a lot of troubled youth in her age group and have yet to meet anyone who is smart enough to be that diabolical.

I suggest it is more of a teenager being a stupid teenager - not clever but rather clumsy and stupid in her efforts to eliminate someone she considered to be a threat.

The fact that the evidence of her behaviour was so readily available suggests she was not as calculating as one might think.

In any event, if she receives an adult sentence she will get life in prison. She will not be on probation, she will be on parole, IF she is granted parole. Just because she is eligible to apply for parole earlier than an adult would have been does not mean she will get parole. She could spend the rest of her life in jail.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if it was Morton's kid instead of a girl he doesn't know.

This girl should remain on parole for life , making sure she has to report to some authority.

She should also recieve 15 years for the murder.

Instead, some Liberal judge who gets paid off by the defense will get her 4 years.

If she gets a short sentence, I hope kills again, so I can some back here and blame you lefists for the death.

Anonymous said...

15-25 years sounds about right (although I doubt that's what she'll get) Let her miss out on the prime years of her life, just as poor Ms. Rengel has. She seemed able to get the boyfriend to co-operate by withholding sex. That sounds like a pretty adult action of me. Sounds like she was crafty enough in orchestrating this that an adult sentencing is appropriate.

penlan said...

Excellent observation Markham Mom - on how she manipulated the boyfriend to commit the murder. That is not childish thinking - it's full blown awareness of how to use a person.