Killer attempts robbery to get back to prison

January 20, 2002 1:12 PM

Killer attempts robbery to get back to prison After serving 8 years for killing his girlfriend he "was running out of money" once on the outside. So he robbed a banked, then waited outside for the cops to come on by and pick him up. It must be nice to know this clearly what you want out of life. I'm jealous.
posted by victors (13 comments total)

I'm of two minds here.

One, the man served his time (although serving only eight years for murder seems ridiculous) and should be given the chance to become a productive member of society. It's hard enough for a 48-year-old man who's been working for the last eight years to get a job. I can only imagine how hard it would be for a 48-year-old man who's been in prison for murder for the last eight years.

However, I wouldn't want to work with a convicted murderer so I can't really blame anyone who wouldn't hire him. I would think the potential liability risk to an employer who hired a known murderer would be enough to keep anyone from hiring him.

Thanks for making me think, victors. Now I have two moral dilemmas to struggle with.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:21 PM on January 20, 2002

I with you. I'm all for forgiving someone -- hell, I think taking responsiblity for one's actions is so damn rare that I would work to find a way to reward him for that. (Apearantly he thinks the American penal system is reward enough -- maybe he could have chat with those guys at X-Ray in Cuba: "Three squares and all the basic cable you can handle. Hey, what are you complaining about?")

Meanwhile, the whole time I'm hanging out with this guy behind the Starbucks counter I'd be tempted to treat him like one of those trained attack killer dogs that have a "magic word" that turns them into killers. What exact combinations of words did his girlfriend use that drove him to strangle her? "Have you seen the low-fat biscotto?"
posted by victors at 1:54 PM on January 20, 2002

Having volunteered over the summer at a food bank that, among other things, employed parolees and halfway-housers, I really don't see the issue about working with ex-cons (or current cons, for that matter). The murderers were a lot less scary than some of the people who had never committed a crime.

(btw, there is no cooler job for a 16-year-old boy than hanging out with muderers, drug dealers, and thugs. Just thought you might want to know)
posted by Ptrin at 2:03 PM on January 20, 2002

Interesting story. Rather than hijack/derail/troll, I would just say that this definitely reminds me of the scene in the Shawshank Redemption where Morgan Freeman's character considers committing a crime because he's having such a hard time coping with freedom.

I would also have a hard time hiring a criminal (if I was an employer, especially in a tight job market)
posted by insomnyuk at 2:06 PM on January 20, 2002

Sadly, I dont think the guy should go to jail. He needs some kind of mental help. The guy has been institutionalized. I understand that criminals have committed crimes but if you let them back on the streets then you shouldnt blackball them. If they are not safe enough to be on the streets then keep them in jail. This just creates a cycle of crime.
posted by neo452 at 3:13 PM on January 20, 2002

After serving 8 years for killing his girlfriend

I'm still stuck on this part.
posted by transona5 at 3:34 PM on January 20, 2002

Yeah. Average US prison sentence served for a murder charge is 6.3 years.

Average US prison sentence served for a marijuana charge is ten years.

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
posted by acridrabbit at 4:03 PM on January 20, 2002

Average US prison sentence served for a marijuana charge is ten years.

is this a high-jack?
posted by victors at 4:30 PM on January 20, 2002

victors,
is this a high-jack?

nah dude, you're just paranoid.
posted by DragonBoy at 5:55 PM on January 20, 2002

and hungry! anybody seen the low-fat biscotto?
posted by victors at 5:58 PM on January 20, 2002

Prisoners, when released, often long for the prison life they suddenly miss. It's a well-known phenomenon, and one that has little to do with not being able to get a job. It has more to do with the reasons why those raised in miserable family situations tend to, as adults, reproduce those miserable family situations.
posted by argybarg at 6:48 PM on January 20, 2002

I would just say that this definitely reminds me of the scene in the Shawshank Redemption where Morgan Freeman's character considers committing a crime because he's having such a hard time coping with freedom.

Exactly what I was thinking.
posted by JakeEXTREME at 8:34 PM on January 20, 2002

America: where malcontents who rape and murder kids get lotsa breaks. Ain't it grand?
posted by owillis at 8:37 PM on January 20, 2002