gsoltso

Based on the new information coming out now, this is shaping up to be a horrible situation all the way around. I just hope we can get more of the internal information out as this case moves along. There was evidently enough questionable evidence to make the LEOs on the scene think that the shooting was not a justifiable response, but there is plenty of contradictory info being tossed out now. How much of this is truth and will stick remains to be seen at this point. Even if this turns out to be a self defense/defense of others judgement, this kid is forever changed in many ways - the family is changed in many ways. It is sad all the way around.

FliesWay2Much

I still think he will ultimately have the distinction of the first TSA criminal to get "the needle."

gsoltso

Based on what I have seen throughout the history of cases similar to this, there is not much of a chance of that. If found guilty, he will most likely get a life sentence if things are proven with premeditation. The chances of this guy being convicted and getting the "needle" are about as good as my chances of winning the lottery. Most likely (if things pan out in court the way they have been related in the press) he will be found guilty of manslaughter/wrongful death - if he is found guilty. Juries can be fickle, they can be obstinate, they can be enlightening and they can be moving - but they are always unpredictable. Going to court is a gamble for both the State and the Defendant, but there is simply not a clear cut reasoning for seeking the death penalty in this case. (All that being said, I am not going to bet you on this point...)

halls120

Since you don't live in the Commonwealth, I'll give you a pass on your knowledge of how we treat murderers. Overall, Virginia has executed more capital defendants than any other state in the union, and post 1982 (the "modern" era), only Texas executes more defendants than we do, and when you are convicted of capital murder in Virginia, your stay on death row is short.

That said, the current CA in Henrico appears to be a political hack, so I'd bet political correctness will work against a capital murder conviction in this case.

eyecue

Nope, they don't!!

Boggie Dog

According to GAO they don't do anything.

Caradoc

...and anyone with a lick of sense. But there's always been quite the chasm between what the TSA claims and what the TSA actually does.

FliesWay2Much

I admit that I went to public schools. I will also admit that I am not a learned, clairvoyant SPONik such as yourself. I will say that I have no idea what you are talking about, let alone your point.

And, up to a certain calendar date, our condemned inmates had the choice of the needle or the electric chair. The clerk was lucky he committed capital murder in Henrico County. If he had worked at IAD and lived in Prince William County, they would be cleaning out the IV lines with saline as we speak.

jkhuggins

What I think West is saying is this: if there's any hint of sympathy for the defendant --- say because of the hints we've heard of a violent home environment that led to the killing of the father out of self-defense and/or the defense of others in the home --- then it's extremely unlikely that a jury will unanimously convict of first-degree murder and agree upon a death sentence. All you need is one holdout on the juryy who buys the sympathetic argument.

Of course, all politics is local, and so are all juries. I expect that some jurisdictions return death penalty sentences with greater frequency than others. Living in a state without the death penalty, I will defer to the observations of those who do.

halls120

Even though the Beltway snipers killed more people in Maryland than Virginia, there is a reason why the first trials were held in Virginia.

gsoltso

I was actually a resident in that region for a period of time as a younger man. While the approach to capital punishment in VA is statistically "quicker and more consistent", this is not an open and shut case based on what is being put out now. Juries are notoriously unpredictable in cases where a situation involving domestic violence are concerned. I could be wrong, but I don't think this is going to be a case that results in the needle.

No SPOT involved in what I have said, nor is there any clairvoyance involved - simply a guess based on what I have seen in similar cases in the past.

This is an almost perfect relation of what I was saying. I merely voiced the opinion that I do not think this will wind up being a death penalty case, and if it does, I am not certain it will result in the needle. Thanks for the clarification!