The Revenge Business

The topic of today's post is the death penalty.

WARNING:  This post is not going to be fun at all.

This is going to get into some intense stuff.  

The purpose of this post is to try to put into words some semblance of order on my thoughts about the Christa Pike case in particular and the general overall idea of the death penalty.

I do not assert any special wisdom or insight.  I'm just one guy with some opinions I want to put down in writing.

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In "Take This Sabbath Day", the 14th episode of the 1st season of The West Wing, President Jed Bartlett is facing a decision, to commute the death sentence of Simon Cruz, a drug trafficker who murdered two drug kingpins.

President Bartlet asks a visiting Democratic operative named Joey Lucas why she opposes the death penalty.

Joey:  "The state shouldn't kill people."

Bartlett seeks religious advice from Father Cavanaugh who cites Romans 12:19.   

Cavanaugh: '''Vengeance is mine,' sayeth the Lord.' You know what that means? God is the only one who gets to kill people."

But I think it's the counsel Bartlett receives from his young aide, Charlie Young, that has resonated with me the most over the years since I saw this episode.  

Charlie's mother was a police officer who was shot dead in the line of duty.  The president asks Charlie if the person who killed his mother was caught and convicted, wouldn't Charlie want to see the state put that person to death?

Charlie says no.

Charlie: "I wouldn't want to see him executed, I'd wanna do it myself."

I'm not sure if it's made clear why the case of Simon Cruz merits the special dispensation of review by President Bartlett but nonetheless the case is before him and he grapples with it.

Jed Bartlett the man would rather not put this man, any man to death.  

Jed Bartlett the President has to consider the rule of law, the will of the people and I'm sure some other damn 3rd thing and...

The moment passes.

The execution of Simon Cruz is carried out. 

Like a lot of people these days, the subject of the death penalty has been put front and center in my thoughts of late, put there by the drama surrounding the execution of Christa Pike.

And the failure of that execution. 

On September 30th, Christa Pike was strapped to a gurney and given two injections of pentobarbital.  These lethal injections are designed to cause the recipient to become unconscious, stop breathing, and develop a heart arrhythmia, culminating in death.

Witnesses to the execution noted Pike was calm during the procedure but admitted to feeling pain and discomfort in her arm. Then she became unconscious.  

And began snoring.  

The two doses of the drug designed to kill her had failed to do so.

As I write this, Christa Pike is currently in a hospital on a ventilator as the medical staff work to purge the pentobarbital from her system.  

While watching videos and reading stories on this unfolding saga, I have been struck by the uniformity of the comments which can be summarized as this:  Christa Pike is an evil bitch who does not deserve our sympathy and we should not forget what she did to Colleen Slemmer.

Let's discuss what Christa Pike did to Colleen Slemmer.

Caution: this part is very grim and gruesome.  

In 1995,  18 year old Christa Pike and her boyfriend 17 year old Tadaryl Shipp lured 19 year old Colleen Slemmer into the woods. Over the course of 30 minutes, Colleen was tormented and tortured.  A pentagram was carved into her chest while she was still alive. This frenzy of torture ended when Christa smashed Colleen's skull with a large chunk of asphalt, the resulting brain injury leading slowly but inevitably to Colleen's death.

No one should suffer and die like Colleen Slemmer did. 

I'm pissed off thinking about this poor young woman suffering such brutality and dying, cold, in pain and abandoned in the woods.

For his role in the murder, Tadaryl Shipp was sentenced to life in prison.  Christa Pike was sentenced to death.  

For what she did to Colleen Slemmer, a merciful death by execution is too good for Christa Pike, that bitch. Forget the state putting her to death,  "I'd wanna do it myself."

Which is a valid emotional response. 

But is it a judicial one?

Do we need to consider what brought 18 year old Christa Pike to the moment in the woods in 1995 with a chunk of asphalt in her hands to bring it down on Colleen Slemmer's skull?

One response is to say "Who cares?" 

• Colleen was murdered.
• Christa killed her.
• Christa needs to pay. 

But should we consider that Christa Pike has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder? 

Do we need to think about the allegations of physical and sexual abuse Christa Pike endured as a child? 

None of this changes the horrible reality of Colleen's death and the sheer brutality of what she endured.

But weighing the need for justice and holding those accountable who act against the welfare of our citizens, we need to ask, is committing the murder of Christa Pike for her murder of Colleen Slemmer an act of justice or revenge?

"Should the government be in the revenge business?" 

For those who read their Bibles, it bears remembering "Vengeance is mine,' sayeth the Lord."

it does seem to me that a lot of those who read their Bibles are the ones calling the loudest for the ultimate retribution of death for Christa Pike.  

It's a hard business, isn't it?  The needs of a society for accountability of those that would defy the most basic moral tenets of that society need to be balanced with a dispassionate and objective application of the law.  

Did 50 year old Christa Pike deserve to be put to death for an insane act committed by an 18 year old Christa Pike?

But did Colleen Slemmer deserve to not see life beyond age 19, bleeding out on the cold ground in the dark woods?  

What is the dividing line between justice and vengeance?

I'm not going to lie and say that if someone hurt my wife or son, that I would not want the full weight of punishment brought down on that person.  

"Vengeance is mine,' sayeth me!" 

In exchange for someone hurting those I love, would I be satisfied the perpetrator of that harm was sentenced to a roof over their heads with health care and three square meals a day at taxpayer expense? Hell no! I would want that person to die.

Which is a valid emotional response. 

But we need the state to not be emotional.

Even when the situation is hard and personal, perhaps we need to reconsider our use of the death penalty and understand "The state shouldn't kill people."

I don't think the government should be in the revenge business. And ultimately that's what the death penalty amounts to in my humble opinion.