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I find this story very depressing - how in the world can anyone possible turn on someone as important as their mother and take her life. I just don’t understand. At the same time, I have to wonder just how impaired his judgment was, after all, it was mentioned that he was drunk and high on LSD at the time.

Going off of that, I am disgusted that being drunk or on drugs qualifies as mitigating circumstances to lower the degree of murder or, as was true in this case, to reduce the sentence. I’ve said this and before and I’ll say it again: once you are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong (and 17 going on 18 certainly is) you should never be mitigated by circumstances you have direct and immediate control over. For example, drug use or terrible rage should not be valid defenses, but a heart attack causing a death on the road should be.

In my mind a 15 year sentence for such a blatant murder is really a bit of an outrage. If anything, the mitigating circumstances should keep the death penalty out of play - 30, 40, or 50 year sentences should still be an option. That’s what I hate about the American Justice System - we go too easy on many crimes and allow too many defenses and mitigating circumstances. And to those that say we need these ways defenses and other such matters, I have a simple message for you: IF YOU DON”T WANT TO GET IN TROUBLE, DON”T BREAK THE LAW.

On a more positive note, I’d like to offer a warm and hearty congratulations to the police department in charge of the case. “Thank You for helping to bring justice to your town and our nation.”

Common Sense:

Don’t murder - it’s really the worst of crimes, short of terrorism. Especially don’t murder your own mother - that’s wrong on an even deeper level.