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July 11th, 2009
09:32 am
Part of the last statement made by David Castillo before he was executed:
"There is no man that is free from all evil, nor any man that is so evil to be worth nothing."
Is it just me or is this really profound and insightful?
Also, when reading this article (you have to scroll down a bit) about David Castillo and his case, there seem to be some glaring inconsistencies and inequities that make it seem, well, not right. Justice was definitely not fully served here.
So, what do we have here:
1) The victim in this case didn't die from the wounds he received during the robbery and shooting, but from the negligence of the doctors who left a NINE-INCH CLAMP inside his stomach.
2) There was NO direct evidence linking Castillo to the crime.
3) Castillo didn't have an adequate defense.
4) The main witness for the prosecution had been a suspect in the crime and also harbored ill feelings toward Castillo. Red flags, anyone?
5) When the police searched the home Castillo was living in, they found NOTHING. Yet, the next day, a bloody t-shirt and money bags were found. And this was a home shared by Castillo AND Garcia (the once suspect turned main witness for the prosecution). So, who actually left those there is in question. It could have been Castillo OR Garcia.
6) A witness that could have impugned Garcia's credibility was never asked to testify.
7) Castillo never admitted to the crime.
8) During the punishment phase of Castillo's trial, critical character witnesses were not brought to testify. And those that did were not adequately prepared.
I'm not saying that Castillo was innocent. I don't know if he was or not. He may have well deserved to rot in jail. But he definitely shouldn't have received the death penalty. Then again, I don't think ANYONE should receive the death penalty. But especially in this case where there is so much doubt and so many red flags and inconsistencies.
Here's another article that presents a slightly different view.
And now this is where I go, "Hmmm ..."
Castillo had been previously convicted of a robbery performed in a similar fashion. They found a bloody footprint that matched one left at the previous robbery. And the description of the perpetrator in both robberies matched that of Castillo.
But there are still way too many inconsistencies pointed out in the first article for this to have turned out to be case where the death penalty was enacted.
Amnesty International - Abolish the death penalty
(The Death Penalty, Questions and Answers)
Death Penalty Focus - Working for alternatives to the death penalty
(10 Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty)
Campaign to End the Death Penalty
(Five Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty)
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Comments:
![[User Picture]](http://l-userpic.livejournal.com/48308886/4438481) | | From: | ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) flickad |
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| Date: | July 12th, 2009 12:54 am (UTC) |
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It is really profound and insightful. Thank you for this post. I find all this horribly sad.
| | From: | flickad |
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| Date: | July 12th, 2009 12:59 am (UTC) |
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P.S.- The criminal justice system in the United States generally, to my way of thinking, is problematic. Sentencing is focused almost entirely on retribution and notions of proportionality are limited. This is unmatched anywhere in the developed world. I'm very glad my country has not gone down that road, despite the hoardes of uneducated plebs who write into newspapers urging it to. |
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