CA Murder Suspect Frequent Parole Violator: An Associated Press story reports that sex offender John Albert Gardner, currently facing charges for murdering a 17-year-old San Diego girl, had been cited at least eight times for drug and traffic offenses since his 2005 release from prison. Gardner was on parole during four of the incidents, including a drug offense. The Associated Press could not confirm whether Gardner, convicted in 2000 of beating and molesting a 13-year-old girl, could have had his parole revoked for repeatedly breaking the law.
Unfortunately, institutional pressure not to revoke parole has been part of California's culture for almost a decade. That, and a relaxing of supervision, of even violent criminals on parole, has kept the newspapers busy reporting numerous murderers, rapes and other violent crimes by people who either should have still been serving time or been carefully supervised on parole. The Governor, legislative leaders, and even a panel of federal judges, have told us that the state can not afford to send parole violators back to prison and besides, putting them in community rehab programs will help them straighten out their lives. This happy talk did not keep habitual felon Charles Samuel, who avoided jail because he was a "low risk" offender, from kidnapping 17-year-old Lily Burk on Wilshire Boulevard in broad daylight last July. Samuel has been charged with the girl's murder. Supervised parole did not keep violent felon Lovelle Mixon from acquiring several illegal weapons and killing four Oakland police officers last March as reported here. Mixon was also linked to a rape.
Bragging Murderer Executed: Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Frank Green reports that condemned Virginia murderer Paul Warner Powell was electrocuted last night. In 1999, Powell stabbed 16 year-old Stacie Reed to death with a survival knife during an attempted rape, and then waited for her 14 year-old sister to come home from school. Powell raped Reed's sister, cut her throat, and left her for dead. She survived and testified against him. After Powell's first capital-murder conviction was thrown out on appeal for lack of a special circumstance, Powell wrote Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert an abusive letter boasting about the crimes and admitting his attempt to rape Stacie before killing her. The letter provided the special circumstance prosecutors needed to try Powell again for capital murder. Following his conviction and sentence, Powell chose to die in Virginia's electric chair. Commenting about Powell's execution to Washington Post reporter Josh White, the murder victim's sister Kristie said, "I was totally against the death penalty before this happened, and I didn't know why people would want to do it. But those people haven't been through what we've been through. Now I'm totally for it. He definitely deserves to die. He needs to die for what he did to Stacie."
Holder Endangered? WaPo columnist Michael Gerson thinks "Holder is the most endangered member of the Obama Cabinet.... Just about everything he has touched has backfired."
Unfortunately, institutional pressure not to revoke parole has been part of California's culture for almost a decade. That, and a relaxing of supervision, of even violent criminals on parole, has kept the newspapers busy reporting numerous murderers, rapes and other violent crimes by people who either should have still been serving time or been carefully supervised on parole. The Governor, legislative leaders, and even a panel of federal judges, have told us that the state can not afford to send parole violators back to prison and besides, putting them in community rehab programs will help them straighten out their lives. This happy talk did not keep habitual felon Charles Samuel, who avoided jail because he was a "low risk" offender, from kidnapping 17-year-old Lily Burk on Wilshire Boulevard in broad daylight last July. Samuel has been charged with the girl's murder. Supervised parole did not keep violent felon Lovelle Mixon from acquiring several illegal weapons and killing four Oakland police officers last March as reported here. Mixon was also linked to a rape.
Bragging Murderer Executed: Richmond Times-Dispatch reporter Frank Green reports that condemned Virginia murderer Paul Warner Powell was electrocuted last night. In 1999, Powell stabbed 16 year-old Stacie Reed to death with a survival knife during an attempted rape, and then waited for her 14 year-old sister to come home from school. Powell raped Reed's sister, cut her throat, and left her for dead. She survived and testified against him. After Powell's first capital-murder conviction was thrown out on appeal for lack of a special circumstance, Powell wrote Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul B. Ebert an abusive letter boasting about the crimes and admitting his attempt to rape Stacie before killing her. The letter provided the special circumstance prosecutors needed to try Powell again for capital murder. Following his conviction and sentence, Powell chose to die in Virginia's electric chair. Commenting about Powell's execution to Washington Post reporter Josh White, the murder victim's sister Kristie said, "I was totally against the death penalty before this happened, and I didn't know why people would want to do it. But those people haven't been through what we've been through. Now I'm totally for it. He definitely deserves to die. He needs to die for what he did to Stacie."
Holder Endangered? WaPo columnist Michael Gerson thinks "Holder is the most endangered member of the Obama Cabinet.... Just about everything he has touched has backfired."
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