Despite the absolute depravity of the rape and murder of Maryann Measles, her killers shouldn't be sent into a system that implicitly uses rape and torture as an aspect of punishment, despite the desires of the victim's mother.
Alan Walter Jr., one of eight friends accused of abducting, raping and drowning 13-year-old Maryann Measles (search) in October 1997, pleaded guilty Thursday to six counts, including felony murder. Under the plea agreement, Walter, who was originally charged with capital felony, will be spared the death penalty. Prosecutors are recommending a life sentence, which in Connecticut is 60 years in prison. ...Measles' mother, Cindy, broke down in tears as Litchfield State's Attorney David Shepack recounted the details of the crime. She said she signed off on the plea bargain because she wants Walter to suffer.
"I want him to learn how to sleep with one eye open, and always look over his back every second of the day, never have a moments peace," she said. "I want him to know some of the terror Maryann had to experience. I think that's done most effectively with life [in prison]." ...
"He's going to get to know Bubba very well," she said.
First of all, Alan Walter Jr. should be executed, not given a "life" sentence that will really let him out in 60 years. Failing that, does a country that's too squeamish to execute a brutal ax-murderer or impose a real life sentence want to purposefully condemn a criminal to decades of rape and torture? Or are we content to allow it to happen due to neglect?
Our prison system needs serious reform. It's not acceptable that inmates are held in such inhumane conditions -- and I'm not talking about giving them cable TV and weight rooms. I don't care if we lock them up alone in eight by eight concrete block cells. But if we want to torture people, let's have that debate and do it purposefully, rather than with a wink and a nudge. Let's take responsibility for our society, otherwise we really are no better than barbarians.
So Michael, you are against killing the unborn, but you are okay with killing adults? And you don't see that as barbaric?
heather: Age has nothing to do with it. I'm ok with killing murderers, even if they're unborn. Likewise, I'm generally against killing non-murderers, even if they're ex utero.
How does that jive with your Christian faith? Isn't God the one to judge?
heather: You may have a confused sense of the term "judgement".
Michael, while I agree with your sentiment, I'd like to point out that *anyone* who spends 60 years in jail is going to be put out on the street as an old, old person - if they live that long. IIRC, this young man is in his late teens or early 20's, so he'll likely be released from prison in somewhere between his late 60's and early 80's - alive, yes, but worthless and (hopefully) harmless.
If it were up to folks like me, they would tie this guy to a chair, give the dead girl's mother a rusty butter knife, and leave them together in a small room for an hour - but it's not up to me (criminals breathe a sigh of relief).
The constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment, but when you consider just how this girl died, you have to ask yourself, shouldn't it read, "no more cruel than what the criminal did to his victim(s)"? I'm not christian, but I *am* a fervent believer in "an eye for an eye".
Oh, and Heather, remember the special ops motto: "Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out." God may judge your soul, but that's not going to keep killers from killing again - it's up to us to stop it, one way or another.
Personally, I'm for the death penalty for anything that involves inflicting harm on others. Hurt someone in a car wreck because you weren't paying attention? Death penalty. Beat your wife and kids? Death penalty. Rape? Death penalty. And I don't mean death by lethal injection, or anything where it's just like going to sleep - I mean something extremely painful like death by drowning, or pressing, or a dark ages-style executioner with a dull axe and poor aim. Cruel, harsh, and barbaric? You bet, but if things were that way, I bet there would be fewer crimes, and as an added bonus, zero repeat offenders.
MW: I don't have a problem with judging if someone has broken the laws that have been established, but KILL them? The Bible says 'hate evil' not 'kill evil.' When did we decide that was our responsibility?
What about the love for this murderer? Obviously he is hurting more than we can comprehend--you must experience tremendous pain in your life to allow yourself to kill or harm another human being. I'm not saying what he did wasn't bad, but by removing him from society, we are preventing him from committing crimes again. We can do that without killing. Where is the love in saying, "you have committed a horrible, unspeakable crime, therefore you must die"? vs. "you have committed a horrible, unspeakable crime, therefore you must stay somewhere you won't hurt anyone again" ?
What if, by spending the rest of his life in prison, this murderer comes to know Jesus and commits his life to him? What if his testimony brings 2 more to God? 10 more? 100 more? God wants all to come to him.
Then of couse, this all comes back to the original point of your post about prison torture, and I agree that the system needs to be reformed.
I'm inclined to agree with Streeker on this one. My personal view is that you should have to suffer whatever your vitim did. If you survive, you are let go, if not, you got what you deserved. If you have more than one victim, you should be punished for the first one, nursed back to health, punished for the second, etc., etc. But then comes the question of who inflicts the punishment.
Is it cruel and unusual? Maybe. But how is our system now of letting murderers, rapists and other inhumane criminals live not cruel and unusual to the victims' families? I think they (victims' families) should be the ones we as a society are more concerned about.
Wow, I think I've found people tougher on crime than I consider myself to be!
Heather: the point isn't only to protect society, it's to punish criminals.
I am Maryanns Measles aunt.I sat in the cpourt room thurs and listened to this man plead guilty to charges of raping,torturing and ending my 13 year old nieces life.The way I see it and my family,if he would have gone to trial,he would have been convicted and most likely got death penalty.I am a firm believer in the death penalty but not lethal injection.Its painless,My niece felt pain until her last breath.I hope nothing but the absolute worst for these animals in prison.I hope they feel some of the torture my niece was put through.They need no pity by society for whatever thier fate isin prison.Maybe they should have thought about that before they took Maryanns life.I myself will live with a huge part of my heart broken,my life will never be the same,my personality of a happy person was changed in 1997.These people need to think about what they did in 1997 and be reminded of why they are there for everyday.Whatever happens to them happens but i can tell you,even rape,a punch in the face,whatever behind those bars is not even comparable to what they did to maryann.Our prison system doesn't like child rapists and murders,i think justice in Alans case for maryann has been sought.Life in prison with the big boys.
Petra: I do NOT believe in letting them go. Do murderers let their victims go? Only when they're dead.
Let's take an extreme example - suppose a weight-lifter kills an old man by hitting him in the chest, causing a heart attack. If all that happens to the weight-lifter is he gets hit in the chest and then is released, is that justice? On the other hand, if he's repeatedly hit until he's dead...
Michael: my brother was a prison guard (sorry, "corrections officer") for a couple of years, and it has colored my view on crime and punishment.
I will be adding Maryann Measles to my memorial site. It's for kids who died miserably and awfully. See it at www.geocities.com/slainangels
As a former inmate myself - I have to agree that anyone who commits such a horrible crime deserves to be punished until their death.
Going to prison showed me that there are people who will never change. Thankfully I did, but that was because my crime was caused by circumstance and not planned, meditated hate.
Anyone who hurts or kills kids doesn't deserve mercy. They don't deserve sympathy.
Did they show that little girl mercy?
To Justice for one Angel!
I know or met Maryann's uncle, and I know Chris very well, who watched Maryann grow up from a baby. I am beyond sorry for the loss your sisters and your family has experienced from this horrific tradegy!!
I have followed the case as closely as I can, and have been to her resting place on more than one occasion, and talked to Maryann. She was such a beautiful girl, inside and out, and was just a child. If the name Jean and Chris mean anything to you, you will know how I know about Maryann. She is constantly in my prayers, as well as your whole family, and your sister, Cindy, who I have wriiten to before.
May God Bless you and all your family. I pray for your pain and suffering to lessen.
My email address is
evangeline6030@sbcglobal.net
Please feel free to email me, if you ever need a friend to listen!!
Diane (Charlotte)
Michael, you might be one of the stupidest human beings I have never met. Your comment to heather was "Age has nothing to do with it. I'm ok with killing murderers, even if they're unborn. Likewise, I'm generally against killing non-murderers,." For one thing, how can a murderer be a murderer if they are unborn you idiot. Also, your against killing "non-murders", what the hell are you talking about. I love how you try to write your article and act like you know what you are talking about and you have some kind of real knowledge or opinion. Prison is what it is and everybody knows what types of stuff can go on there. Prison should be tough to get people to not commit crimes because that is where they will end up. You want the legal system and us as a society to debate about sentencing criminals to hard time of rape and toture instead of just sending them to prison knowing what might happen. And if we don't talk debate about torturing as punishment then that makes us barbaric? You sir, are the STUPIDEST MAN ALIVE and I wish I never read your retarded comments. You know nothing you blithering moron.
wow there are so many smart people posting on here. Streeaker, you think someone who gets into an accident and kills another driver by ACCIDENT should be killed? That is why you this country does not put people like you in charge. Because you know nothing and this country would go up in flames. Leave the comments of debate to the people who have some sense. Thank you.
Listen, I have been reading what those monsters did to that young girl. They should all get the chair but since they won't I hope they live the rest of their lives in pain and agony. However, streaker and petra, you would not feel the same way about your comments if someday you had an ACCIDENT and killed someone by ACCIDENT. WOuld you say that for yourself, I should die like that person did even though I didn't want him to and I really am a good person and I feel so sorry that this person did die. Think about your comments before you actually write them. Have some sense please. Also, where was Maryann's father in all this. What the hell is a 13 year old little girl doing hanging out with 20 year olds and having consentual sex with a number of them? THis girl did not deserve to die the way she did but if the parents were there to stop her from being a young slut then this never would have happened either.
ok steve this is maryanns aunt. For your info her dad died when she was 3.A young slut no,and at this point just for calling her this you are lucky I can't hunt you down.Read the full story before you run your mouth.Type maryann measles into your search and read the facts on the case.
this is maryann measles' sister. i dont know who the f*ck you Think you are! but you have NO RIGHT WHAT SO EVER to ever have called my sister a "young slut". and to let you know a little bit of factual information. it was not as consentual as you may think. WHERE U F*CKING THERE WHEN THE SEX HAPPENED?!?! NO I DIDNT F*CKING THINK SO! SO SHUT YOUR F*CKING MOUTH. you are lucky we dont know who you are...you'd probably get your a** whipped for saying that sh*t. you have my blood boiling right now!! why dont you be there at a trial and listen to the facts you MOTHER F*CKER...get a life and dont talk shit about 13 year old little girls that you dont know! you're probably just as sick as they are you a**hole! i hope u rot in hell for being such a f*cked up person. and by the way our father died when we were very little. so F*CK OFF SC*MBBAG!!!
They should all have been given the same fate as Mary Ann. .Every last one of them NEEDS TO DIE!
Especially AJ Walter, he is the devil himself.
What they did to that girl was wrong and they knew what they were doing when they did it.. It was planned!!!!
How can people think they all deserve to spend the rest of there lives in jail.. They should all die a slow painful death with torture...
I feel so very bad for Cindy Measles and her children yet I give the all the credit in the world for seeing this trial all the way through to the bitter end.. I dont think I myself would have had the courage that they have shown throughout this whole ordeal.....
God bless them and may they find the peace they so deserve... I wish I had known MaryAnn.
Each time I drive down River Road and pass the spot where this all took place I say a prayer for a very special girl thats life ended so Tragically..
God will judge the guilty and may they BURN IN HELL!!!!