Should the 19 year old Florida school shooter be given the death penalty?

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phil19034 said:
And frankly, the fact that he didn’t commit sucide or allow police to kill him makes me think he may not be mentally ill (but I’m no doctor).
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I am sure that we will learn more. Yesterday I heard he had offered to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. That seems to be pretty organized thinking. He also was shrewd enough to put down his weapons and ammo to march out with the other kids and blend into the crowd.
Spyridon said:
Life without parole in a maximum security penitentiary.
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This will only cost the taxpayers about 75, 000 a year.
 
Spyridon said:
You can’t put a price on human life.

God still loves Nicolas Cruz as much today as he did a month ago.
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Gosh, having just spent the last two days delving into documentaries about ancestors of Americans who were slaves, that seems like an odd statement. Slaves were not even listed with names, just age, sex, and race (Black or Mulatto) and their monetary value.
 
Personally, I’m against the death penalty. I’d always wonder “if he had another year, or ten or fifty, or even one day…would that have made the difference between purgatory and hell?” I don’t know. But I’d rather he had the chance.

“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live.”
-Ezekiel 33:11
 
Talitha712 said:
Personally, I’m against the death penalty. I’d always wonder “if he had another year, or ten or fifty, or even one day…would that have made the difference between purgatory and hell?”
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This is a very good argument, but it doesn’t support your view. People are more likely to repent if they have a set date for their judgment.
 
Arkansan said:
People are more likely to repent if they have a set date for their judgment.
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This is a good argument and can very well be the case. But - is it true repentance, with real remorse for sins and confidence in God’s mercy? Or is it plain old fear? Without being able to know their souls and look into their Judgement, I doubt we could know if it’s enough.

I respect your view, but I still hold fast to mine.
 
nearlycatholic said:
Genesis 9:6. Sometimes justice may seem harsh. Continue to pray for the victim’s families please. This hit very close to home.
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We live in the New Testament, and in the United States, we have the means to prevent this person from harming others without taking his life.

In certain times and situations where it may be too difficult to prevent the guilty from harming others, then that is a different story.
 
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The Church has defined that imperfect contrition (based on fear of Hell) is sufficient for the forgiveness of sins in the sacrament of confession. We can’t know any individual’s soul, but I don’t see any grounds for doubting the sincerity of the imperfect contrition that people being executed often have.
 
Wanted to say undecided but I accidentally clicked yes.

I really don’t know. A part of me wants him to ‘pay’ but it’s more of an emotional response than anything
 
rcwitness said:
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nearlycatholic:
Genesis 9:6. Sometimes justice may seem harsh. Continue to pray for the victim’s families please. This hit very close to home.
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We live in the New Testament, and in the United States, we have the means to prevent this person from harming others without taking his life.

In certain times and situations where it may be too difficult to prevent the guilty from harming others, then that is a different story.
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Presumably there are a nonzero number of people out there who would do stuff like this if they could avoid dying. What does letting him live (barring mitigating circumstances) say to them?
 
John 8
“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
 
Fair enough. But I still don’t think my conscience could support the taking of human life. It would be different if it was the only way to stop him from killing again, but since it’s not… As long as he’s alive, God can work with him. I couldn’t close that door.
 
Yes. And mental illness shouldn’t excuse him from it either. Rabid dogs get put down, not everything has a fix.
 
Arkansan said:
Presumably there are a nonzero number of people out there who would do stuff like this if they could avoid dying. What does letting him live (barring mitigating circumstances) say to them?
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He should be executed because God set capitol punishment as the appropriate judgement. The effect on what someone else may or may not due should not be the basis for obedience.
 
That was directed toward a group of vigilantes. The state must punish criminal acts for the good of society.
 
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