Death Penalty—Boston Marathon Bombing

For John, BLUF:  On killing (executing) Mr Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, opinions differ.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Here is an article from The Pilot by Reporters Gregory L Tracy and Christopher S Pineo, on the sentencing in the Boston Marathon Bomber trial. "Boston Marathon Bomber Sentenced to Death".  As The Pilot is the official organ of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, its position should not be a shock or a surprise.  The death penalty is a mistake.

The Boston Globe, today, has an article that looks at the issue, under the headline "Religious Leaders Conflicted on Death Penalty".  The writers are Ms Jan Ransom and Ms Jacqueline Tempera, described as "Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent.  One wonders to whom The Boston Globe would turn to examine this issue if there was no religion in this nation?

If, after his automatic appeal, Mr Dzhokhar Tsarnaev does not submit additional appeals he will be gone quickly, like the Oklahoma City bomber, Mr Timothy McVeigh.  On the other hand, if he pursues a number of appeal options this could go on for ten or twenty years.  That caused me to wonder if perhaps options for execution might dwindle in the time period, given how various courts have gone against the three drug cocktail and how European nations are reluctant to provide us drugs for lethal injections—the death penalty not being operative in Europe.

Someone I know opined that Federal law provides that the method of execution be that method used by the state in which the Federal conviction was returned.  In the case of Massachusetts, which lacks a death penalty, the judge will designate the state in which the execution will take place and the method used by that state will determine.  The "lethal injection" method is not the same in all states.  Most states utilize the "three drug method", which has come under criticism.  A few states utilize a one-drug protocol.  Some states have alternate methods (gas, electric chair, firing squad).  The most recent Federal executions all took place at the federal facility in Indiana, using lethal injection.  Mr Tsarnaev will go to Indiana.  As an aside, the Federal Government is said to have a sufficient stock-pile of the three drug protocol, which they have declined to share with any state.

My view is that I gain nothing from the execution of Mr Tsarnaev.  For one thing, it will be more expensive, for me as a taxpayer.  Tens of thousands of dollars.  You can argue that the cost for the Government is sunk costs—those Government Attorneys will be paid regardless.  However, they could be doing something useful, like trying other cases, that otherwise might be plea bargained down based on over-charging.  Alternatively, they could be trying to free those behind bars who were put there because of bad science out of FBI Labs.  Then there is the whole question of giving Mr Tsarnaev time to realize his crime is monstrous and to repent of it.  Metanoia.

Regards  —  Cliff