This is why I stopped supporting the Death Penalty. At least this one was caught, too many weren't.
I stopped supporting the death penalty for a couple reasons.
1. We have a legal system, not a Justice system. Unless you're stupid or blatantly caught, you can buy leniency. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. We, especially here on APS, don't like admitting it. No one with significant money is ending up on death row.
2. Unless you're very wealthy, the government is going to have the upper hand. They have significant more resources, and the deck is stacked against you. Nothing except integrity stops a prosecutor from throwing a laundry list of charges, and stepping on you until you plea bargain. Most public defenders will only try to get you a "fair" plea bargain, not a fair trial. Not saying justice can't or doesn't prevail. Just that the odds are or can be stacked against justice, if desired. The limiting factor is the personalities involved and the resources. Even governments are limited in time, people and budgets.
3. Forensics is largely as scientific as phrenology. And there is a staggering amount of room left for bias, fraud, prejudice and manipulation. There are some honest concrete exceptions (DNA, etc), IF properly applied. Forensics are good for convincing folks without science and statistic backgrounds. CSI shows have not helped matters. IT forensics is even less accurate than normal pseudo-science opinion based forensics, it's only useful for the very dumbest of parties or in cases where the suspect has no possible access (cell records, Google, etc).
Sigh. And again, C&SD, just because they are likely a bad person doesn't mean we shouldn't follow the rules. If we all got what we deserved, humanity would have been wiped out within a generation of developing consciousness.
