High Court: No Death Penalty for Child Rape

United States
June 25, 2008 10:18am CST
What is your opinion on this ruling? I do NOT agree with it. The child will be scarred for life. This is particularly heinous as it was the stepfather who committed the crime and the child was so badly injured she needed surgery! To make matter worse the word "INTEND" could mean even if a child died it would not merit the death sentence!!! I would also like to have his balls very slowly cut off before they carried out the death sentence Justices Find Punishment Unconstitutional if Criminal Did Not Intend to Kill Victim The Supreme Court ruled today that a Louisiana man can not be put to death for the rape of a young child. The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Louisiana death row inmate Patrick O. Kennedy can not be put to death for the rape of his then-8-year-old stepdaughter. In the 5-4 decision, the majority held that the death penalty for child rape is unconstitutional. Louisiana and five other states have laws imposing the death penalty for that crime. The case dates back to 1998 when Patrick O. Kennedy called 911 to report that his 8-year-old stepdaughter had just been raped. Kennedy blamed two boys from his suburban New Orleans neighborhood for the attack and told police that the boys had fled on bicycles. But police soon suspected Kennedy of the crime. At trial, the girl, who had required surgery after the attack, testified that Kennedy had raped her and that he had coached her to lie to police. http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/SCOTUS/story?id=5037450&page=1
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1 response
• United Arab Emirates
26 Jun 08
Hi, Anyone who commit such a big crime, should be punished. He should be given the maximum possible punishment if found guilty. We as elders protect our kids and not harm them. If anyone tries to harm them or misuse them, they should be punished. God bless children.