JUSTICE FOR STEPHANIE NIEMAN

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Clayton Lockett
 The anti-death penalty folks are all up in arms right now over the so-called botched execution of a murderer in Oklahoma named Clayton Lockett. He was executed for the murder of Stephanie Nieman who he shot and then buried alive. One could say that his punishment was mild compared to the agony that this girl went through before she died but as an advocate of the death penalty all I am concerned with is that murderers die for their crimes as swiftly and with as little pain as possible. A just God will deal with them later. Personally I think that the only ones executed should be those people who are guilty of heinous murders and when the evidence of their guilt is overwhelming. I am not for executing some person who gets drunk and kills another person in a drunken bar room fight for example. And as always I believe that the state should have to establish guilt beyond all reasonable doubt. 

 If the truth be known Clayton Lockett's execution was probably botched because of all the pressure from anti-death penalty groups. They were using experimental drugs that had never been used before. Many people argue that the death penalty does not deter crime. I say "wrong" because a dead murderer like Clayton Lockett and Ted Bundy will never have an opportunity to kill again. People argue that murderers should just be incarcerated for life. That is great if you can keep them incarcerated. Ted Bundy escaped from prison and killed many more before he was finally caught and executed in Florida. Whether or not executions are a deterrence to the living potential murderers out there is questionable. I think it would be a deterrence if there was more consistency in our justice system. For example if you killed someone today and you were only given one year to appeal rather than 15, 20 or 30 years to appeal, when fewer people even remember what you are being executed for, then it might be a deterrent As long as we have bleeding hearts out there it probably won't happen. Personally I say bring back the guillotine, that was pretty efficient.
Stephanie Nieman with her parents on graduation day 

Statement from the family about the execution of Lockett

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