Three Rights Make a Left

WHAT SENTENCE IS JUST?

In a time when there seem to be very few things our country can agree on, the outrage over the beating death of Tyre Nichols is just about universal. Just about the only thing that people disagree on is whether a charge of Second- Degree Murder is appropriate. Many people feel that the only just charge would be one of Capitol Murder, especially for the two most egregious participants in the beating death of Tyre while he cried out for his mother.

I agree that Capitol Murder would be an appropriate charge given the inhuman brutality of what we saw, but they are also being charged with aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. If found guilty of all of these charges, the offenders may well spend the rest of their lives in prison.

While I believe that the death penalty is a just sentence, I have to wonder if life in prison would be any better than the death penalty. Life in prison for former cops who did such a thing will mean waking up every day surrounded by people who want to do the same thing to them that they did to Tyre. They will be waking up to a nightmare every morning, living in a hell of their own creation, all over again, every day, surrounded by people who hate them. Remember that Jeffrey Dahmer was murdered in prison. If these five men are not living out their sentence in isolation, they have to think about their very survival.

In contrast, ten years ago on March 30, 2013, near Forney, Eric Williams murdered my friends, Kaufman County DA Mike and McLelland and his sweet wife Cynthia in their home after killing assistant DA Mark Hasse. In December of 2014, he was convicted of capital murder. December of next year will mark a decade without his sentence being carried out. On death row, he is isolated from the general population. Even if he was in the general population, I would doubt there would be the same animosity towards the murderer of an DA and an Assistant DA. After all, every inmate in the prison was put there by a District Attorney and/or an Assistant District Attorney. By contrast, I imagine that every inmate in the prison would feel a kinship to Tyre Nichols.

A decade after the McLelland and Hasse murders, there is no telling when Williams’ sentence will be carried out, if ever. Compared to the fate of the five Memphis officers, it looks to me like a prisoner on Death Row might have a better deal, and life in prison may be worse than life on death row.

All of that being said, I believe that there is still a chance for redemption. It won’t be easy but there are true believers, even in prison. With repentance, a broken spirit, and a contrite heart there is redemption. There is also a chance that they can have the support of a handful of true believers, even in prison, far from all of their fellow prisoners would support or even believe their conversion, but the support of a few is better than none. That would be little protection from those who would do them harm. But it is something while they are living, and it is everything in eternity. If you doubt that’s possible, remember that the Apostle Paul held the coats of those who stoned Stephen for his faith, then Paul was not only converted to Christianity but serves as an inspiration to all of us who follow The Way as it was called in the first century.

I mentioned Jeffrey Dahmer earlier, and I have to say that he repented in prison and was baptized before he died. We are told to pray for our enemies. I know that it is hard, but if you are going to pray for these five men who committed such an inhumane thing, pray that they find salvation.