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Related: About this forumA glimpse into the mind of an armed right winger with a gun
Last edited Sun May 4, 2014, 03:15 PM - Edit history (3)
Audio of Byron Smith; convicted of lying in wait to murder some teenage intruders. He could have easily called the cops instead.
(WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT)
For a saner world:
http://everytown.org
northoftheborder
(7,572 posts)sick, twisted, man who deserves the death penalty in my opinion, however it is administered
Arkansas Granny
(31,518 posts)to allow his attorney to plead insanity. He is obviously a sick and twisted person.
The scary part is wondering how many more like him are out there wishing and willing to take the law into their own hands by any means necessary.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)what he was doing.
Sick and twisted, but we shall see whether he is deemed criminally insane.
Here is a short article on the insanity defense:
The insanity defense is used by criminal defendants. The most common variation is cognitive insanity. Under the test for cognitive insanity, a defendant must have been so impaired by a mental disease or defect at the time of the act that he or she did not know the nature or quality of the act, or, if the defendant did know the nature or quality of the act, he or she did not know that the act was wrong. The vast majority of states allow criminal defendants to invoke the cognitive insanity defense.
Another form of the insanity defense is volitional insanity, or Irresistible Impulse. A defense of irresistible impulse asserts that the defendant, although able to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the act, suffered from a mental disease or defect that made him or her incapable of controlling her or his actions. This defense is common in crimes of vengeance. For example, suppose that a child has been brutally assaulted. If an otherwise conscientious and law-abiding mother shoots the perpetrator, the mother may argue that she was so enraged that she became mentally ill and incapable of exerting self-control. Very few states allow the volitional insanity defense.
The insanity defense should not be confused with Incompetency. Persons who are incompetent to stand trial are held in a mental institution until they are considered capable of participating in the proceedings.The insanity defense also should be kept separate from issues concerning mental retardation. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2002 in Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304, 122 S. Ct. 2242, 153 L. Ed. 2d 335 (2002) that the execution of mentally retarded criminals constituted "cruel and unusual punishment" and that it was prohibited by Eighth Amendment. But if a person is acquitted by reason of insanity, execution is not an option.
The insanity defense reflects the generally accepted notion that persons who cannot appreciate the consequences of their actions should not be punished for criminal acts. Most states regulate the defense with statutes, but a few states allow the courts to craft the rules for its proper use. Generally, the defense is available to a criminal defendant if the judge instructs the jury that it may consider whether the defendant was insane when the crime was committed. The judge may issue this instruction if the defendant has produced sufficient evidence at trial to justify the theory. Sufficient evidence invariably includes Expert Testimony by psychologists and psychiatrists.
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Criminal+insanity
You can think it through for yourself.
I couldn't listen to all of that tape.
What it shows is how capable a sane mind is of rationalizing any action no matter how cruel, unnecessary and ultimately self-destructive.
To me, the tape sounds more like an attempt to justify a "stand-your-ground" defense. He makes it sound like he felt very unsafe before he murdered. The "stand-your-ground" defense is encouraging people to give way to their darkest, most evil and hateful urges. It needs to be done away with.
Arkansas Granny
(31,518 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)then he talks about how he is no longer afraid. What a phony.
Violet_Crumble
(35,961 posts)What I heard was just so sickening and disturbing I had to switch it off. I hope that miserable fucker rots in prison...
weissmam
(905 posts)mwrguy
(3,245 posts)He acted out the fantasy that most of them have.
secondvariety
(1,245 posts)sorefeet
(1,241 posts)He is trying to justify his stand your grounds. But he has completely tried, judged and executed all by his loony self. Guilty, sit in a cage for the rest of your life. Right wing scum.
Pharaoh
(8,209 posts)does he listen to fox and rush?
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)regarding conformity to the Statement of Purpose for this forum.
It might be more appropriate to a gun forum, and it certainly needs a "trigger alert" or "graphic content" warning/
Best regards,
NYC_SKP
johnlucas
(1,250 posts)A guy from the Department of Homeland Security can't find a better way to secure his home than to use a gun???
Shouldn't he know elaborate security systems with cameras & sensors?
The first thing he thinks of is a stupid gun to protect his stuff?
Guns are OFFENSE not DEFENSE.
Guns at best are the VERY LAST resort. Break Glass In Case Of Emergency.
It should never be the first thought on securing yourself or your belongings.
But it's just not sexy to have tracking devices & elaborate cameras that can identify intruders in the dark.
Nothing satisfies that bloodlust like picking up that gun & seeing some spilled guts after the thing goes BOOM.
He could have waved his gun in the air as a measure to scare them off.
He could have got a fake gun to make them think he had a real one.
He could have put non-lethal bullets in the gun.
So many options this supposed Eagle Scout could have chosen.
No instead he lives out his own personal movie scene where he shoots "the bad guys" & recites a dramatic soliloquy.
He has his Dirty Harry/Charles Bronson action star moment.
"Do ya feel lucky, punk?"
This is real life asshole not a goddamn movie!
You're the face of evil, Byron Smith.
And hopefully your stupidity will get something done about this irresponsible gun worship in this country.
John Lucas