Judge Who Ruled Death Penalty Unconstitutional Sentences Man To Death

Talk about a bitter irony. FYI, Judge Sessions was overruled on his finding that the DP is unconstitutional.

BURLINGTON, VERMONT (AP) -- A man who kidnapped a supermarket worker and killed her as she prayed for her life was sentenced Friday to die, the first person to get the death penalty in Vermont in almost a half-century. Donald Fell, 26, was sentenced by a federal judge who once ruled the death penalty unconstitutional.

Speaking in court for the first time after years of court appearances, Fell apologized twice in a brief statement for stomping 53-year-old Terry King to death in November 2000 on a roadside in Dover, New York.

"The words are inadequate," Fell said, his voice barely audible in court. "I truly am sorry for my crime. What I did was horrible and wrong. I know the wounds will never heal. If it comes down to it in the end that I do die, I understand that it's no less than what I deserve. I truly am sorry."

U.S. District Judge William Sessions III imposed the sentence, which was issued nearly a year ago by the same jury that found Fell guilty. King's sister, Barbara Tuttle, criticized the judge at the sentencing for the amount of time that has passed since the killing.

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http://wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=5041614

What happened to the victim was horrible, a nightmare. Had it been my mother or wife who was murdered in cold blood, I'd probably want blood vengeance myself.

But the cycle of violence in this country has to stop. Executing the perp will not bring back the victim, nor will it undo the crime; it will not deter anything. Lock this guy away *forever* in a dark cell. He's canceled his ticket to live in society. But don't kill him -- he doesn't deserve that kind of easy out. We, as a society, should be better than that.

Right-wingers are always bitching about big government. How much bigger can a government get than to have the power to snuff out its citizens, regardless of any alleged crime?

Google around the Net, and find a list of the countries that still have capital punishment (in addition to the U.S.) -- there's no way this advanced country should even be on such a list. The countries we most resemble: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, all of Great Britain, the European nations -- have *all* gotten rid of capital punishment.

On edit: I'm liberal as all hell, but I'm not some bleeding-heart for criminals on this issue. It's about doing what's right, and it's time for the U.S. to move ahead into the light. Stop state-sanctioned killing!

I am resolutely anti DP, in part because I have a visceral reaction to the thought of the State killing its citizens. If you haven't read Judge Sessions' decision about the DP being unconstitutional, I highly recommend it.

Nice gimmick to override DP-free states.

I wonder if they'll eventually up the ante. Person lives in Massachusetts, murdered someone who lived in Massachusetts, the crime happened in Massachusetts, but in the night of the crime he drank a can of Coca-Cola, which is made in Georgia -- FEDERALIZE!