Post by thinkinkmesa on Mar 13, 2009 22:42:51 GMT -5
Editorial
The Hartman case
The Ohio Parole Board advised proceeding with the death sentence. Now the governor can draw an important distinction
www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/41190857.html
Published on Friday, Mar 13, 2009
Read the clemency report of the Ohio Parole Board, and the evidence still points powerfully to Brett Hartman as the man who killed Winda Snipes in September 1997. A week ago, all eight members of the parole board recommended that the state proceed with the death sentence against Hartman next month. The final decision about clemency now rests with Ted Strickland.
No doubt the governor will be appalled at the brutal murder, Snipes strangled, beaten, stabbed 138 times, her hands severed from her body. Hard to read the clemency report without feeling revulsion. Prosecutors have described Hartman as a sadistic killer.
They highlight the evidence linking Hartman to the murder, among other things, a bloody thumb print and hand print. Police officers found a blood-stained T-shirt, knife and Snipes' watch in his home. Hartman changed his story about what happened on the day of the killing. He lacks an alibi. DNA testing revealed his semen inside her.
Still, Hartman holds to his innocence. He did so again in an interview this week with Phil Trexler, a Beacon Journal staff writer. Hartman admits having sex with Snipes. He argues he discovered the crime scene, and then panicked, fearing he would be accused of the killing. He acknowledges washing off blood and wiping down her apartment to remove traces of his presence. He eventually made 911 calls, and appeared at the crime scene engaging officers.
Hartman wants DNA testing of hairs found on Snipes' body, of a clock, beer bottles and a used condom. Prosecutors, and many others, may see a sure bet that the results will confirm the guilty verdict. They may scoff at the request. Still, here is the familiar, and usually resisted, chance to go a step beyond in ensuring the soundness of their efforts. You would think after the episode involving Clarence Elkins, prosecutors would approach such a request with a certain degree of due humility.
A waste of public dollars? The far more expensive proposition is the legal apparatus of the death penalty. A state engaged in capital punishment should go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that it is right.
Prosecutors and the parole board chided Hartman for seeming to argue out of both sides of his mouth, repeating his claim of innocence and yet pointing to a painful childhood to explain his behavior. For his part, the governor should resist such a box for Hartman. The state should not pursue eagerly an execution. It should do so reluctantly. With that in mind, the governor should weigh heavily Hartman's miserable life as a youth, his isolation on an Indian reservation, a shattered home, homelessness, behavioral problems, drug and alcohol abuse.
More, in prison, Hartman has sought to make a contribution, through his painting, his becoming an ordained minister and volunteering in social causes. That doesn't ease in any way the horrible killing of Winda Snipes. At the very least, the door is open to drawing a distinction between a civilized community and a brutal killing. The governor can choose to spare a life — a life in prison without parole.
Read the clemency report of the Ohio Parole Board, and the evidence still points powerfully to Brett Hartman as the man who killed Winda Snipes in September 1997. A week ago, all eight members of the parole board recommended that the state proceed with the death sentence against Hartman next month. The final decision about clemency now rests with Ted Strickland.
No doubt the governor will be appalled at the brutal murder, Snipes strangled, beaten, stabbed 138 times, her hands severed from her body. Hard to read the clemency report without feeling revulsion. Prosecutors have described Hartman as a sadistic killer.
They highlight the evidence linking Hartman to the murder, among other things, a bloody thumb print and hand print. Police officers found a blood-stained T-shirt, knife and Snipes' watch in his home. Hartman changed his story about what happened on the day of the killing. He lacks an alibi. DNA testing revealed his semen inside her.
Still, Hartman holds to his innocence. He did so again in an interview this week with Phil Trexler, a Beacon Journal staff writer. Hartman admits having sex with Snipes. He argues he discovered the crime scene, and then panicked, fearing he would be accused of the killing. He acknowledges washing off blood and wiping down her apartment to remove traces of his presence. He eventually made 911 calls, and appeared at the crime scene engaging officers.
Hartman wants DNA testing of hairs found on Snipes' body, of a clock, beer bottles and a used condom. Prosecutors, and many others, may see a sure bet that the results will confirm the guilty verdict. They may scoff at the request. Still, here is the familiar, and usually resisted, chance to go a step beyond in ensuring the soundness of their efforts. You would think after the episode involving Clarence Elkins, prosecutors would approach such a request with a certain degree of due humility.
A waste of public dollars? The far more expensive proposition is the legal apparatus of the death penalty. A state engaged in capital punishment should go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that it is right.
Prosecutors and the parole board chided Hartman for seeming to argue out of both sides of his mouth, repeating his claim of innocence and yet pointing to a painful childhood to explain his behavior. For his part, the governor should resist such a box for Hartman. The state should not pursue eagerly an execution. It should do so reluctantly. With that in mind, the governor should weigh heavily Hartman's miserable life as a youth, his isolation on an Indian reservation, a shattered home, homelessness, behavioral problems, drug and alcohol abuse.
More, in prison, Hartman has sought to make a contribution, through his painting, his becoming an ordained minister and volunteering in social causes. That doesn't ease in any way the horrible killing of Winda Snipes. At the very least, the door is open to drawing a distinction between a civilized community and a brutal killing. The governor can choose to spare a life — a life in prison without parole.
As with all Akron Beacon articles there is a comment section.
The Hartman case
The Ohio Parole Board advised proceeding with the death sentence. Now the governor can draw an important distinction
www.ohio.com/editorial/opinions/41190857.html
Published on Friday, Mar 13, 2009
Read the clemency report of the Ohio Parole Board, and the evidence still points powerfully to Brett Hartman as the man who killed Winda Snipes in September 1997. A week ago, all eight members of the parole board recommended that the state proceed with the death sentence against Hartman next month. The final decision about clemency now rests with Ted Strickland.
No doubt the governor will be appalled at the brutal murder, Snipes strangled, beaten, stabbed 138 times, her hands severed from her body. Hard to read the clemency report without feeling revulsion. Prosecutors have described Hartman as a sadistic killer.
They highlight the evidence linking Hartman to the murder, among other things, a bloody thumb print and hand print. Police officers found a blood-stained T-shirt, knife and Snipes' watch in his home. Hartman changed his story about what happened on the day of the killing. He lacks an alibi. DNA testing revealed his semen inside her.
Still, Hartman holds to his innocence. He did so again in an interview this week with Phil Trexler, a Beacon Journal staff writer. Hartman admits having sex with Snipes. He argues he discovered the crime scene, and then panicked, fearing he would be accused of the killing. He acknowledges washing off blood and wiping down her apartment to remove traces of his presence. He eventually made 911 calls, and appeared at the crime scene engaging officers.
Hartman wants DNA testing of hairs found on Snipes' body, of a clock, beer bottles and a used condom. Prosecutors, and many others, may see a sure bet that the results will confirm the guilty verdict. They may scoff at the request. Still, here is the familiar, and usually resisted, chance to go a step beyond in ensuring the soundness of their efforts. You would think after the episode involving Clarence Elkins, prosecutors would approach such a request with a certain degree of due humility.
A waste of public dollars? The far more expensive proposition is the legal apparatus of the death penalty. A state engaged in capital punishment should go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that it is right.
Prosecutors and the parole board chided Hartman for seeming to argue out of both sides of his mouth, repeating his claim of innocence and yet pointing to a painful childhood to explain his behavior. For his part, the governor should resist such a box for Hartman. The state should not pursue eagerly an execution. It should do so reluctantly. With that in mind, the governor should weigh heavily Hartman's miserable life as a youth, his isolation on an Indian reservation, a shattered home, homelessness, behavioral problems, drug and alcohol abuse.
More, in prison, Hartman has sought to make a contribution, through his painting, his becoming an ordained minister and volunteering in social causes. That doesn't ease in any way the horrible killing of Winda Snipes. At the very least, the door is open to drawing a distinction between a civilized community and a brutal killing. The governor can choose to spare a life — a life in prison without parole.
Read the clemency report of the Ohio Parole Board, and the evidence still points powerfully to Brett Hartman as the man who killed Winda Snipes in September 1997. A week ago, all eight members of the parole board recommended that the state proceed with the death sentence against Hartman next month. The final decision about clemency now rests with Ted Strickland.
No doubt the governor will be appalled at the brutal murder, Snipes strangled, beaten, stabbed 138 times, her hands severed from her body. Hard to read the clemency report without feeling revulsion. Prosecutors have described Hartman as a sadistic killer.
They highlight the evidence linking Hartman to the murder, among other things, a bloody thumb print and hand print. Police officers found a blood-stained T-shirt, knife and Snipes' watch in his home. Hartman changed his story about what happened on the day of the killing. He lacks an alibi. DNA testing revealed his semen inside her.
Still, Hartman holds to his innocence. He did so again in an interview this week with Phil Trexler, a Beacon Journal staff writer. Hartman admits having sex with Snipes. He argues he discovered the crime scene, and then panicked, fearing he would be accused of the killing. He acknowledges washing off blood and wiping down her apartment to remove traces of his presence. He eventually made 911 calls, and appeared at the crime scene engaging officers.
Hartman wants DNA testing of hairs found on Snipes' body, of a clock, beer bottles and a used condom. Prosecutors, and many others, may see a sure bet that the results will confirm the guilty verdict. They may scoff at the request. Still, here is the familiar, and usually resisted, chance to go a step beyond in ensuring the soundness of their efforts. You would think after the episode involving Clarence Elkins, prosecutors would approach such a request with a certain degree of due humility.
A waste of public dollars? The far more expensive proposition is the legal apparatus of the death penalty. A state engaged in capital punishment should go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that it is right.
Prosecutors and the parole board chided Hartman for seeming to argue out of both sides of his mouth, repeating his claim of innocence and yet pointing to a painful childhood to explain his behavior. For his part, the governor should resist such a box for Hartman. The state should not pursue eagerly an execution. It should do so reluctantly. With that in mind, the governor should weigh heavily Hartman's miserable life as a youth, his isolation on an Indian reservation, a shattered home, homelessness, behavioral problems, drug and alcohol abuse.
More, in prison, Hartman has sought to make a contribution, through his painting, his becoming an ordained minister and volunteering in social causes. That doesn't ease in any way the horrible killing of Winda Snipes. At the very least, the door is open to drawing a distinction between a civilized community and a brutal killing. The governor can choose to spare a life — a life in prison without parole.
As with all Akron Beacon articles there is a comment section.