[Retrodiction]

(Original post by pinda.college)
Killing him is not justice, making him suffer is.

They should torture him to the point where he wished he never went to that cinema.

So the court should base its decisions on emotion rather than pragmatism?

[MovingOn]

I don't think he should face the death penalty because I genuinely think he is mentally ill. If his plea of insanity is accepted, he will need years upon years of treatment. Either way, I don't think someone who is not of sound mind should face justice in the same way as someone who is.

[Kiss]

(Original post by .eXe)
I don't think killing a killer is technically murder. I would call it justice.

Justice and revenge aren´t the same thing all the time. I wouldn´t call it justice, I´d call it ´an eye for an eye´ moral decision which, like it or not, won´t revive those he killed.

[Harmonic Minor]

C'mon guys. In a case like this prison isn't about 'rehabilitation', because either way he won't be leaving jail in his lifetime. So I don't see a reason why he shouldn't face the death penalty.

[Antichrist666]

Yes yes a trillion times yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that psychopath deserves to die!!!!!

[RabbitCFH]

Death would be an easy way out for him. Make him watch Cher Lloyd's videos 24/7 for the rest of his life instead.

[NYU2012]

(Original post by MovingOn)
I don't think he should face the death penalty because I genuinely think he is mentally ill. If his plea of insanity is accepted, he will need years upon years of treatment. Either way, I don't think someone who is not of sound mind should face justice in the same way as someone who is.

NGRI with involuntary civil commitment until, if ever, it is determined that he is no longer mentally ill?

The problem here is that he may very easily be malingering. To my knowledge, something like only 1% of NGRI's are actually accepted by courts.

Remember, in the legal system, what's defined as a mental illness by psychologists isn't what matters -- he has to be meet the legal definitions of NGRI; not merely be mentally ill.

He could be mentally ill yet perfectly competent to stand trial and not meet the conditions for NGRI.

[glittery snails]

If he is killed then he gets the easy way out with no suffering for what he did of any kind. He should be medically examined. I can't comprehend someone who doesn't have a brain tumour or something similar to be the perpetrator of such a depraved act. If he is of completely perfect health then I would imagine torture is the only reasonable thing to do to this man, perhaps allowing medical experiments on him in order to make bigger steps in the creation of life-saving treatments for the rest of humanity. It may sound awful but letting him sit in a cell where, with the use of tax-payers money, he gets his meals made for him, freedom to go outside and have a social life with other prisoners is not any kind of punishment for him in my eyes. A man like this, who sat grinning through the trial and clearly does not have one nugget of remorse or regret, cannot be rehabilitated. However I am second guessing myself even as I write. He is clearly mentally ill and needs some sort of help but then again it seems to me that he is past the point of anything helping him. Like I said, there must be something biologically wrong with him. I simply cannot comprehend it otherwise.

[The Gutless Wonder]

There's alot of crap flying around about this case. Taking it at face value the guy obviously has developed a serious mental problem - an extreme obsession with this Batman film. On the day of the shooting a neighbour who says he was usually quite pleasant if quiet said he acted coldly, which sounds to me like an emotional shutdown. It doesn't seem that neighbours or relatives were the focus of his violent thoughts/tendencies. We don't know what it was that made Dr Fenton concerned about his behaviour enough to report it to CU. The tragedy seems to be that there was no coming together and the notebook he sent wasn't found until it was too late. I think, possibly, he was making a last ditch effort for someone to intervene but sadly it failed. In the days when he was talking to people about moving out and asking about other flats in the area he was probably attempting to function normally when there was something seriously wrong. One of the people he spoke to felt he was high on something but there has been no mention of anyone thinking he was a drug user. If he genuinely has a mental illness he doesn't deserve to die in my opinion. His death wouldn't solve matters.

[Jim-Jam]

Yes and no.

Yes because it was a horrific crime and caused so much torment and everything to people and the victims who got out alive.

But no because to even do that, he must be ****ed in the head. Really really ****ed in the head.

[Joey Tribbiani]

I think he should be sent to Guantanamo where all other terrorists are sent. Don't know of they still detain people there but if they do, then that should be his life. death penalty would be to easy.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Podcaster]

What I don't get is if killing a murderer is so justified, if someone walked into the court after Holmes was convicted, lost all his appeals and all that jazz and shot him they would also be convicted of murder regardless even when the court was about to do the exact same thing. It's not about justice for the victims it's about being eliminated by the government if you step out of line. I say no to government control of life or death over other people. The only power government should have is to keep dangerous criminals away from society through non violent means. Even though i always have tons more sympathy for the victims in certain cases i do feel sorry for murdering psychopaths. This guy had nothing to gain from the killing yet he just flipped and did it. A sign America needs better early intervention mental health care. How many other ostracised mentally ill people out there hiding in their lonely apartments are planning the same thing in a last act of frustration towards a world they hate and dont fit into?

[omgshenice]

I personally am ok with the death penalty as long as its for a crime that's as bad or worse than this and there's proof that said person committed the crime. Just my opinion. However although I say this, I'd rather see extreme criminals like this tortured or made to suffer for absing others lives in extreme cases.

Again my opinion, I know that not everyone will agree but hay that's what personal opinions are for.

[Ambry]

Death Penalty is too easy on this man.

[Calvin_the_baws]

This man does not deserve to live, he is dangerous and unstable. It would be impossible to tell if he has been rehabilitated successfully or not. The death punishment is what he deserves. Life in prison is a waste of taxpayers money. To ask people to feed this man for free the rest of his life is unfair.