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Sentenced to Death for a Crime Even the State Admits He Didn't Commit

thenation.com — In less than 3 weeks Kenneth Foster, an African-American man sentenced to death for the murder of Michael LaHood, is scheduled to be executed in Texas. LaHood's actual killer, Mauriceo Brown, was executed in 2006. Whether you believe in capital punishment or not, a man who did not plan or commit a murder will die August 30 unless...Read on

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  • ukdave, on 10/10/2007, -9/+105That is mental, taking the guilty by association thing a bit far I would say
    • MoeSizlack, on 10/10/2007, -23/+11Sorry but it's not guilt by association it's Felony Murder, and contrary to the article Texas is not the only state where this law exists. A man was murdered during the commission of a felony in which this man participated. Sorry but following the victim home and driving the getaway car constitues participation. He's SOL
      • thejokell, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11Actually it appears there was no felony being committed. And the article does not stipulate whether or not he drove a "getaway car" or was arrested at the scene. The article makes it sound like he was driving a car, and at one point one of his passengers got out and shot a man in the head, but makes NO mention of what happened afterward, or even if the killer got back into the car.

        So, if going by the article, Felony Murder would not apply.
        • VanillaStarfish, on 10/10/2007, -4/+10But he's black so he must be guilty.
          Right?
          • mdhauke, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1@thejokell

            You keep siting the article in your argument.

            "Actually it appears"
            "The article does not stipulate"
            "The article makes it sound like"
            "makes NO mention of what happened afterward"

            You honestly can't be that ignorant. You are siting a very biased article in your argument. Obviously the article is going to leave things out that would go against it's intent. If you are going to site an article, at least do one that is non-biased. Or use several different sources.
        • DoMifer, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Smart folks like cdnyny sure do suck at typing...
        • Mitchl, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Got news for you. When the killer earlier in the evening got out and robbed two folks at gunpoint and then Foster went ahead and kept driving killer-2-be around after the robbery, that was a felony right there.
          Then when he picks up killer again after the guy shoots dude, then he is an accomplice of another felony, it does not matter if he didn't plan on being there. If he didn't want to be a part of that felony, he needed to drive off then.
          Then the only question would be if he actually was driving the crew around after this woman with the intention of robbing them in the first place.

          You gotta look past this article to the ones that give a little bit more of the info. Felony murder does apply in this case.
    • MoeSizlack, on 10/10/2007, -15/+7I didn't mean to come off so callous there. It's just that there are many horrible tragedies that occur in the criminal justice system I just don't believe this is one of them.
      • wholly2b, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Dugg up for honesty and rational thought
    • palustris, on 10/10/2007, -2/+12 If you go to http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2007/07/19/Opinion/Viewpoint.Stop.Kenneth.Fosters.Execution-2925301.shtml
      You can read about the events of the evening. He was a getaway driver in an armed robbery earlier, and to the murder later that evening.
      • KnytFyre, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I don't know why you are getting dugg down, apparently people don't like hearing the truth, they'd rather rant in ignorance.
        • rarson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Sure, but some people would argue that killing in general is wrong. I'm opposed to the death penalty, though not outspokenly so, because I kind of feel that if murder is a crime, then no one should be allowed to do it.
    • KnytFyre, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4"On August 15, 1996, Foster, then a 19-year-old starting his own record label, spent an afternoon driving three friends around a San Antonio neighborhood. One of them, Mauriceo Brown, had a gun, and he and another passenger exited the car and robbed two people at gunpoint, despite Foster's misgivings. That night, thinking Foster had been following her, a woman flagged his car down. The men talked to her, and then she walked toward her boyfriend, Michael LaHood Jr. Brown exited the car and got into an argument with LaHood. He then shot and killed LaHood in self-defense, he said.

      Eighty feet away, Foster heard the gunshot and began to drive away, but his other friends convinced him to wait for Brown, according to testimonies. Brown then re-entered Foster's car, and they left the scene, only to be apprehended later that night."

      That is quoted from the article that palustris linked too. Given these events, if they are indeed fact, then I think the "Law of Parties" is correct here. It's not executing an innocent man, it's executing a man that willingly (yes he was convinced but he did still do it) drove a man away from a scene where that man just shot someone. (I'll even give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know the person was dead). And he did this after he had driven the friends around all day, and an armed robbery had already occurred.

      This law is in existence to make people think about how they participate in these crimes. After the armed robbery, if this guy was so objectionable to it, he should have left the robber standing and drove to the police to report it. But he chose to continue driving around town with this individual, knowing what they were capable of.
      • vermin, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Be that as it may, the role of law and justice is not to simply execute everyone who breaks the law. There are varying degrees of severity for crimes, which is why there are correspondingly varying degrees of punishment. I don't think anybody would argue that this man is completely innocent. I would, however, think that the punishment handed down to him was/is more harsh than the severity of his crime dictates.

        That said, the American jail system is a veritable criminal factory assembly line. So I'm sure whatever chance at rehabilitation he had is long gone.
      • rarson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I agree, the guy made some bad decisions for which he should be held accountable. Killing more people, however, isn't the answer IMO.
    • Mitchl, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Who would have thought that the giant tool that wrote this article (Come on, go look at the picture of Peter Rothberg, the author) would omit the little bit of stuff that Foster was driving the murderer around all afternoon after he had already robbed some folks.

      I wish that we would do away with the death penalty. I think even the chance that it is misapplied to innocent folks is too much to be worth having. Further, by judges & juries deciding who lives and who dies, begins to give some validation to anyone deciding for themselves who they can kill-- as a society, I think we should value life more. Instead of spending millions in appeals for death penalties, I think we should spend our money rehabilitiating those that can be, and when the crime is murder, rape, or child molestation, we should be spending money to build escape proof prisons that keep those criminals in jail a very long time, perhaps until they pass.

      But if the law is going to have the death penaliy, I do think that this "law of parites" is a just law and in this case, when you read about the whole circumstances- I am not sure if I have a problem of punishing foster to the same extent as the person who actually pulled the trigger. Sounds like the exact definition of accomplice to me.

      In felony murder cases, I don't know if folks get the death penalty, but they do get life for driving getaway cars from a bank when someone inside the bank gets shot. That can even happen if a guard shoots one of the robbers, because felony murder applies to everyone involved in a felony if it was forseeable that a death could take place duirng the commission of a crime.
  • suxmonkey, on 10/10/2007, -11/+175What a surprise, only in Texas: "The law can impose the death penalty on anybody involved in a crime where a murder occurred ... Texas is the only state that applies this statute in capital cases, making it the only place in the United States where a person can be factually innocent of murder and still face the death penalty."
    • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -50/+4what would have been an apropos punishment for the wheel man of a robbery turned murder - please enlighten me anyone
      • ukblacknight, on 10/10/2007, -8/+43Wait, are you actually saying you AGREE with this? You'd execute someone for a crime they didn't commit?

        If he'd caught a bus after the robbery, got off it and shot the guy, would you execute the bus driver?
        • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -22/+2He committed the crime. What did he think would happen while he was out robbing people?
      • cococooky, on 10/10/2007, -4/+22RTFA. Even the murderer stated that it was not premeditated. He didn't drive there so the other guy could kill someone, a bit different to a getaway driver at a robbery I would say.
        • cdahlkvist, on 10/10/2007, -9/+2I do not advocate the death penalty in most cases, however, are we to trust the words of an admitted murderer? Brown, the guy that was convicted of the murder, may have just been trying to get himself life in prison rather than death and thus decided to say it wasn't premeditated.

          As for Foster, he committed two robberies on the night that Michael LaHood was murdered.

          Does Foster deserve to die for two robberies? Probably not but I sure would like to see the transcripts of the trial to see how much of the story we aren't getting.
          • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5The original trial resulted in a non-death-penalty result for him, he may be scum that was going around robbing people, but he was apparently scared of his grandfather enough to complan about needing to get the car home... It's the appeal that got him the death penalty...
        • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1Do you really think a murderer would admit to premeditation knowing that premeditation is the difference between first degree and second degree murder?
      • GeneralFault, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Whatever happened to an appropriate and level punishment? Wouldn't life in prison be the appropriate punishment for the getaway driver of a robbery turned murder? When I hear "kill him" regarding a man that did not kill anybody else, all I can see is a lynch mob. There is no justice there.
    • EBFoxbat, on 10/10/2007, -26/+6I'm having no problem with this.
      • GeneralFault, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4You only have a problem with English?
    • corytv, on 10/10/2007, -19/+8I disagree. I think he is factually guilty of murder. He is a willing accomplice of a murder who did not run away from his "surprisingly murderous friend" nor did he run to the police to tell them of

      He ENABLED this killing. In all likelyhood, the victim would not have been murdered if he wasn't there to lend logistical support to the robbery. He is ADMITTEDLY GUILTY of other robberies on the same night. The gunman would not have been able to run around town/ get away on foot. This guy allowed this to happen, and didn't redeem himself by turning his "friend" in. He deserves death.
      • Ricky8765, on 10/10/2007, -7/+18No one DESERVES death. Shut the ***** up
        • skyteria, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Seriously. The murderer thought someone deserved death, so what makes you different from him, corytv?
          • WhiteRaven, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Because corytv believes that the *commission of capital crimes* is deserving of death. The murderer has no such justification. He kills innocent people. Are you really so stupid you can't understand the difference between a man guilty of murder and a person who is innocent of any crime?
      • tehpwnrate, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6He doesn't deserve death. He deserves accessory to murder. Case closed.
        • VanillaStarfish, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I dugg you up but I have to disagree tehpwnrate.
      • Nougat, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5And whoever invented firearms enabled it, too. And automobiles. And one might postulate that the booty from the robbery was probably going to be spent on narcotics; who's responsible for the state of narcotics use in Texas, because they're responsible, too.

        You can talk about who and what "enabled" something all day long, and eventually you'll implicate every human being living and dead. According to TFA, Foster's claim is that he had no idea that Brown was going to murder *or* rob anyone. Did you read that article?

        Worst case scenario, he's going to die for choosing the wrong friend, and driving that friend from one place to another. At the very least, he's going to be put to death for being an accessory to robbery.
    • pinkxmastree, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Don't mess with Texas, Its not nice to pick on retards
    • dukeochutney, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5i hate living in this state /sigh
    • XxERMxX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1This is not suprising, it's been going on for a while.
      If you want to commit a felony that could result in murder in Texas be prepared to die. They should put that on their liscense plates.
    • KyleGoetz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The law cannot impose the death penalty on anyone involved in a crime related to murder. It can only impose it when related to CAPITAL murder. There is a huge difference.
    • SlimFastForYou, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1If the punishment for murder is death, and the state murders an innocent person, wouldn't that leave the state on Death Row? This is more than mere cruel and unusual punishment, this is an atrocity.
  • jdh24, on 10/10/2007, -74/+5If Ron Paul was president, we wouldn't have this problem. He's against capital punishment.
    • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -4/+28you do understand that the federal gov has nothing to do with states laws regarding the death penalty and can do little to nothing to change those laws right?
      • avisotin, on 10/10/2007, -9/+2Uhh, do you know how wrong you actually are?
        • WhiteRaven, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Read the tenth amendment. Then go back and read the rest of the constitution.

          The Feds have zero authority in this area. The wrong one would be you, asicotin.

          Unless of course your alluding to the Federal Government's habit of ignoring the constitution.
    • trogdoor, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11Yes we would, stop ( purposely? ) giving Ron Paul supporters a bad name.
    • misconstrued, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14jdh24, I support Ron Paul, but please STFU. Baseless plugs like this really get old even for me. It does nothing to help Ron Paul either.
    • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -14/+3Another reason not to vote for him.
    • GeneralFault, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2More like:
      Would we still have this problem if GWB was never governor of Texas?
    • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Say it like this:

      Capital punishment is wrong. Support Ron Paul.

      Then you might now sound like a regular human instead of a RP zombie.
    • Frnnkdlxx, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Ron Paul, RON PAUL! RON PAUL! BOB DOLE! BOB DOLE...bob dole.....bob..dole...bob dole. BOB DOLE! ... Ron...Dole...
      • rarson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Are you insinuating that Ron Paul refers to himself in the third person, or are you just trying to make a lame joke since their names both have only 2 syllables?
      • Frnnkdlxx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1neither. it was a family guy joke. i love ron paul. i actually volunteered to be a part of his security detail. i'm that passionate
  • blorc, on 10/10/2007, -12/+179This is exactly why I'm against Capital Punishment (I also happen to be from Texas). It's not worth the risk of killing someone innocent just to get satisfaction out of eye-for-an-eye punishment. I think we should focus on reducing prison population by getting people out of there that don't need to be there. At least then if someone innocent is wrongly accused, they aren't executed.
    • Hananda, on 10/10/2007, -16/+2I don't know. It's just a matter of opinion, I guess, but it seems to me that it'd be better to be killed rather than spend ones life in prison.

      I mean, if an inmate has a life sentence without possibility of parole, why do we bother keeping them around? Is there any difference between a life sentence and a death sentence from the point of view of the convict? Cheaper and, again in my opinion, more merciful, to just have them shot once it has become clear that the sentence isn't going to be changed. Say, two years after conviction.

      I'm with you on the need to reduce the prison population, though.
      • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+32if you don't want to live, you can kill yourself. don't make the state do it. that's why i'm anti death penalty and pro-euthanasia rights.
        • Hananda, on 10/10/2007, -0/+20Y'know, that's a good idea. It never occurred to me before that the prison system could offer that option.
      • BelXul, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13Two years isn't enough, actually. There was a man in Wisconsin who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He would have spent life without parole if DNA evidence didn't exonerate him. He sued the state for millions of dollars for false imprisonment. Two years later he was charged and convicted for murdering someone on his property, but there are details of the case that don't make sense, like one of the pieces of evidence used against him: the victim's keys. Okay, so the keys opened the door of her car. Strangely, for being an item she would have used nearly every day, there was no trace of her DNA on those keys. That was only the beginning, but I understand that people are stupid and don't question things like that.
      • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4You'd rather be executed than bored?... I pitty you.
        • fwedwic, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5executed vs bored... ya and raped... and whatever else... i say shoot me
      • meechwings, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8No, it's not cheaper. The costs of those appeals often exceeds the cost of keeping the inmate in jail.
      • blorc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Yeah, it's not cheaper (as meech pointed out). The appeals usually end up costing much more, and personally I think life in prison would be worse than dying for someone who is truly guilty. I mean, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are some people content living in prison. I think that could be the opposite, though, if we toughened up prisons by ensuring minimal creature comforts and ensuring that penalties were more stiff for serious crimes. On top of that, it at least prevents people from being executed wrongly. They at least have the chance to appeal and then sue the state if proven innocent after a wrongful incarceration.
        • yargthepirate, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2Who cares what's worse for them? They're wasting natural resources.
          • GeneralFault, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Who cares about what is best for you... you're just wasting natural resources.
    • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -27/+3Innocent? He drove a man to a robbery and was the murder's get away. How is that innocent?
      • rabidbob, on 10/10/2007, -2/+28Not necessarily innocent, but by all accounts, certainly not guilty of premeditated murder.
      • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15The supreme court has said the 8th amendment makes it unconstitutional to execute people for anything but murder... He didn't commit murder by any stretch of the imagination...
    • niczar, on 10/10/2007, -4/+8RTFA, there is NO RISK here. Everybody admits that the guy isn't guilty of murder. That's not why he's sentenced to death.
      • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -3/+17You're saying he's sentenced to death for robbery? Skipped right passed cutting off hands did we?... Not only is that unconstitutional, but the other two men in the car, just as involved, didn't receive the same penalty obviously...
    • drakethegreat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9Not to mention it doesn't stop people from killing. Its not like all the gangsters across America are gonna be like. Oh ***** that guy just got killed by the state down in Texas. I should just stop selling crack and become a stock broker and steal silently
      • quraid, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1source it, or it didnt happen, silly human.
    • tehpwnrate, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I agree. This kind of situation, the fact that mistakes have been made, and moral high ground are all reason that I don't think we should EVER take the life of a criminal. I do feel that murderers (first time) should be harshly punished by a life sentence without parole, with stuff like solitary confinement for anyone who does something worse (see Richard Reid's sentence). As for this guy, I don't see why his sentence is anything more than some jail time for accessory to murder. Justice should be calculating, firm, and fair. Not hot-blooded vengeance.
    • smpx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0The title of the article should realistically read: "Sentenced to death for being African American".
  • nymphetamine, on 10/10/2007, -26/+131Another reason to never visit Texas.
    • Flashman, on 10/10/2007, -24/+8Why? Because one of your passengers might murder somebody?
    • joemofo214, on 10/10/2007, -30/+1another reason why state and country governments are ***** up. its not texas, its the government. so, shut the ***** up.
    • Trigonometron, on 10/10/2007, -12/+13Just like the normal media, Digg features tons of negative stories, and not as many positive ones. No one has posted stories about the millions of Texans that are AGAINST the death penalty - Texas is looked upon as a population of uneducated cowboys. [60-40% Republican-Democrat] Where's the story about the new award winning ballet theater being built in Dallas? Or the Southern hospitality given to hundreds of thousands of Katrina refugees in Houston? Answer - You, the DIGG user doesn't want to shatter the precious images held in your mind. Hint: MOST things in the world are NOT BLACK AND WHITE so stop generalizing.
      • schoate09, on 10/10/2007, -12/+1Shut the ***** up
      • CletusJones, on 10/10/2007, -1/+21I need to know: How is that new ballet theater award winning if it hasn't been built yet?
      • skyteria, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Fine. You're a bunch of uneducated cowboys with a nice baller theater.
      • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1STFU- you don't know anything about Texas. Texas sucks in a major, partly because it is so "progressive" yet so backwards. It has nothing to do with uneducated cowboys at all you nit.
    • christianw, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4exactly!

      whenever something happens in this country they dont like, they are always threatening that ***** clause in their constitution that says they can leave the usa and become a country again.

      PLEASE DO THIS TEXAS.

      As a member of the state responsible of 2/3rds of the GNP (California) were tired of carrying your weak assed state anyway. How many people have been executed this year alone there? its something lik3e 3x that of any state isnt it? just this year.

      So yeah, go ahead, the other 49 states don't want you anymore, guam gets your spot as a state and dont let the door hit you in the ass.
    • smpx, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2You could go to Texas, just don't be in a 100 yard radius of a murder you couldn't foresee. This might help that most Texans don't own or wish to own guns. Oh wait...
  • Machuse, on 10/10/2007, -7/+28despicable ... only imagine if you were in his predicament.
    I Wonder if you would still think this was America?
    • SFVenturer, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Right On! America! Land of the free, peace, liberty and Justice! (I'm being sarcastic here)
    • Cerialthriller, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3i dont think i would ever be driving around robbing people and i dont think any of my friends would ever jump out of a car and kill someone. but maybe thats just me.
    • dukeochutney, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1/moves away from America
  • satx, on 10/10/2007, -19/+63Racism Texas Style FTW. Justice FTL.
    • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -21/+3I call this justice see below comments as to why
      • fwedwic, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8ya until its your ass in the frying pan.
  • tedonion, on 10/10/2007, -11/+58Call the Governor!
    Rick Perry:
    Citizen's Assistance Hotline: (800) 843-5789
    [for Texas callers]
    Citizen's Assistance and Opinion Hotline: (512) 463-1782
    [for Austin, Texas and out-of-state callers]
    • mrkmrk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+20Rick Perry is a dick. He won't do anything.
    • dukeochutney, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0don't call then you will be shot because you will be associated with a 'killer' and can be executed
    • Chipette, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Thanks for posting this. I called and I'm still so angry over this that I'm a bit shaky.
    • Ugoff, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Despite his unpopularity, I can't believe that he got voted in again. Strayhorn was a way better candidate and she at least cared about fixing the broken educational system. It's gotten so bad in Texas. I lived in Victoria which was a hell-hole but still, for the size of the town (around 65k) the school was a mess. They consolidated both campuses and made problems worse. When I graduated this past spring, there were around 700 students graduation out of originally 1500+ students. All factors considered, there was probably at least a 40% drop out rate and Texas as a whole I think has the 2nd or 3rd highest drop out rate. Perry has done nothing that I can remember in the 6-7 years as governor to solve this problem.

      Sorry for getting off topic but Rick Perry really makes me irate.
    • Frnnkdlxx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I cursed! They hung up.
  • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -12/+28You are judged by the company you keep.... especially in Texas
    • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -0/+23...So now being a bad judge of character is an offense punishable by death?... Should we kill those people that had serial killer neighbors and always thought they were nice? If OJ was guilty would it be appropriate to punish all of the 1973 Buffalo Bills?....
      • jhuebel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8*If* OJ was guilty? :-) BRB, I'm going to search for my wife's killer on the golf course.
    • diggbot7, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11In that case everyone is Texas is screwed because they are keeping company with Texans.
  • shadowmoose, on 10/10/2007, -6/+15If Tookie Williams got pwned in California, think what Texas would be willing to do.
    • cdahlkvist, on 10/10/2007, -4/+14*****. Tookie was an admitted murderer. Many prisoners "find Jesus" and reform in prison. It's real easy for someone to stop doing something when they no longer have the opportunity.
    • weeeeeeee, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Yea man. Stanley Williams was a piece of ***** who killed many people in cold blood for a few hundred bucks and started on of America's most violent gangs. It was nice and all that he denounced the way he lived his life once he was locked up, but that isn't nearly enough to make up for what he did for those people and their families. He deserved what he got.
  • airiox, on 10/10/2007, -6/+13There must be some serious burrying at work with this article at over 100 diggs in less than 8 hours...
    • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -17/+3yea the bury brigade is at work on the comments too.
  • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -47/+110Fine blog reporting. I would love to pass a reasonable and UNEMOTIONAL judgment in this but this blog helped little. So I did a little more research. Turns out that Foster was the wheel man in a robbery. From what I can gather this is how it went. Mauriceo Brown, Foster and a man named Julius Steen followed Michael LaHood home. Mauriceo Brown then tried (successfully) robbed LaHood and his wife at gun point. LaHood defended himself as is legal in Texas. However he was shot and killed. Brown's defense was that he wanted to get Mrs LaHood's phone number (yea right - you follow a man and a woman home in hopes of getting the woman's phone number?).............. If your husband/wife is killed defending you, wouldn't you want the murder and everyone involved in the crime to suffer the maximum penalty allowed by the law? I know I would. This man dug his own hole tough ***** for him that he had to deal with the consequences of his actions. I hope this story get major UNBIASED and UNEMOTIONAL media coverage so as to discourage people from helping others commit violent crimes against others. This is justice.
    • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -14/+4ug I really should proof read before posing
      • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10Or just use the spell check function.
    • airiox, on 10/10/2007, -26/+24actually a good job on your part. I mean c'mon how many of us would drive their friend to some dudes house then watch him muder that guy, let our friend back in the car and drive away not telling the police? This guy deserves the death penalty. None of us, i repeat none of us would have done what he did.

      Any sane person with have a conscience would have a.) not driven him to anyones house to "get a married womans phone number" b.) driven off when he saw the friend kill a guy c.) immediately gone to the police.
      • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2I know but I am a grammar nazi
      • mcmlxxii, on 10/10/2007, -7/+13Yeah right - a black man go to the police in Texas and tell them he witnessed a friend commit a murder? That story isn't ever going to have a happy ending.


        For Foster to have been an accessory to murder, the crime surely would have to have been premeditated. Where is the intent?
      • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Your friend is standing nearby with a gun, he has just killed somebody, said gun could also kill you... Do you have the balls to drive off when he has every motivation to shoot at you too?... Cars don't deflect bullets quite as well in real life as they do in the movies.
      • Novagenesis, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7"a.) not driven him to anyones house to "get a married womans phone number" b.) driven off when he saw the friend kill a guy c.) immediately gone to the police."

        Not a crime, not a crime, not a crime. And I know people who would be guilty of at least one or two of those.
        • MellerTime, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Uhh, actually B is a crime... You're an accessory after the fact when you helped him flee the scene of a murder. Also potentially harboring a fugitive. I'm not trying to comment on any of the rest of this, but that alone is most certainly a crime, buddy.

          C is also a crime, by the way... You're withholding evidence in a capital crime. It's (technically) every citizen's duty to report any information they have about a crime to the authorities.
    • Vodka2389, on 10/10/2007, -11/+67I still don't think he deserves the death penalty... thats ridiculous.
      • anonym41414, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5I don't think ANYBODY deserves the death penalty. But if we're going to use the death penalty at all, this is not an unreasonable situation in which to do it.
        • Skorme, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So let's assume you had 2 children and a (wo)man mugged both of them and cold blooded barbarically murdered them. You wouldn't want justice upon that individual? Also, don't say just send him to prison, because that isn't justice.

          Maybe the example of saying your children is just a tad of a hyperbole, not a personal attack, just a little example to maybe hit home.
      • ScottoGato, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I agree. I would have to say a maximum of 50 years based upon the quick knowledge that I gathered everything in.
    • YourDoom123, on 10/10/2007, -8/+28agreed, he committed a crime, but one deserving the death penalty? he was an accomplice to a robbery, not a conspirator to murder, there's a huge difference. and even in the case of murder the death penalty isn't justified, but that's a different debate.
      • ldkronos, on 10/10/2007, -6/+13Well, thats part of the "thinking of the consequences" part. When I go to do something, I don't just think about the thing that I intend to do. I also think of ways that things can end up going wrong. I look at possible outcomes and make my decision accordingly.

        When you go to commit a crime, you shouldn't just be thinking of the crime you intend to commit, but the crimes you could end up committing. When you choose to flee from the cops, you should think about the innocent people you could end up killing. When you choose to rob a store, you should think about the possibility that you might kill the cashier because he's armed and tries to defend himself. When you go to assault somebody because he looked at you funny, you should think about the fact that he might have a bad heart and die on you.

        Once you choose to commit a crime, you'll have little sympathy from me when the outcome ends up being more tragic than you might have imagined.
        • PjsPjs, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4bravo
          100 thumbs up
        • jhuebel, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4All excellent examples. I'm truly impressed by your comment. There are consequences to our actions. It seems people don't think they should be responsible for what they do anymore.
        • skyteria, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Ergo, every robber should be convicted of murder and executed? Nice logic you got there.
          • nikko11, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2No, but every armed robbery has the potential to turn into a murder, and an execution.
        • vermin, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1A touching story of "what if" that everyone can emotionally relate to, but your rhetoric is not very pragmatic. The issue here is not whether he committed a crime, nor is it about his critical failure to not "think of the consequences" in a worst case scenario. The real issue is, does the punishment fit the crime? If one were to follow your train of thought to its logical conclusion, then someone caught shoplifting should be executed because a security guard pursuer 'might' have tripped and fallen, breaking his neck.

          Nobody is looking for sympathy, people are simply trying to analyze the justice system critically, in order to perhaps look for ways to improve it. Some might argue that a slightly less harsh sentence (life in prison?) would be a more appropriate punishment for this case. Emotional rhetoric like yours presents things in an overly simplistic, good vs evil manner that is ultimately unproductive.
        • arrggg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0"Some might argue that a slightly less harsh sentence (life in prison?) would be a more appropriate punishment for this case."

          Those people were not on the jury, and did not hear ALL the facts of the case.
      • DivisibleByZero, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3Could that logic also be extended to say the guy who pulled the trigger didn't conspire to murder anybody, so is also not guilty of murder?
        • uberk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1no-- that just determines if the murder was premeditated (1st/2nd degree murder). as far as i know, intentionally killing someone will always be a "murderous" act, by definition. your question is mind-boggling.
    • YourDoom123, on 10/10/2007, -5/+33agreed, he committed a crime, but one deserving the death penalty? he was an accomplice to a robbery, not a conspirator to murder, there's a huge difference. and even in the case of murder the death penalty isn't justified, but that's a different debate.
    • Jensaarai, on 10/10/2007, -2/+43He says he was not aware he was planning on robbing the guy, and the murderer admitted nobody else knew, before he was executed.

      Even then, even if he *did* know he was going to rob them, he should be punished for the crime he commited (driving the car) and NOT the one he didn't (the murder.)
    • robustyoungsoul, on 10/10/2007, -1/+16Interestingly enough, even one of the victim's friends doesn't believe he should be executed:

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seanpaul-kelley/kenneth-foster-jr-an-i_b_58655.html
    • BigSax, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3The other passangers who were in the car at the time have testified that he had no idea that someone was going to be killed.
      Democrocy Now did some coverage of the story last Thursday if you would like to check it out.
      http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/09/140214
  • skittleys, on 10/10/2007, -14/+24Wow. Just...wow. What bothers me the most is the federal court that deemed him guilty.
    Hate to be the one to say it, but...I wonder how the situation would play out if he was white. Seriously.
    • zybch, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9C'mon. You don't need to wonder. We all know damn well that it'd probably never have even gone to trial.
      • Novagenesis, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10Why is zybch being buried? It's simple truth. Average sentencing for a given crime is always more serious if it's a black guy... the conviction rate is higher, as well....as is the death penalty rate.
        • shadowette, on 10/10/2007, -9/+1I am truly not wanting to be a bitch, but, is it possible the conviction rate is higher for blacks is because more blacks commit serious crimes?
          • uberk, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3you're not being "a bitch", you're being ignorant.
      • Novagenesis, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3Why is zybch being buried? It's simple truth. Average sentencing for a given crime is always more serious if it's a black guy... the conviction rate is higher, as well....as is the death penalty rate.
      • Novagenesis, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2Why is zybch being buried? It's simple truth. Average sentencing for a given crime is always more serious if it's a black guy... the conviction rate is higher, as well....as is the death penalty rate.
    • tyaron, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I'm actually more interested in this man's socioeconomic status. The less money you have the worse your attorney, which means the death penalty is predominantly a poor man's fate. If he had had Johnny Cochran then I don't know...
      • Cerialthriller, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1if he had johnny cochran he'd be even worse off, considering that he's taking a dirt nap atm
  • merlingen, on 10/10/2007, -16/+7Poor gangsta :'(
  • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -35/+3ha this stupid ***** will never make the front page... all of you who think this guy shoudln't be killed fail!!!!
    • Predator04, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2why should he?
    • mlawrence, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2well lookie lookie now
    • FiP0, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3"fail" ? Go back to 4chan, stop trying to express yourself on important issues.
    • FiP0, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3"fail" ? Go back to 4chan, stop trying to express yourself on important issues.
    • drakethegreat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5It hit the frontpage and the top ten. Too bad you failed at life.
    • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1yes I win the dumbass award yea me
      • holygram, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3No one thinks you're funny. No one.
  • TDR25, on 10/10/2007, -8/+21I wouldn't expect anything less than a state like Texas to carry out this law.
    • pb4upoo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Florida has a very similar law. If the group set out to commit any felony all can be put to death if a death is a consequence of the actions of any of the parties. The wheel man who never had a gun or entered the bank will get exactly the same sentence as the one who used the gun. The state must show that the group set out at some point to commit a crime.It's a good law.
      • christianw, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1that makes perfect sense. good ole jeb bush, in your statez screwing up ur lawz
    • ascii63, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1As a Texas resident, neither would I. My only regret is that we don't hang ***** like this anymore.
  • nz1jvb, on 10/10/2007, -11/+1I am already making my "FREE KENNETH FOSTER" t-***** I will just take the letters off the old O.J. ones I couldn't sell.
  • FiP0, on 10/10/2007, -8/+34"African american" is the stupidest expression I ever heard. As if every black person came from Africa... I find it more offensive, and ignorant, than simply saying "black person/people".

    [/rant]

    Other than that, great article. I didn't know about Texas' "Law of parties".
    • ukblacknight, on 10/10/2007, -5/+0someones been reading maddox xD
    • mithrasinvictus, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4Agreed, it's a stupid term. But lets just change it back to the original: Negroes. I don't see why we can't just call a race by its name just like the Asians, Caucasians etc.
      Inventing some kind of euphemism does nothing to fight prejudice, instead it gives the impression that there is something wrong/special about the euphemized race.
      And black/yellow/pink/brown people sounds kinda lame.
      • simonpainter, on 10/10/2007, -1/+10Negroes is just an old term for black people taken from the latin word for black. It is also the source of the word '*****'. African american is a ***** term not because the people may not be of african descent (a large majority of black people in the US and caribean came from africa thanks to slavery). African american is a ***** term because most african americans are several generations away from africa and have never been to africa, never held any african cultural identity and should simply be 'american'. The so called irish americans are at least a little more culturally in touch with their irish heritage however you don't hear of english americans or dutch americans because skin colour is not involved. These terms make it easier to pigeon hole people rather than either a) explore their cultural heritage and honour it or b) ignore their cultural heritage and treat everyone in america as an american.

        Having said that, do you think Texas would be killing this chap if he was white/honkey/european american?
      • anonym41414, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3This story is totally anecdotal, so it doesn't mean *****, but I think it's funny.

        One morning I was watching the news while getting dressed for work, and there was a segment on Sudan and the conflict there. A guest on the morning show described the conflict as being largely between Arab Africans and Black Africans, "Black Africans" being a sociological umbrella term for lots of different African ethnic groups.

        The anchor tripped on her own political correctness when, in a question to the guest, she referred to them as "African-American ... Africans."

        It was pretty funny.
        • DivisibleByZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Saw a TV talk show one time where they were talking to this British family. The parents were black, but all 3 of their kids were albinos. The host referred to them as "African Americans". The guy politely explained that he's from England and this was the first time he'd ever even been to America. It was great.
    • bubbadigg, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1agreed stupid, but it is the African/Americans that insist on using it to maintain their "I'm Different" stature
      • phmfthacim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3oh yeah, all the black people agreed on this? have you talked to them?
  • ukblacknight, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5I'd of thought he'd be trialed as an accessory to murder, he didn't actually commit the murder himself. Even if murdered La Hood, he shouldn't be executed. By executing them you're giving them the easy way out, something that they don't deserve.

    The executionor will be commiting a worse crime than the person he will be executing.
    • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1If one is religious, execution puts punishment in the hands of God.
      If one is atheistic, murder is the most serious crime and execution is the most serious penalty.
      • carbonfree314, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Which is why the death penalty is one of the most hotly debated topics.
      • dukeochutney, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0obviously you aren't an atheist or you would know that most are utilitarian and don't give a damn about murder if it's done to someone who deserves it. murder of innocents is wrong but then again 99% of people are not innocent or anything close to it
    • an0nymous, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I hate how, rhetorically, death is "the easy way out"
      No offense, but: *****.
      Death is the cessation of one's being. Nothing easy about it.
    • ascii63, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1*****. This guy was an accomplice to a crime that resulted in an innocent man being killed. He deserves everything he's got coming to him. As for death being the "easy way out", what frame of reference do you speak from? Death seems pretty rough to me.
  • Jensaarai, on 10/10/2007, -2/+27This doesn't even meet the "eye for an eye" test for justification. That's pretty bad.
    • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5It does meet it for me. He helped kill a man, he deserves to die.
      • g30ff, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4And when you help kill him through your support for assinine policies like these, you won't be any better than a murderer yourself.
        • jackkerouac, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1And stupid comments like yours are why no one cares what you think.
    • PedleZelnip, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1How did he help kill a man? RTFA...
  • allidid, on 10/10/2007, -5/+22*****. I don't know ***** about American law, but I think anyone with half a brain can see that this is justice at its most obscene. In an age of supposed enlightenment and human achievement, I am shocked that one of the world's most powerful nations is operating under such backwards laws.
    • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -12/+3You are not American, so you opinion doesn't mean *****.
      • Touchy610, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6You are an asshat, so your opinion doesn't mean *****.
      • dinot, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Well, Americans voted for Bush.
        And if I can remember correctly, many people were saying "you are not Iraqi, so your opinion doesn't mean *****", right before you Americans invaded.
      • arjie, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Thanks DaveV, for proving why allidid (interesting name in this context) shouldn't have been shocked.
      • christianw, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2hey dave i hope you never leave the usa because if you step foot into a pub anywhere in eurpoe at this point. you are probably walking about with about half as many teeth as you walked in with.

        btw, boys, americans are ***** at fist fighting.
  • fugazied, on 10/10/2007, -12/+31Give texas back to the mexicans imo.
    • shadowette, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7Better yet, let Texas just be an independent sovereign nation.
      • arjie, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2And then invade them for being barbarians! A diabolical plan, shadowette, but we see right through it.
      • BigSax, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Haha and GW can go back to Texas and be President of a nation again. The sheer hilarity involved is incredible.
    • enginbeering, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Better yet, give it back to Native Americans.
    • DeFex, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Thats a brilliant idea. then you can deport any politicians who are from TEXAS!
  • SavageBlackCat, on 10/10/2007, -9/+1Well, he'll never do that again.
  • andrewcool, on 10/10/2007, -15/+12Why do they have to point out that he is African American?
    • Myonosken, on 10/10/2007, -3/+17Because Texas is renowned for racist dealings in its justice system perhaps?
    • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -6/+10Because they want to play the race card. They are implying he got his just penalty because he is black.
      • robisfunky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8 Suffer grossly unfair racial treatment by the Texas justice system for generations and then having the gall to point out the lopsidedness is 'playing the race card'? Nice job of avoiding the issue. Feels warm and cozy not to have to have to admit that things are unfair, doesn't it? Yes, it's MUCH easier that way.
    • shauncorleone, on 10/10/2007, -6/+4Naturally there is a conspiracy at work because he is black. Texas officials are successfully taking the life of a black man who is squeaky clean, aside from the fact that he was an accomplice to a robbery and murder. The master plan is falling into place! [/sarcasm]
      • phmfthacim, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1racial disparities don't need a conspiracy to flourish
    • Skorme, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2They said it because it gets a rise out of everyone. It's funny how many Americans want to get rid of racism and hate crimes. Mostly the media, but they are the first to point out that so and so is black, white, Hispanic, or even Asian. I think drilling the idea of that into our heads keeps the racism deal going on and on and on.
    • dukeochutney, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0probably because Americans are still horribly racist and its easy to see by looking at low income workers. ya guess what the majority arent white. welcome to america.
    • Frnnkdlxx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Because, apparently its only News when its consistently reported that the system kicks our ass!
  • jackalsclaw, on 10/10/2007, -6/+18It was mentioned that he was black because if this were a case with white people it's a lot less likely he would have gotten the death penalty. Statistically speaking the application death penalty is mostly to minorities, while white people often get life in person for similar crimes.
    (I'm white and against the death penalty by the way)
  • nocternaloxide, on 10/10/2007, -6/+9Lots of people here sharing their opinion, but how many people actually went to the link and sent an email to the people that matter. You think anyone who matters will actually come here to read what we think. Please go here and write your opinion --> http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/tmn/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=12310&t=kenneth.dwt
    • chancel, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Why should anyone support this without doing further research? So you are going to believe one article? What about the rest of the facts? There have been several cases and each time a jury has stood by the same decision. They all must be stupid because the one article says they are? I think there is more to the case then what is presented here, and I am going to find out more about it.
    • christianw, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1i emailed after watching the speical episode of democracy now! about it.
    • dukeochutney, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0ya democracy is a good idea but texas is about the least democratic state you can find. the state will kill him even if the entire u.s. said 'no' because they love killing ppl.
  • heystoopid, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7Justice in Texas , now that be a total joke !
    For how soon we forget that 42 innocent people were convicted in a place called Tulia , Swisher County based on the lies of a white cop. Sadly for them , the sentence handed down for some one who only told lies under oath was a joke in comparison to the sentences of all his his innocent minority victims!
    • DMCLP, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8For those interested: On July 23, 1999, the small town of Tulia, Texas was rocked by the arrest of 43 people on drug charges. Thirty-eight of those men and women were convicted and given sentences of up to 434 years in prison. Stymied in efforts to get the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to take a serious look at irregularities in the cases, a defense attorney enlisted the aid of the media to publicize the lack of evidence any of the defendants were guilty. On April 1, 2003, a judge appointed to preside over a special evidentiary hearing announced he would recommend that the appeals court vacate the convictions. While that court was considering the cases, on July 30th the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole recommended that Governor Rick Perry pardon the 35 defendants eligible for executive clemency. On August 22, 2003 Governor Perry pardoned those 35 defendants.

      http://www.forejustice.org/wc/tulia_travesty.htm
  • gossipninja, on 10/10/2007, -7/+13from a comment on the article's page
    "Kenneth is guilty of committing two robberies on the night that Michael LaHood was tragically killed. Kenneth sincerely regrets these crimes and has spent the last 10 years expressing his sincere remorse and sympathy for the LaHood family."

    If he did commit two robberies, and this was to be a third, so life imprisonment would be just, three strikes in one night. You can also argue he was involved with armed robbery threatening violence so he should be put do death because he was involved. It is not like he drove a friend to the park and his friend happened to stab a guy, THEY WERE OUT ROBBING PEOPLE. So I say its either death penalty, or life imprisonment. This guy should not be on the streets.
    • gaspy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8No matter how "pro-death" you are, you jut can't argue that capital punishment is right for 2 or even 3 robberies. It's more than an eye for an eye. Don't get me wrong, the guy is a scum, but he did not pull the trigger.

      This is just like getting 15 years for pirating music and 7 years for rape; if you don't have the punishment proportional with the crime committed, the legal system becomes a joke.
      • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -7/+53 Robberies that ended in the death of a victim. Yes, I can. And, if there were more convictions and executions like this, there would be few robberies.
        • StarlessKnight, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3http://crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/deathpenaltyhomicide.htm -- "In a state-by- state analysis, The Times found that during the last 20 years, the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has been 48 percent to 101 percent higher than in states without the death penalty." -- Yes, we can see how well Capital Punishment works on murders, let's extend it to robberies too!
        • vertinox, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4China executes far more people than anywhere else in the world for crimes that are less severe than even robbery (like bribes and corruption) yet that doesn't solve the problem. You could chop the guy up in a wood shreeder on national TV after beating him for 24 hours with baseball bats and people will still commit crimes. Death penalty does not prevent anyone from committing any crime. If they are committing a crime they already think they won't be caught, hence death penalty is a irrelevant question.

          But lets not get started on people who want to be martyrs.
        • DivisibleByZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1@StarlessKnight - That's a terrible argument. Those states with the death penalty might have otherwise had the same high murder rate for all you know.

          @vertinox - That's a good argument. I'd say extending the death penalty to lower crimes like robbery might have a deterring effect. No way I'm going to risk my life for a new iPod. But when it comes to big stuff like murder, chances are those guys would do it anyway.
      • ubuwalker31, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1If you support the death penalty, I am convinced that it is only logical to support the death penalty for all very serious ("common law") felonies, such as theft, rape, arson, burglary, and murder (or be against it in entirety). Why is death ok as a punishment only if you have killed some one? I don't think the "cruel and unusual punishment" argument helps adherents to the death penalty, because our Founders knew that this was how those crimes were punished. Plus, if it is "cruel and unusual" to kill someone for rape, why is it any less "cruel or unusual" to kill someone for murder? Isn't arson and burglary just as sinful and bad as murder?

        So, I'd support the death penalty in those cases, as long as there was NO DOUBT (beyond a reasonable doubt doesn't do it for me in death penalty cases) that the guy did the crime.
        • DivisibleByZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Well there's always doubt. Maybe aliens cloned Osama Bin Laden and framed him for everything. Of course that's asinine, which is why we say beyond a reasonable doubt.

          And I would also say that murder is actually worse than arson and burglary. All your stuff gets torched or stolen, but you can get it back or buy new stuff. You don't need stuff, but you do need life.
    • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -2/+63 of what seem to essentially be muggings, totaling, what? 120 dollars? If some bitch mom were to drive her kid to the mall knowing she was going to shoplift and the kid stole that much worth of stuff, should she get life or the death penalty?...

      He's scum, I'll give you that, but that is way too extreme.
      • eveready, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I doubt the kid would be shoplifting with a deadly weapon.
      • DivisibleByZero, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3The reason armed robbery is treated more severely than shoplifting is because it sometimes goes wrong, and people die. Like in this case.
  • delusr, on 10/10/2007, -10/+1USA Useless Stupid Arseholes what else can one say?
  • protogenxl, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Wasn't this an episode of The Boondocks?
    • pb4upoo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0 One reason the death penalty exists is that we have no firm method to insure that certain criminals are never released. We need some sort of absolute sentence that transcends life time to insure that a change in public view points doesn't allow some people to gain freedom. But as far a a car full of people on an armed robbery rampage is concerned life with no hope of parole at hard labor is a mild punishment. And it may not be an issue of black and white races. It can be an issue of poor people not doing well at trial. I wonder if we compared really impoverished whites sentences to black peoples' sentences if they might not be about identical.
  • davidjunit, on 10/10/2007, -10/+8Whereabouts in Africa did this man come from? Sad to hear he came to the US and ended up like this.
  • AveryDeDog, on 10/10/2007, -7/+4Driving around with a man who is about to commit murder. Does anyone watch COPS? No one is ever guilty! Consider this a preemptive execution.
  • Zoltair, on 10/10/2007, -12/+12One less criminal on the street.
    • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6by that logic we should execute everyone in prison. life in prison can keep criminals off the street too.
      • patrickray, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Life in prison costs Us, the taxpayers, in excess of 30,000 dollars a year. Screw it, kill every person in prison for life and everyone on death row at the moment. Pay for a lot of welfare programs in a couple years that way.
    • dinot, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9And one more narrow-minded moron on Digg.
      • Jabertsohn, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2How about attacking his argument if you think he is wrong? Classic Ad Hominem.
        • dinot, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Psshhtt.. .ad hominem? pot kettle black? red herring? strawman? godwin? those are not "+1 win this internet argument" cards.
    • vertinox, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4And on top of that... What if you are falsely accused of a crime you did not commit?
    • vertinox, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Haven't you broken at least one law in your life? How about the laws you didn't know that existed?
  • polencia, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3So much for equal legistlation.
  • dalexandruz, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7yeah and they say iran is the worst country of violating human rights. please, we send ppl to jail for 20-40 yrs for carrying drugs. Put innocent ppl in jail because we have a bunch of hot head prosecuters who want to make a name for themselves.
    • Tiak, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Honestly, I don't believe that's ever been said about Iran by anyone that is even remotely well informed... The religious police do some pretty horrible things for stupid reasons, but they still have nothing on Sudan, you know, the ones hiring militias to commit genocide, and are rated better than Uzbekistan, North Korea, Cuba, Somalia, China, and others by Freedom House.
    • yargthepirate, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1We don't send people to jail to 20-40 years for carrying drugs. We send people to jail to 20-40 years if they are distributing large quantities of drugs. Also, this guy is a long shot from innocent.
      • phmfthacim, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1have you ever heard of three strikes?
    • jtb4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Iran is not considered one of the most oppressive, not even in the top 10 last time I checked.
  • Treoinmypocket, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1You're a troublemaker stranger. You spell 'bad sass' in letters that stretch from here to Seattle.
  • adam.skinner, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6They should definitely have to prove that he was an accomplice, a knowing accomplice, to a premeditated murder, to hold this man accountable.
    • DivisibleByZero, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Yeah. Sounds like whether he had advanced knowledge of the murder, he still drove the getaway car. Not sure if that's punishable by death though.
      • pb4upoo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1He did know that they were on a crime rampage and that is sufficient. If he had any real defense it might be that the shooter had left and was acting on his own, not intending to return to the others in the car.
      • ascii63, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Well, now you know. In Texas, it apparently IS punishable by death. When in doubt, don't volunteer to be the getaway driver on a crime spree.
  • robwilkens, on 10/10/2007, -5/+7The jury wouldn't have convicted him if they weren't sure he was involved in some way, if he was so close to the scene when this happenned, isn't it at all possible they both had guns and pulled triggers and the other guy's bullet happenned to hit the victim. Why wouldn't this guy be just as guilty?
    • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5wow, so let's execute the guy because of your speculation?
  • chicoer2001, on 10/10/2007, -13/+11Does that mean Bush can be charged for Iraqi deaths when a soldier is charged. It's guilt by association.
  • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -12/+11He's a criminal. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
    • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -6/+6so let's just execute all criminals regardless of the infraction?
      • yargthepirate, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6When your infraction is knowingly assisting a murderer, then yeah.
        • tyaron, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3The actual murderer testified that he did NOT tell anyone else what his intentions were prior to committing the murder. You sir are a barbaric *****.
          • republicker, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2So I guess if my friend an I come to your house to rob you and "my friend" shoots your mother in the forhead then you would have mercy on me. I dont think so... Karma is a *****.
          • ascii63, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Well, if the MURDERER said so, .... *****.
        • Skorme, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1If there was no intent to kill someone then why was the gun ***** loaded?
  • brotherbloat, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3Especially in light of situations like this one, I find it ironic that the same people who support the death penalty argue that abortions are "killing a (innocent?) human being" and therefore are "bad."
    • republicker, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2A baby usually doesnt rob or murder anyone prior to being scrambled like an egg with a razor-blade on a stick and sucked out w/ a Kirby, then thrown out w/ the daily garbage.
    • faskippy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Just how in the hell did you arrive at the conclusion that a felon is as innocent as an unborn child? The most stupid argument against the death penalty, and you still threw it out there.
    • ascii63, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1What's ironic, if anything, is that people who champion the practice of terminating innocent fetuses tend to oppose terminating the life of adults who are proven to be dangerous criminals. That is far more baffling. If it helps, think of capital punishment as an extremely late and well-justified abortion.
  • nanboya, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4Looks like that logic is being applied to the war as well; by virtue of the fact that you are located in the same continent as a suspected terrorist gives the U.S. the right to come and bomb your ass to kingdom come...
    • republicker, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Exactly, I wonder when they will start searching all houses in a neiborhood because a "murderer" was seen in the area. Our rights are finished. That said, the douchebag shouldnt have been an acessory to murder, there are millions of other "criminals" out there being held for victimless crimes. This guy deserves a slow death the world is a better place without him. You cant assualt and rob people, then be the getaway driver for a coldblooded murder and expect Karma to not catch up w/ you. I guess ultimatley he gets robbed of the most important thing.
  • erohen, on 10/10/2007, -9/+5The American justice system is *****, 90% of all the lawyers are corrupt. If you have money and power you can get away with anything (OJ). Giving the man the death penalty for just being in the vicinity, next thing you know they are going to be giving the death penalty to the family of murders, because if they would not have given birth to the murderer then no crime would have been committed. I am actually in favor of Capital punishment, when there is no doubt 100% proof that a person that committed a cold blooded murder, rape or other type of ultra-violent act. but no one should be put to death for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
    • yargthepirate, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Did you even read the article? He wasn't just walking around and happened to see a murder.
    • dukeochutney, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0he wasn't being tried as an accomplice either but that's ok since you didn't read it either
  • ha1f, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Though he commited a crime, he didnt physically kill anyone. Life in prison, not the death penalty.
    • pb4upoo, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0 There comes a point where a criminal has to know that he is part of deadly actions. Even people who use illegal drugs must accept that they actually are accomplices when drug dealers and runners kill others, including cops, competitors, and those that fail to deliver. It is rather like that huge lump of keys that I drag around in my pocket. Thieves force people to use locks. Thieves owe me for forcing me to buy and use locks even though they may have never stolen from me. I favor very long sentences that should be severely life altering even on the first offense for possession of drugs, car thefts or even stealing a bicycle.
      • richardPM, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0people who use drugs are accomplices to drug dealers who kill people? sorry, what?
        and life-altering penalties for possession of drugs?? who exactly is hurting you by smoking some marijuana?

        our prison system is already too large, and you would like to see bicycle thieves have longer punishments; that is ridiculous.

        prison isn't going to fix every problem - instilling morales and values into people will. if all of your friends won't accept you stealing, doing drugs, or killing people, then you probably won't be doing those things. a lot more than just because the law says not to.
      • republicker, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You might have posted the most ignorant statment I've heard this month. Hey, since your using the internet your guilty of child porn. Have fun in prison.
  • FLUX, on 10/10/2007, -6/+14He was part of the crime as it was committed and therefore under Texas law he deserves the punishment for the crime ( it is called a deterrent ) The law is good, if he had not been breaking the law in the first place he would not have been in a situation where he would now be on death row.
    Moral to the story: don't break the law and you wont be on death row (weather you actually killed the guy or not )
    • Apokalyps2547, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2Didn't you read the story? Foster was driving Brown, unaware that Brown was doing to do anything wrong. Brown gets out, gets in a fight, kills somebody.

      Name one thing Foster did wrong. Name ONE. "Part of the crime" my foot.
      • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3That is Foster's story. But, they had been out robbing people that night. Some how I don't believe the scumbag.

        Name one thing? How about driving Brown there and then driving him away? How about helping Brown rob people that night?
      • yargthepirate, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Letting him back into the car, driving him away, not contacting the police.
    • fonetap, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I would also add the death penalty is a proven failure as far as deterrence goes. Next?
      • hobbitaussie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Sometimes its not about what's a deterrent. Its not a means to an end. Its simply doing what's right. That's what's missing in so many "arguments" on Digg or ./ with guys who don't any better. Right and Wrong do exist in this world.
      • ascii63, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's not so much a deterrent as it is an insurance policy against repeat offenses.
    • carlgorn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Just because something is written down on paper doesn't make it just.
      • MarcScottEmery, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Penalties, even death, are never a deterrent to crime. The only deterrent is the likelihood of getting caught. Places with the death penalty have the most crime, China, Iran, Texas, so go figure that. Places with the death penalty sure like to use it, but crime is not deterred because the society that produced these dangerous individuals is usually broken beyond repair in so many ways. We have no death penalty here in Canada, but the USA has 63 times the prisoners -2,150,000 jailed today- (with less than 10 times the population) compared to Canada which has a total prison population of 34,000 jailed today. Texas with its death penalty is no safer, and produces some terrible miscreants that thrive in such a murderous social doctrine. I am referring of course to your past Governor and current President Bush. He executed more people in Texas than any other state has in any time in America. This taste for killing desensitized George into becoming the murderous butcher he has become once given the power and scope to execute people on a vast enormous scale. You reap what you sow, America.
  • reasonyousmile, on 10/10/2007, -11/+6Oh my God! They're going to kill Kenny!

    (You bastards!)
  • swordphish, on 10/10/2007, -8/+11This isn't America. If he dies, then none of us deserve to live. A jury of your peers remember? I think we should spam CNN and MSNBC.
    • DaveV, on 10/10/2007, -5/+6So, you are saying all Americans are thugs who act as the driver for a person going around robbing and killing people. Nice.

      Maybe you should go execute yourself.
    • KyleGoetz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Swordphish, I'm pretty sure he WAS convicted by a jury of his peers. That's the only way to get convicted in the US, short of admitting guilt yourself.
  • mrxxxs, on 10/10/2007, -14/+0http://links.bramjnet.com/sub414.html
    http://links.bramjnet.com/sub415.html
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  • Shandooga, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Typical American disgrace.
  • xenuunex, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0well .. they are not the brightest people in the south...
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