Skip to main content

Joseph Smith Facing Sentencing

The man convicted in November of kidnapping, raping and murdering 11-year-old Carlie Brucia in Florida two years ago, will be going before a judge for his sentencing today. The jury that convicted him recommended the death penalty, however Joseph Smith's lawyer argued that because the monster was under the influence of drugs at the time, he should only be given life in prison.

Which brings me to this: Are you responsible for your actions if you willingly become dependent upon drugs, and if you are under that influence at the time of the crime? In MHO, you are just as responsible, if not more so. By now, every single person should know that drugs can carry a high cost- and not just to your wallet. This low life decided to try drugs, he became addicted because of that choice, he alone is responsible for his addiction, and his choice to continue to use drugs should not be an acceptable defense. And even more compelling is the simple fact that millions of people are using drugs every day, and yet we don't see a rush of addicts attacking 11 year old girls and killing them.

I'll be keeping an eye out for the results of today's hearing, and will update this post with the sentence.


NBC5.com - News - Kidnapper Who Raped, Killed Carlie Brucia Faces Sentencing

Categories: , , ,
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
I agree 100% No one forced him to take the drug. He did that voluntarily. If he was addicted, no one prevented him from seeking out treatment. Both decisions were voluntary. Just because he came to those decisions voluntarily, doesn't give him a pass to kill another, and esp a child. That was his choice also.
When he chose to take the drugs, he put himself in the position of making poor choices. Don't blame the justice system, because they are now making the choices available to them for punishment for those crimes.
Personally, I would like to see taking drugs as one of the elements for the death penalty requirements.
13/2/06
Anonymous said…
I watched most of it today...he is supposed to speak tomorrow..I mean beg for his life. What irritated the socks off me was his lawyer saying his prescriptions drugs for valid reasons led to his illegal drug use. That's BS.I think it's the other way around. Many folks have to take RX's..almost if not all 100% of these people don't turn to criminal activity.
13/2/06
Anonymous said…
I couldn't have said it any better. It's standard practice for criminals to not take responsibility for their actions and to blame everything else but themselves for the atrocities they commit. I hope he gets death.
14/2/06
Anonymous said…
I have an idea:
Let him live. Throw him in prison. Once the other inmates find out what he did, they will take it from there!!!
10/3/06
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Florida Sex Offender Registry

Reading the news today, I was taken back to see that the Florida Sex Offender registry was being criticized. Having had the chance to look at it previously, I had always found it rather informative, and well organized. The issue that many are having with it now wouldn't be noticed by the occasional browser on the site. Which makes it even worse. A review of the FSR has found some rather unsettling statistics: The News-Press analyzed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement database of 36,306 sex offenders and found: • 9,205 of them are incarcerated • 7,037 have run away or can't be found • 824 have been deported; and • 516 are dead. Of the 15,573 sex offenders listed as released and not on parole or probation, only 11,355 of those actually live in Florida. Sex offender registries can only be usefully, and only fully do what they where designed to do when they are updated, maintained and monitored continuously. When you are relying on the SO registries to monitors how safe your...
15 comments
Read more

WTW Someone Please Help Us

There's so much to work with, I'm going to just hit as much as I can. Ashely Simpson decided to pick a fight at McDonald's. Betting millions that if the employee would just go and get the manager- the manager would just love her. Simpson's climbing on the counter and irate behavior where in typical White Trash Style. Great coverage at Stereogum. Tom Cruise has decidedly canned his sister for her inability to help him keep his mouth shut. Evidently he needs a real professional as his PR person- in order to keep him in line. It's just not right firing family because you're and idiot. Kate Hudson is suing someone because of photos of her in which she looks like a starving actress. She claims the images suggest she has a eating disorder- no Kate, it's not the images, it's the you. One should not sue because they have starved themselves to the point of it being noticeable in photos. Please stop by these other great sites to read more WHITE TRASH WEDNESDAY B...
Post a Comment
Read more

$167.90

He received $167.90 to serve on the jury. It couldn't have been an easy case to listen to. Hearing of how a 13 year old was raped by a 38 year old man who had befriended the family, it'd be enough to make most people turn in repulsion. But the juror did what he was suppose to, and long with the 11 other people who sat by his side- he found the defendant guilty. Believing that the child, who had come from a broken home- a mother battling drugs and a father who wasn't there- deserved justice, the 12 people performed their moral, ethical and judicial duty and sentenced Gregory Bryant to 30 years in prison. One would think that Bruse Funkhouser had earned that $167.90. Perhaps it would cover a small portion of the income that he lost while serving his duty to the courts. Perhaps it would just give him a little extra change in his pocket. So, you might wonder what would cause Funkhouser to return the check to the court house... Members of a Pawnee County jury are upset a judge g...
16 comments
Read more