Death row inmate loses fight for painless death

Background to his conviction:

Russell Bucklew apparently did not want to live apart from Stephanie Ray. The two had lived together in Cape Girardeau County until Ray decided to break up with Bucklew on Valentine’s Day, 1996. Bucklew left their mobile home and went to live with his parents.

On March 6, Bucklew returned to the trailer he had shared with Ray, found Michael Sanders, the victim in this case, there, concluded that Sanders and Ray were romantically involved, put a knife to Sanders’s throat and threatened to kill Sanders if Sanders ever came back to Ray’s trailer.

Later that same evening, Bucklew returned to the trailer, found Ray alone, threatened her with a knife, cut her jaw, and punched her in the face before leaving. Ray reported all of this to the police.

Bucklew called Ray at work the following day, March 7. He threatened her again and promised to kill her, Sanders, and her children if he saw her with Sanders again. Ray moved in with Sanders, fearing to return to her own home.

Sometime during the night of March 20-21, Bucklew stole his nephew’s car, two of his brother’s pistols, two sets of his brother’s handcuffs, and a roll of duct tape. He left a note asking his family not to report his theft to the police.

By the afternoon of March 21, Bucklew began surreptitiously following Ray as she left work and ran errands, ultimately discovering where she lived by following her to Sanders trailer.

Bucklew waited for some period of time before he knocked on Sander’s trailer door. One of Sander’s children opened the door. Sanders saw Bucklew through the window, escorted the children to a back bedroom and grabbed a shotgun. Bucklew entered the trailer with a pistol in each hand.

Sanders came into the hallway carrying a shotgun. Bucklew yelled "get down" and without further warning began shooting at Sanders. Sanders fell, struck by two bullets, one of which entered his chest and tore through his lung. Sanders dropped the shotgun. It went off and blew a hole in the trailer wall.

Bucklew aimed the gun at Sanders’s head but when he saw Sander’s six-year-old son. Bucklew fired at the boy instead. The shot missed.

Ray stepped between Bucklew and Sanders, who was holding his chest as he slumped against the wall. Bucklew invited Ray to drop to her knees. When she delayed, he struck her face with the pistol. He produced handcuffs, handcuffed her hands behind her back and dragged her to the car. The two drove away.

During the journey that followed, Bucklew demanded sex. When all of the acts he demanded were not performed, Bucklew raped Ray in the back seat of the car. Resuming the journey, Bucklew drove north on Interstate 55.

By this time law enforcement authorities had broadcast a description of the Bucklew car. Trooper James Hedrich saw the car, called for assistance, and began following Bucklew. They ultimately apprehended Bucklew after a gunfight in which both a trooper and Bucklew were wounded by gunshot.

Michael Sanders bled to death from his wounds.

[QUOTE]Also, being from a country where there is no death penalty, I was surprised to read that he's been on death row for 23 years now. Is that a normal length of time to wait before executing someone?

Yes, unfortunately, which is part of what can make the death penalty so worthless. We exempt too many people and we don’t execute them fast enough. We’ve got gang lords and kingpins in prison for life still running their organizations from behind bars. It’s ridiculous.

This piece of shit should’ve been executed 20 years ago.

This is one of those issues on which I have to ask my fellow liberals: "Is this really the hill we want to die on?"

I go back and forth about the death penalty. I understand all the reasons for opposing it. But in the end, these guys are vicious killers with no redeeming traits and no value to society.

I'd rather spend my compassion on more deserving people.

Yes. The capital punishment is a hill I'd gladly die on. It's ineffective, racist, impossible to mete out fairly, and if you get a conviction wrong, once you've killed the person there is no remedy.

It's barbaric and backwards, as are people who support it.

American prison system is a joke. I once saw a documentary about a guy on death row who had broken into a woman's home, raped and murdered her and then slit the throat of her 4 year old daughter. Guess what? He was allowed to have a pet cat for comfort so he wouldn't feel lonely.

Agree with R3. Trash like this guy deserves to die in the most painful way possible.

R7 what's it like to be an actual cave man?

All cave men, take 10 mins and listen to Clarence Darrow via Orson Welles.

R5, that is precisely why I equivocate on the issue.

Do people who shoot someone during a robbery or jilted lovers like Betty Broderick deserve to die? Probably not, depending on the level of premeditation or how vicious the murders are.

But then you have Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Tim McVeigh, Adam Lanza, etc. who are clearly guilty and viciously slaughtered multiple people. And I have zero sympathy. Wipe them off the face of the planet.

I understand the system is not meted out fairly and even that it isn't necessarily even a deterrent. But some people are just animals and deserve to die. Full stop.

Donald Trump called for the execution of the Central Park 5. They were all convicted. 15 years later, someone else confessed to the crime, and it was backed up by DNA evidence.

Don't be like Donald Trump. The death penalty is awful.

The article stated that the inmate only filed his complaint and told of his medical condition 15 days before he was to be executed. Should have done this long before his due date.

He shottie a hottie so he must die.

Anal intercourse is the sweetest pain. Just sayin'.

[quote]Bucklew aimed the gun at Sanders’s head but when he saw Sander’s six-year-old son. Bucklew fired at the boy instead.

Make the fucker suffer.

I always wonder what their crime was and if there was any doubt that they committed it. If they are going to execute him with a little discomfort involved, I think he is getting off easy.

I'm with R4. I disagree with the death penalty, but it's not my hill to die on. I won't shed a tear over this waste of air either.

Investigation discovery channel changed my mind on death penalty. I was against it, but the end of some stories all I wanted was some of this assholes get death penalty and suffer as much as they made others suffer. It should be saved for very strong cases. It's almost something we must do, like put down rabid dogs.

Did he think about the pain his ex-girlfriend was in while he brutally raped her? Or the pain her boyfriend felt as he bled to death from the bullets he fired at him? Or the trauma those kids went through and probably are still going through because of his actions?

Asking for a friend.

R18 is an old school JFK Democrat. We need more like you, not this panty waist bullshit.

R6 is spot on. The way most of these prisoners live is absurd. They all cope and get used to it, and end up having a great time. Some end up living better in the pen than they did outside. They don’t have to worry about working or taxes or rent or putting food on the table. It’s like camp for these assholes, and that’s just the way they want it. All these anti-death penalty people saying “Life in prison is worse” are lying through their teeth.

And btw, these same anti-death penalty folks will be the first ones bitching about how life is “too harsh” for inmates and how we need to provide them better comfort like more outside time, tastier food, iPads for internet porn and increased visitation with friends and family. Aww, those poor scamps. They want things even more cushy for these murderers and rapists.

I'm pro-choice and pro-death penalty (but only when there is absolutely no doubt). I don't think people who kill (and not by accident) should live. Just the way I've always felt. Planet is already over-populated. Why waste precious resources on them? I can't understand defending the life of some evil bastard who grabs a 5yo from a market, takes the kid to the woods and rapes and murders him/her. How the fuck do you defend letting that animal live? And no, we wouldn't be as bad as him for killing him. He isn't a little child we raped and murdered.

A bullet in the neck. Fast and simple

Bucklew escaped from jail with the sole purpose of seeking revenge. He couldn’t find his rape victim, but instead found her mother. He attacked her with a hammer before he was recaptured. Let him choke on his own blood.

If the death penalty is so effective and fair why don't most countries in the Western World still have it?

Its continued use leaves the US in the company of despots, dictators and third world countries.

R25, I don't think it's effective. Frankly, I never supported it as a way to deter crime. I just don't want anyone who murders (and so viciously) to be breathing. Period.

[QUOTE]Bucklew escaped from jail with the sole purpose of seeking revenge. He couldn’t find his rape victim, but instead found her mother. He attacked her with a hammer before he was recaptured. Let him choke on his own blood.

Awful. Just awful. If he had been executed, as he should’ve been long before his escape, those next two victims never would’ve been attacked. Their blood is on the hands of those who manipulate the appeals process to keep these bastards alive for decades. 23 years. What a fucking joke.

[QUOTE]If the death penalty is so effective and fair why don't most countries in the Western World still have it?

We barely have it now. We’ve got multiple states who don’t allow it, prosecutors who won’t go for it. It gets taken off the table after pleas. And then we’ve got inmates dying of natural causes on death row due to an appeals process that can drag out for decades. How can you determine a tool’s effectiveness when it’s utilized improperly?

Pro-death penalty, but I agree they need to be put to death faster and less time sitting on death row.

I’m also an independent but I’ve voted Democrat in every election.

R28 If you want to compare statistics in a country where it was used 'properly' by your standards you could start with the UK statistics, we used to execute people within a couple of weeks of sentencing until the abolition over 50 years ago.

Comparing statistics between countries is meaningless enough as it is. To do it from 50 years ago is even worse. Hell, America itself is completely different from where it was just 50 years ago.

True r31. And America used to be that quick also, r30.

Adios you awful creature!

Fuck him, why do we coddle violent men? It is so grotesque.

Boo hoo

"It should be saved for very strong cases."

Okay, the guy is garbage. But just who decides whether a case is "strong" enough to merit execution? As a retired-nurse friend said to me, "If you don't believe in the death penalty, that applies to everyone."

you look at these guys as if they are normal. They are not. They do not see things the way you see them. There is obviously something very wrong with them that they would commit these kind of crimes. Would you consider crimes like this? of course not. there is something wrong or lacking in their brains. so do we kill them because their mental stability is not the same as normal people? we can't take back what they did but we can be better than them.

Here's a solution, r37: chop their heads off and study their brains!

There was a case in my area a few years back of a guy who was angry for some reason--can't remember why, all I remember was that it was for a pretty mundane reason like work stress, an argument with an ex wife, his car getting repo'd, etc. --but he was so furious he took it out on some random female jogger who was resting at a picnic bench, strangling her to death.

Imagine knowing one of your relatives was just sitting at a picnic bench, completely minding her own business, when a complete stranger, who's feeling angry about something that had absolutely nothing to do with her, came out of nowhere and takes her life.

I'm not sure what happened to the guy, but when I heard the story I thought to myself that he was a perfect example of someone who should be on DR. He was no different than a dog who attacks without warning.

Can we make the death penalty more painful?

Those of you who support the death penalty, how do you feel about public stoning or beheaddings in other countries?

[QUOTE]Those of you who support the death penalty, how do you feel about public stoning or beheaddings in other countries?

I think it’s barbaric. It should be done peacefully behind closed doors, the way we do it here in America. We’re not animals. We execute with grace and civility here.

Those of you who support the death penalty, would you be willing to pull the switch? Drop the blade? Fire the rifle?

R43, in a heartbeat.

Our lovely “president” wants to murder 25 million innocent civilians by throwing them off healthcare... there are bigger fish to fry right now

Yes, there have been many people erroneously sentenced to death and that is unfortunate, and I wish that we had the manpower to review all current inmates using UPDATED investigative procedures. That being said, I would only support the DP for premeditated homicide that can be proven by indisputable DNA evidence.

And you can save the morality shit. I give ZERO fucks.

I'd gladly pull the trigger, trip the gas, or inject the fuckers. I'd do it free of charge.

R45, not everything is about Trump. I guess you think every thread here should be nothing but complaining about him?

FOH! You’re obsessed.

R47, well I would charge the family for the cost of the bullet, but that’s just me.

Pull the switch? Yeah man. Good times!

[quote]Donald Trump called for the execution of the Central Park 5

Well it's a good thing that the President isn't involved in deciding guilt or innocence, and determining sentencing in criminal matters.

Yeah, if an innocent person has a chance to be executed because of a shitty judicial system, then it should be outlawed.

I don't believe in the death penalty and live in a country that doesn't have it. However, it exists in many countries around the world and if countries feel the need for it, well that is there business.

However, what I don't understand is why they don't put people under like when you are having major surgery and then do the execution. That way the person is still being executed with very little chance of any pain of suffering - surely loosing their life is punishment enough....

[quote]However, what I don't understand is why they don't put people under like when you are having major surgery and then do the execution.

Most states cannot obtain the drugs necessary to do this, because the manufacturers will not allow them to be sold for the purposes of executions.

Also, anesthesiologists, who the most experience and knowledge with "putting people under", are not ethically permitted to be involved with killing people.

[quote]Also, anesthesiologists, who the most experience and knowledge with "putting people under", are not ethically permitted to be involved with killing people.

Do anesthesiologists have a separate Hippocratic Oath that other doctors don’t have?

R54 Thanks for your feedback.

R53, what country are you from?

R57 Australia

Oh, OK. Then I will say the obligatory g’day!

I know one of the arguments against it is that even barbaric countries like Russia don't kill their rapist, murderers.

Okay, fine, but have you seen how Russia's rapists and murderers are treated in prison? They are literally warehoused, they are not allowed to leave a medieval-like tiny cell. They are not allowed to WALK in an upright, human way. They're in freaking Siberia, under fluorescent lights all day.

I rarely diverge from my fellow liberals, but capital punishment for the most terrible crimes where there is ZERO percent you're wrong (the Aurora theatre shooting, etc), I support.

[quote] Fire the rifle?

Personally, me, no. But go to Bass Pro any weekend of the year, and there are numerous dudes who shoot innocent animals without a qualm. They'd do it for a small sum.

[quote]Do anesthesiologists have a separate Hippocratic Oath that other doctors don’t have?

The American Medical Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists have both clearly stated that any physicians participating in executions are violating accepted ethical standards.

Ok, if you don't want to kill them. Use useless fucks like this to test experimental meds and cosmetics on, instead of beagles, kittens, bunnies and mice.

That, or give them the needle.

What they don't deserve is decades more with warm food, an hour of exercise, a cot that's inside, an iPad and an email address and visitation rights. Not people like THIS guy. FUCK people like this monster.

Yes, r61, but that’s true of ALL doctors. Anesthesiologists don’t have a special market niche that disallows them to perform executions.

Technically any doctor doing an execution is violating the Hippocratic oath. Yet they’re done.

[QUOTE]Ok, if you don't want to kill them. Use useless fucks like this to test experimental meds and cosmetics on, instead of beagles, kittens, bunnies and mice.

The same people who want to outlaw the death penalty will call that inhumane treatment of the inmates. They’d never allow it.

R64, the needle it is, then.

Kill him, then find another 5,999,999 more like him and kill them too.

[quote]The same people who want to outlaw the death penalty will call that inhumane treatment of the inmates. They’d never allow it.

That’s because they care more about the rights of criminals than the rights of victims of their crimes.

Cracker breeder goy scum like this are why the death penalty was invented in the first place. It helps chlorinate the gene pool and keeps humanity sustainable.

Which states still have it?

r68, here's a list of states that have abolished the death penalty:

The 30 states that use the death penalty utilize lethal injection; several states offer alternatives that the condemned can choose: electrocution, gas, or firing squad (Utah, used as recently as 2010).

R69’s map is a bit dated and/or flawed. I know PA has had a moratorium on the death penalty for years now, imposed (illegally IMO) by our governor. Even before then we hadn’t executed anyone since 1999. You can also add California to the list as a state that has now effectively outlawed the death penalty. That’s what, another 40 million people? And they barely used it to begin with, too. There’s no death penalty in like 80% of the country. Of course we get lectured simultaneously about its “ineffectiveness” and how we’re the only western nation who still uses it when the death penalty has really been gone for decades except in the south.

[quote]In Texas, we have the death penalty and we use it! That's right. You come to Texas and kill somebody, we will kill you back! That's our policy. They're trying to pass a bill right now through the Texas legislature that will speed up the process of execution in heinous crimes where there's more than 3 credible eyewitnesses. That means that if three or more people saw you do what you did, you don't sit on Death Row for 15 years, Jack! You go straight to the front of the line. Other states are trying to abolish the death penalty. My state's putting in the express lane!

Executions in Texas since 2010.

Linky stinky.

It costs more money to execute people than to imprison them for life. We should be imprisoning them for life and executing their lawyers.

Only because of the appellate process, r75.

[QUOTE]It costs more money to execute people than to imprison them for life. We should be imprisoning them for life and executing their lawyers.

I agree about the executing their lawyers part, which would sharply reduce the cost of executions since like R76 said it’s mostly due to them gaming the appeals process to drag it out. The actual execution is cheaper than what I pay for protein powder every month.

You buy protein powder? Ooooh, you must be all muscly and errything.

How YOU doin?

My 70 year old mother also buys protein powder, R78.

Why aren’t we using Fentynol? Or other opium product? It seems to have a good track record.

[quote]My 70 year old mother also buys protein powder, R78.

I guess the picture wasn’t enough to make you realize it was a joke?

Jesus, is this what Datalounge is becoming?

Your joke just sucked.

If you're for the penalty and wouldn't be willing to do it, you're a fucking hypocrite.

I'm for the penalty, and I'd be more than willing to do it.

Pro-death penalty Democrat, here. I'd do it.

The only thing that could make me hesitant is if it was a cute twink, like that Harlow Cuadra. But after serving a few years in prison, the twink wouldn’t be cute anymore anyway so I’d easily flip the switch on him, too, after seeing his new penitentiary-ravaged face.

I would reserve the death penalty for serial or child killers. But, if Randy Kraft who tortured and killed up to 100 young men has had his sentence suspended by California's government, it seems like a violation of the Equal Protection Clause (in spirit not in fact) to execute anyone else. This case is bad but it is more of a rage killing than systemic desire to kill.

r4 consider that Illinois suspended the death penalty when it became apparent that there had been far too many wrongful convictions. Wonder what would be revealed if all the states with capital punishment look into things the way Illinois did.

[quote]If you're for the penalty and wouldn't be willing to do it, you're a fucking hypocrite.

The whuh? Completely and utterly ri-goddamn-diculous. That’s like saying being pro-choice but refusing to have an abortion makes you a hypocrite.