It is unfortunate that (yet again) one of the “suspects” in this case has been shot dead.
Dead men have no need for justice! Dead men can’t protest their innocence! Dead men can’t prove their accusers wrong! NO justice for him!
But isn’t this a feature of American law enforcement over the years? It’s happened frequently throughout their history:
- Lee Harvey Oswald – accused of the assassination of J. F. Kennedy – shot dead whilst in custody of the FBI – before standing trial.
- Osama Bin Ladin – shot dead in Pakistan by US Navy SEALs and his body disposed of without trial and or legal transparency.
- John Wilkes Booth – accused of the assisination of Abraham Lincoln, shot dead in a barn in Maryland without standing trial.
Of course then there is the “dubious” convictions of those who have maintained that they were innocent and set up by US law enforcement agenicies:
- Jack Ruby – the killer of Lee Harvey Oswald – always maintained his innocence of conspiracy charges surrounding the death of JFK.
- James Earl Ray – the alleged killer of Martin Luther King – always maintained his innocence of the crime. He did however “confess” to the crime, but later unsuccessfully tried to recant the confession – on the grounds that he was coerced into confession to avoid the dealth penalty.
- Sirhan Sirhan – the alleged killer of Robert Kennedy – was also coerced to confess by the FBI. Despite Sirhan’s admission of guilt, recorded in a confession made while in custody, the judge refused accept his confession and denied his request to withdraw his not guilty plea. Sirhan recanted the confession, claiming he did not ever remember making it.
This comment is no way intended to support those above, or to make any statement as to their guilt or innocence, but rather to demonstrate that US justice is often carried out by the gun, or the person made to fit the crime rather than the crime fit the person.
Words, By George! 