Letter: Tragedy hits close to home

Thursday, Aug. 31, 2000 | 9:37 a.m.

We had a tragedy in our lives this summer when our niece was raped and shot in the head. I promise it is a crushing blow when that happens in your immediate family. No matter how you may have felt before about such matters, you find yourself wanting justice.

Preventing such tragedies is the purpose of our justice system. I am not sure it is a perfect system, but I think a person who kills another deserves to die themselves, unless it is in self-defense.

Our justice system is taking care of the person who raped and murdered our niece. It is asking for the death penalty. No one in our family has a problem with it.

If I were the mother of such a person, I would be asking myself what I did to bring up such a person. I would be on the side of the law and would understand fully why the death penalty was being asked for.

MICKEY STEWART

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