[Newsbot]

Title: Twitchell found guilty of 1st-degree murder
Category: Law & Order
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2011-04-12 17:53:34
Canadian

[andyt]

Thank God they didn't believe his bullshit story.

[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

Thank God they didn't believe his bullshit story.

There was never any doubt they would. Some of the parts of his 'confession' movie script that the judge suppressed as evidence pretty much would have removed any doubt the jury would have had.

Pretty much means we should have no fear that this man will never again walk our streets. He'll be the bitch for some big boy named Bubba by the end of the week.

[andyt]

That happened in your neck of the woods, didn't it? Guess it even more play than down here.

This guy is interesting. He seems to have had it under control for 31 yrs, with no indication, and then he just lets her rip. Wonder how many others like him are walking around out there? I know I could kill in a rage, but I can't see myself doing something cold blooded like this.

[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

That happened in your neck of the woods, didn't it? Guess it even more play than down here.

This guy is interesting. He seems to have had it under control for 31 yrs, with no indication, and then he just lets her rip. Wonder how many others like him are walking around out there? I know I could kill in a rage, but I can't see myself doing something cold blooded like this.

It's getting lots of play here too. One thing the Judge excluded from his 'movie' transcript was his confession that he went to a psychiatrist and they said he was a psychopath and pathological liar.

I would imagine more than we suspect.

[BionicBunny]

It's a sad day for Canadian justice when this man can potentially see freedom in 25 years, sadder still is knowing the killers of Kimberly Proctor can see it in 10. Life needs to be life.

[DrCaleb]

BionicBunny BionicBunny:

It's a sad day for Canadian justice when this man can potentially see freedom in 25 years, sadder still is knowing the killers of Kimberly Proctor can see it in 10. Life needs to be life.

Read it again. He did get life. He has no chance of parole for 25 years, but no guarantee of parole ever.

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

BionicBunny BionicBunny:

It's a sad day for Canadian justice when this man can potentially see freedom in 25 years, sadder still is knowing the killers of Kimberly Proctor can see it in 10. Life needs to be life.

Read it again. He did get life. He has no chance of parole for 25 years, but no guarantee of parole ever.

He means without possibility of parole. Bernard and Olsen are effectively in that category. But where do we set the level for that sort of sentence. I believe they are deemed habitual offenders because they killed more than once. Do we really want to lock up everybody who's killed once for life? Good luck trying to control a prison population like that. In this guy's case, let's hope that the parole board pays attention to his admission of being a habitual liar and don't swallow his bull when the time comes. But at 56, his urges will likely have much subsided from what they are now.

[Lemmy]

Bernardo and Olsen are in completely different categories. Bernardo is a Dangerous Offender and is serving an indeterminate sentence. Only 5 of the people labelled Dangerous Offenders have ever been paroled and none of the 5 were murderers (the most famous being Marlene Moore, the first female labelled a D.O.).

Olsen is not a dangerous offender and is serving eleven life sentences. As a multiple murderer he was not eligible for the faint hope judicial review of his case and he is now eligible for a parole hearing every 2 years (his last was last fall). He will never be paroled.

There are approximately 4000 convicted murderers in Canada. Of the 4000, about 1200 are on either day or full parole. Of the 1000 or so convicted of 1st degree murder, only about 150 or so are on parole. So, in general, a life sentence for murder IS a life sentence in Canada, especially for 1st degree murder. It's about time this myth that murderers are out of prison in 10 to 25 years be put to bed.

[andyt]

As I posted in another topic, Canadian murders given life sentences spend about the same time in prison on average as in the US (26 yrs). This is much longer than other comparable countries.

[Lemmy]

Your stat still underestimates the truth, for two reasons: That "26-year average" includes both 1st and 2nd degree murderers and the calculation makes no adjustment for those who die in prison. If you exclude those who die in prison, the average sentence goes up dramatically. When you consider that only about 15% of 1st degree murderers ever get parole, including 2nd degree murderers in the calculation dramatically lowers the length of average sentence. The reality is that most serving a life-sentence for 1st degree murder serve a life sentence.

[DrCaleb]

$1:

But the jury was not shown one document discovered on Twitchell's laptop. The seven-page essay, called A Profile of a Psychopath, had been deleted.

In it the author, believed by investigators to be Twitchell, analyzes his own personality and behaviour. The author admitted while he doesn't fit perfectly the description of a psychopath, he is a pathological liar.

"I habitually lied my entire life," he wrote. "Despite my incredibly well adjusted and healthy family life and upbringing, it never stopped.

"I always apologized but never meant it and never corrected the behaviour."
'Distinct lack of empathy'

The author also claimed he has never felt empathy.

"For as long as I can remember I have always had a distinct lack of empathy, I've always had a dark side I've had to sugarcoat for the world."

Mark Twitchell shown during an interview with the CBC in 2007.Mark Twitchell shown during an interview with the CBC in 2007. CBC He went on to write, "On my journey of discovering my disorder, I've discovered my killer instinct.

"I've often fantasized about killing people who have wronged me or threatened to hurt me or my family in the future, but that's where it ends."

Actually carrying out a murder, he said, doesn't make sense.

"I don't feel that taking someone else's life is worth the loss of my freedom or the amount of time, energy or expense one needs to put in, in order to conduct such acts."

The other major consideration is his work, he said.

"I can direct my dark energies into my film work."

"As a producer I can profit from the sale and distribution of my work. But as a serial killer I would get nothing more than a quick rush of adrenalin and a prison sentence to follow."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/ ... arged.html

[andyt]

Lemmy Lemmy:

The reality is that most serving a life-sentence for 1st degree murder serve a life sentence.

Didn't know that, and neither do most people. This would be a good stat to publicize. By the Liberals, say.

[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

Lemmy Lemmy:

The reality is that most serving a life-sentence for 1st degree murder serve a life sentence.

Didn't know that, and neither do most people. This would be a good stat to publicize. By the Liberals, say.

They are the ones to quote faulty statistics to justify the gun registry.

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

Lemmy Lemmy:

The reality is that most serving a life-sentence for 1st degree murder serve a life sentence.

Didn't know that, and neither do most people. This would be a good stat to publicize. By the Liberals, say.

They are the ones to quote faulty statistics to justify the gun registry.

And how would it be in their interest to quote faulty statistics here? They're arguing against the Cons' claim we need more prison - here's a stat that helps them make their case. You're not saying the Libs quote faulty stats but the Cons don't, are you?