Burned Alive

This one comes from my oh so great home state of New Jersey, brought to my attention by another.

How does someone get a bond when going before a judge with that charge? I can see someone being able to walk out on bond with a manslaughter charge against them, but capital murder?

Capital murder is one thing, but setting a baby on fire? I would think that would have its own special designation of awfulness.

Should set her on fire. Would it really be inhumane to anyone?

It does, it's called inhumane. Just not sure if it has a legal standpoint beyond setting precedent.

That's just responding to emotional impact. In the grand scheme of things, the age of the deceased is largely irrelevant. If anything, it's logically more heinous to kill an adult, since they've made it past the still very real period of infant mortality.

Think about it: someone burns a baby, obviously no sane person could be anything short of furious at that. But replace the baby with any other human and does that change? Middle schooler, 30-something mother of two, retired veteran, middle-aged long-haul trucker, Grampa Jones... I dunno, for me, they're equally terrible.

There's some serious ***-up-in-the-head going on to burn someone, though. I don't advocate it, but if you had a baby you didn't want, there's a long list of less hideously violent ways to kill it. Assuming this woman can be shown to be responsible (innocent 'til proven guilty, even for heinous acts), I predict she's likely to spend a long, long time in a psych ward. Preferably the remainder of her life.

Why would one even need to kill it?

While adopting a child is as tiring as trying to gain citizenship, giving a child up for adoption is far, far easier. Or, abandoning it on a doorstep.

I do agree that it is equally terrible (hence my post in the gamestop thread) regardless of age.

A couple reasons come to mind. I say "reasons" in the loosest possible manner, though, since they're all fairly irrational.

It could be the child of a rape or incest that she either couldn't afford to or couldn't convince herself to abort. Especially with post-partum depression, it's not impossible to see her reaching a "murder the baby" mindset.

It could be that she had been hiding the pregnancy and, again, couldn't or wouldn't abort. That's more a thing that teenagers do than women in their 20s, but who knows what else is going on.

The baby might have had some deformity. Until the '80s, for instance, you were allowed to starve a baby to death if it had Down syndrome or a similar congenital defect. Animals have a habit of executing flawed young, so I'm sure the instinct remains in humans.

It's very likely she'll be shown to be insane. I won't be the least bit shocked if there's heavy drug use involved and a history of psychological illness. But she could just be a sociopath, too. We do love talking about male killers, but there are women who have the same ***-up brains as the likes of Jeffrey Dahmer.

Its new jersey, 90%+ of the ppl fall into that category. Thats not something a judge 'finds' them to be, it something they automatically assume of a person entering there court'

women must have been desperate for some BBQ chicken, and had to make do

This may sound macabre, but if you're going to kill your baby, at least do it in a more humane way. I'm not advocating murder but the poor thing had only been on earth for a short time, did it need to be burned alive? Could had just overdosed it on baby tylenol so it just falls asleep and dies from depressed respiration, or something painless.

That was one of my thoughts. It's not like it's an adult that can fight back, thereby limiting your options. There are about a million ways you can do it, and she chose fire? Frick.

Jersey strikes again. Just a post about a guy that lives probably 10 minutes away from where i grew up, just arrested for distribution of child porn. Thats a bit scarey'

Or just NOT kill it? That's always an option.

Not sure how old the child was, but if it is under 30 days old she can anonymously surrender it according to NJ law. Any sort of stigma attached to the child like the ones Ono pointed out would have been null and void.

Unfortunately, the 8th Amendment would prevent her from being burned alive herself.

Although I would suggest an "eye for an eye" law in addition to the 8th Amendment. One that would say that it would be cruel punishment if you punish outside the same way as the crime.

If you stole from another person, not only do you have to make reprimands, but you lose exactly the same amount you stole. If you have less than that, you lost it all.

If you murdered by setting a person on fire, your punishment is to be set on fire.

If you slowly tortured somebody to death, you are slowly tortured to death.

I wouldn't see a problem about that.

I'm advocating bringing back the Spanish Inquisition for this *** that should have been aborted.

Then finding her father and beating him for not shooting her against the curtains.

Then find the mother and slapping her for not swallowing.

Not really.. but I'm positive your mindset can't think beyond that.

A law in addition to the 8th Amendment that directly contradicts it?

Wasn't meant as an insult just a reality check. Unless you believe a law could actually be passed to kill a murders family, or.. sigh.. you think a lone person could murder an entire race (You are taking about the punishment of one person) so yea.. Its more insulting to read your lack of forethought.

No. Rape=death. Simple. That is why I didn't address it.


This is also why ***like this happens all the time. No punishment suitable for the crime = live baby's set on fire

Been through this with Jet.. Set this lady on fire on live television as her punishment I bet good money people will think twice before setting baby's on fire.

OR we do it your way and a judge lets her go with a slap on the wrist.. LOL But hey KN and I are the crazy ones on this site.. ffs

To think I backpedaled is cute. Its really sad how you people can defend murders and rapists so easily.

You would be one of the few then. As for the desensitization of the populace, I think people are pretty damn desensitized now. That or they just plain don't give a damn about anything but themselves. More than likely both.