With the Democrats in charge of prison reform, it is likely that some really bad things will happen. The story of the “broomstick” killer, Kenneth McDuff, should give everyone pause before they jump to the elimination of the death penalty.
At the age of 19, Kenneth McDuff murdered three younger teenagers. He executed the two boys by shooting them. He repeatedly tortured, raped and then murdered the lone girl. He was quickly captured, tried and sentenced to death for these brutal acts.
His sentence was reduced to life in prison thanks to a US Supreme Court ruling on the “cruel and unusual” punishment associated with a death sentence. Later, and because of prison overcrowding, McDuff, along with nearly 150 other murderers, was released from Texas imprisonment.
Within a few days of release, he began killing again. He may have committed as many as 20 additional murders, but some six are directly attributed to him. All the post imprisonment murders involved women who were raped, tortured and then killed.
McDuff was eventually caught once again and stood trial for the murder of one victim. He was sentenced to death for a second time and subsequently executed.
The proposals to eliminate the death penalty, and to parole individuals regardless of their murderous history is almost certainly going to cause the murder rate to rise in Virginia. Ignoring the deterrent effects of the death sentence and life long criminal penalties is deadly.
Texas responded to McDuff by building more prisons and making sure that there were no more McDuffs walking the street. Maybe Virginia Democrats ought to consider the implications of their narcissistic “touchy-feely” stupidity.
