Comments on: Reader questions sentencing recommendation

By: Greydon_Clark

Greydon_Clark — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 06:07:37 +0000

Too much stupid in these comments, too.

By: Dusty

Dusty — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:22:24 +0000

The happiness of the family with outcome of the trial does not stop the criminal from walking out of prison in a few years and murdering you or me. Right, who cares.

By: Tomas

Tomas — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:04:25 +0000

Well... the article mentions that the family of the victim didn't want to go thru the ordeal of a trial. I can understand not wanting to go to court for months at a time, have it interrupt your daily life even more then it is already.

If the family is happy with the result then justice is served.

If you.. who has no tie to the victim isn't happy..well who cares.

By: David Anthony Tobin Bentler

David Anthony Tobin Bentler — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:08:00 +0000

And this is why our justice system is a giant cluster-****!

By: CutTheString

CutTheString — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:20:51 +0000

Yep. It's long past time that we stop throwing away the key for folks with drug offenses while killers and rapists get out early time and time again.

Violent crimes deserve long hard sentences, personal choices that the government doesn't agree with, not so much.

By: Bjorn Toobiewild

Bjorn Toobiewild — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:41:28 +0000

Going to the big house. We're sorry this fellow fell through the cracks. How many more, like him, are coming down the assembly line?

By: squeakywheel

squeakywheel — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:13:44 +0000

Excellent information, thanks for getting it. Glad to know the prosecutor's office is handling it professionally. Too bad strong armed robbery is so hard to prove. Apparently you just have to have more robbers than victims to cover the he said/she said “proof problem”, if that was it.

By: TTTCOTTH

TTTCOTTH — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:16:18 +0000

SPG

If spending had increased at the rate of inflation + population growth we would now have a surplus. Don't be an idiot.

By: Idle Activist

Idle Activist — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:14:20 +0000

I guess you don't realize that more population = more taxes…..population growth covers itself.

Out of control government growth on the other hand….

By: SPG

SPG — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:12:04 +0000

but our population grows and so do the costs of running a city.

By: ballardbard

ballardbard — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 03:01:46 +0000

There is an enormous expense associated with Murder trials. The Haj Naveen trial resulted in a mistrial the first time, despite his obvious guilt. I applaud the swift justice in this case, I don't think he got “off” with a 23 year recommendation.

By: Adam12

Adam12 — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:45:52 +0000

While the legislature keeps passing larger spending budgets, the Prosecutors Office is hamstrung by the shrinking King County budget. Agencies throughout the county are cutting the fat where they can; I do not disagree that some agencies were fat in places! I'm glad this kid will be behind bars, and I'm glad the victims family had a say in the process.

Kudos to Marc and the Swedes for putting together a great article! It's great to have some in depth coverage of the working of our local government. Thanks to Mr. Goodhew from the KC Prosecutors Office for the response!

By: Ballardcrab

Ballardcrab — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:46:59 +0000

Hey Fiddler Crab, right-on!
If the system is broken, work to fix it! Chances are, these same people never participate.

By: TTTCOTTH

TTTCOTTH — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:04:05 +0000

Sorry SPG

No budget has ever declined year to year in Seattle, King County, or Washington State.

By: Idle Activist

Idle Activist — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:40:08 +0000

My taxes have been cut? Really? That's news to me. My property taxes are still going up faster than inflation, even as property values drop. Sales taxes? Also up.

By: SPG

SPG — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:27:12 +0000

Since we're complaining about the justice system…
There seems to be a reluctance on the part of the same people who want everyone locked up forever to also pay for the locking up. Taxes get cut by the Eyman initiative type and libertarian leaning conservatives, and then they cry about how we're letting people out of jail. You can't have it both ways.
Since our hands are tied with this situation, we should clear out all the drug possession cases to make room for much stiffer penalties on the violent crime and even property crime cases. Divert the drug possession defendants to treatment/counseling before they become so bad that they are stealing to support their addiction. Once they are stealing, well then in they go to prison.

By: kim

kim — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:27:00 +0000

sorry….they're the ones

By: kim

kim — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:25:52 +0000

you need to vote out the legislators that give the legal system the laws to follow. that's were the REAL problem is. their the ones that allow for this to happen.

By: Idle Activist

Idle Activist — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:49 +0000

We do, by voting in people who believe in the rule of law, not listening to sob stories.

By: fiddler crab

fiddler crab — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:41:48 +0000

sounds like a lot of you don't like our legal system.

why don't you try to fix it instead of just bitching about it?

By: name

name — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:15:22 +0000

Unfortunately, you're probably right. Too much stooopid in this town.

By: Idle Activist

Idle Activist — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:00:38 +0000

Sadly, you put this POS and his sobbing mother in a courtroom, and chances are a bunch of Seattle jurors would let him go.

By: onederfullone

onederfullone — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:56:24 +0000

I too am discouraged in the state of our criminal justice system. It's almost like the prosecutors are afraid to make a stand against lawlessness, doing whatever they can can not to ruffle feathers in the process. I do know that we are currently suffering the results of this methodology daily. It would certainly appear that todays criminals aren't the least bit afraid of justice. Go figure.

By: SPG

SPG — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:56:18 +0000

I'm curious what the conviction rate is when there is a trial. I doubt it's 100% so it makes sense that the prosecutors would take what they know they can get.
In this case it doesn't seem like he got too much for pleading guilty, then again five years is a long time…

By: Idle Activist

Idle Activist — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:41:32 +0000

So this POS cut a deal. Coward to the end. Raised by a family of cowards.

Have fun in Monroe Mr. Hall, you're going in with the big boys now. Tell them what a tough little gangsta' you are.

By: Dusty

Dusty — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:24:25 +0000

Maybe there is something I am missing, but why do we broker deals with criminals? Are the prosecutors really that unconfident in their ability to prove guilt, or is it laziness?

It seems that criminals are always “getting a deal.” This really takes away the effectiveness of consequences for committing crimes. Don't worry murderers, we'll never follow through on our threats of punishment.
Sigh.