Sofia's Death: What Punishment is Appropriate?
July 3rd 2006 07:12
A beautiful soul.
Those were the words used to describe Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu at her funeral today. The 8 year old schoolgirl was found dead in a toilet cubicle at a popular Perth Shopping Centre last week after she had been beaten, raped and strangled by a young male.
The entire world was and still is both shocked and deeply saddened by her tragic death. When someone so young and innocent has her life taken away so unfairly, one can only feel disgust towards the person responsible.
The young male is currently charged with wilful murder and sexual penetration of a child. These are offences that generally result in life sentences.
The question I put forward to all my readers is this: if convicted of the crime, what punishment do you think would be appropriate?
Those were the words used to describe Sofia Rodriguez-Urrutia-Shu at her funeral today. The 8 year old schoolgirl was found dead in a toilet cubicle at a popular Perth Shopping Centre last week after she had been beaten, raped and strangled by a young male.
The entire world was and still is both shocked and deeply saddened by her tragic death. When someone so young and innocent has her life taken away so unfairly, one can only feel disgust towards the person responsible.
The young male is currently charged with wilful murder and sexual penetration of a child. These are offences that generally result in life sentences.
The question I put forward to all my readers is this: if convicted of the crime, what punishment do you think would be appropriate?
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Comment by Lucy Lucy
Comment by Legally Brunette
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Plus there's speculation that he's insane, in which case he'll just get sent to a psych hospital for the rest of his life.
Comment by Bunbury
I don't think I"m in a position to pass judgement on what punishment is appropriate, although disemboweling is a pretty nifty idea....
Bastard! Sick Sick Bastard!!!!!!!
Comment by Legally Brunette
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Comment by Cibbuano
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But I don't think the government has the right to kill anyone.
And putting him in jail will never rehabilitate him. He should be left alone on a tiny, cold, miserable island, and left to his own devices.
It's a tough question because, obviously, we'd like to punish him severely. But even if he's convicted, can we ever really be sure of his guilt?
Comment by edward
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Comment by Legally Brunette
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I just keep thinking what I would want done to a person who killed someone that I loved... I don't know. I guess I would just want to make sure he is locked away for life so he doesn't do the same thing to anyone else.
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Comment by Cibbuano
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what a painful topic of discussion.
Comment by Legally Brunette
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Ps, thanks Cibbo xx
Comment by Cibbuano
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Anyway, it scared the crap out of me when I was a little kid.
Comment by John
of the victim so he can decide or do what painful punishment he feels is justified and then hang him
by his balls if they weren't cut off by the father. these bastards can not be mentally rehabilitated
because some doctor will release him when they think he is better, problem is there are lots of
rehabilitated people roaming the streets that the doctors say are OK.
Comment by Legally Brunette
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John, I hadn't thought of that. Maybe not just limit it to the father of the victim but also include the mother and brother.
I agree with you on the point about rehabilitated criminals. I normally believe that people deserve a second chance in life but i don't know about that in this particular case.
Comment by Anonymous
Handing over to the family for them to choose though... er, sounds more like revenge than justice to me. Western law has never been about revenge.
Comment by Legally Brunette
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it just seems that locking this guy up in jail for life wouldn't be enough somehow. I feel like something more needs to be done but what exactly that should be, I dont know...
Comment by Anonymous
Once I believed that all serious sex offenders especially where children are the victims should face the death penalty. But my views have changed, because any future sex offenders would then think, I may as well kill this poor little soul that I have brutalised. If we bring in the death penalty maybe more victims will be murdered.
In saying that...just what punishment is enough...nothing is enough. But I personally believe that someone capable of such a disgusting crime can ever be rehabilitated. So I believe, mentally ill or not, this is the face of evil. He should be locked up and never ever see the light of day, in the most basic conditions, no visitors, solitary confinement, just be left to rot.
He is someones son no doubt, I do have empathy for his family. No doubt this is tragic for them as well. May Dear Little Sofia sit in the hands of God ( hard to believe there is one when tragedy like this occurs) and may her family be given the strength to continue and find some peace in there lives.
Comment by Legally Brunette
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I think you have brought up a point that many people would agree with - Some people are just evil. Maybe we forget this sometimes and try to justify horrific crimes by giving the criminal attributes of insanity. Surely, no person in their right mind would do such a thing, right? But maybe they do. Maybe some people are just inherently bad and it would be in the best interests of society for the purpose of the protection of the public to keep such people locked away.
Your point about him being someone's son I think makes this whole story that much more chilling. Giving the perpaetrator a human element makes me think, who else's son, brother, father or friend could be capable of this?
Comment by Ch1ck3n
But yeah, even killing such a bastard won't make a difference. Killing him won't bring Sofia back. Killing him won't comfort Sofia's loved ones, who even refused to condemn the paedophile. Personally, I wouldn't say that the reason behind the killer murdering such an innocent child is that he is mentally ill, unless he has been hearing voices (schizophrenia) that were convincing him to do such act.
I've read from a news website that this man had attacked an 8-year-old girl in 1993, who was fortunate enough to escape. When questioned by the police, he admitted that he never felt that he had anything in common with people his age, never had a girlfriend, and that he has always had sexual preference for younger girls. Now I presume that this confession is more likely to suggest that rather than being mentally ill, the 21-year-old man just has sick urges that needs to be fulfilled, inspite of the existence of universal moral standards that many of us comply with. In other words, he just doesn't care at all.
Anywayz, I think it would be so ironic of me not to suggest that the most appropriate sentence for this sick b*s*ard is dealth penalty, since I've strongly supported death penalty in the past. I just hate it when a portion of your tax are being used to feed those low-life criminals. But then I really don't see the constructive consequences of it. If you kill the paedophile, it just ends there...The worst thing that can happen is that his parents would be grieving forever. And when you kill this guy, it's still possible that the next day, a baby who might or might not have the potential to be a child murderer/rapist in 20 years time, would be born.
Hence the bottomline is, although death penalty kills criminals, it will never kill the crimes.
P.S. I know that many of us are asking: "Is there a God. Coz if there is God, why do these tragic events occur? " But then it will be like saying "I don't believe in the existence of barbers because there are long-haired men walking on the streets."
If only those long-haired men can come inside the barber shop and get their haircuts, everything would have been fine. If only people can all come to Jesus, all the sins would have been cut short, and none of these tragic events could have happened.
Comment by Legally Brunette
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I also recently read about the young man's past experiences with young girls. It makes me wonder why something wasn't done about it then. What reason could they possibly have had for letting him go the first time? Had he been locked up the first time, could that have prevented Sofia's death? Or am I just looking for someone to blame?
What happenend to Sofia was cruel, disgusting and unfair. No punishment for the perpetrator seems enough, not even, as you mentioned, the death penalty.
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again. Risk is greater than any other consideration.
Comment by Anonymous
My thoughts and prayers will always be with Sofia's family, i don't know Sofia and her famiily but i will never forget her.
Sofia is now an angel of God. Rest in peace baby you will one day see your family again.
Comment by Legally Brunette
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