Blood curdling murder

that guy needs a bullet to the head, now, no trial, no living off our hard-earned for the rest of his life, just put him out of our misery. he obviously has no regard for life, so why should he have any? he's a fucking waste of air.

This defendant has been indicted with a felony two times in his life. Both times, he was referred to a local mental health agency to determine if he was competent to stand trial and/or not guilty by reason of insanity. This means, by all indication, that the lawyers/prosecutors/judges that have dealt with him over the years know that he is not a fully-functioning adult.

It is a terrible tradegy that the young man was murdered, but don't take your anger out on "the system" until you provide a better alternative to deal with the mentally ill in society.

I can fully blame "the system" for this one.

1.) Two prior felonies. Felony #2 got him only 2 years. Does that seem an appropriate sentence for knifing a guy in the back over 70 cents?

2.) He may have been evaluated, but it seems like mental health services pronounced him fit for trial, considering that he was tried, convicted, and sent up the river for 2 years.

3.) If he is deficient, shouldn't his lawyer have pressed for a second opinion? I don't want to see anyone who is not "fully-functioning" mentally locked up in a prison with no rehab, but if his lawyer didn't/couldn't/wouldn't show this man to be mentally challenged, then that's a system failure. Or its just not true and he's just a cold killer.

4.) It would seem like someone who has a hare-trigger like this wouldn't have skated through prison without a few "incidents". Since all prisoners are maggots to prison personnel, I'm sure nobody ever said "Hey we should get that guy checked out in the head." So he does his full ride and comes out the other side to kill again. System failure.

I think this person is mentally ill, but no amount of rehab could help. He's a stone killer, man. Nothing you can do but lock him up where he can't do any more damage to innocent people.

Nothing you can do but lock him up where he can't do any more damage to innocent people. - OldHometown

The problem with that argument is we have filled the prison/judicial system to the brink with non-violent offenders mostly due to the War (farce) on Drugs. They bust johnny suburbanite for his 50 dollars worth of pot and make it as painful on him as possible because he has the MONEY to pay the fines / court fees that keep feeding the beast. You get a DUI and it is 60 days in county and 5k in fees, because most people who get popped on DUI's have families / jobs so they know you need to pay and move on from the situation so they clog our justice system with people who have MONEY.

Prison was not designed as a place to go when you are "bad", it was created as a cage to keep the most vile and dangerous people out of society. The problem is the true animals (like this man) don't have the MONEY to keep the machine rolling so he just gets passed through so they can get to the businessman/construction worker who likes to smoke a joint on Friday night so they can keep paying the bills.

If we ended the 30 year multi billion dollar failure called the War on Drugs and stopped locking up non-violent offenders for civil infractions our police / judicial system would be forced to dedicate resources to solving real crime. Most city councils would drop 500k on a heat detecting helicopter to bust people growing pot in their attic, but then tell people they need to raise taxes to cover "basic city services".

This murderer will never be a productive member of society. Unfortunately too many small prison terms are handed out or pleaded out on previous offenses and these idiots are back menacing the rest of us.

Why isn't this being considered a hate crime?He has twice now attacked white victims.What if the perp were white and the victims black or gay?I bet they would be calling it a hate crime.I guess it must now be okay to attack white people without it being called hate.

Hate crime?....I agree with buckeye, if the circumstances were reversed, every minority preacher and organization in the area would be raising hell.

Issues with the mental health system abound, there is no doubt. Lawrence James, despite his upcoming defense strategy, fully knew and understood what he did. Does he have mental issues? Certainly. In his "compromised" mental state did he sit next to his victim babbling about demons, visions of grandeur or persecution? Did he run naked down Bancroft with daisies in his hair? He did none of those things. In fact James acted as though his mental faculties were quite intact. James left the scene quickly and I suspect he cleaned himself and either cleaned or disposed of his weapon(s) in order to evade prosecution. Pretty high functionong stuff. I would hope a judge and jury understand that.

Now for the rough stuff. Diminished mental capacity or not. Lawrence James is a few centimeters away from being a two time killer. Not one acting out of anger or self defense either. A dog bites somebody, they generally get one more chance before they end up in the pound. A dog with rabies bites somebody, it's generally over right then. Whether James has "rabies" or not, I think his time is up. We might be best served by digging a hole and using that shovel to crack James in the back of the head.

Not an easy decision for a civilized society, but consider this. Let's assume that James is found NGRI and gets committed to the state hospital for a period of time. In about six years or so, James will be moved into a less restricitive environment, but still have his medication intake monitored. Another two years and he is off all state control. Free and clear, but with a whole bunch of promises to keep taking his meds. With limited employment potential, James need to live cheaply. He finds a very small place to start his life again, say maybe near a public university with lots of young, somewhat naive students in the process of starting their lives. Maybe near my kids or yours.

And maybe, the cycle repeats. At what point have we been bitten enough by that rabid dog and what price have we paid?

This case brings to mind another. Anyone remember the case of the garbage man in Bradner, Ohio who stabbed his victim repeatedly while screaming "It has to be this way"? If I remember, he was working his collection route, hopped off his rig, stabbed the victim and then went right back to work. I believe his name was Dave Rodgers? I did a cursory search but could not find a link to the story. It happened around 2001. If I am not mistaken, Rodgers becomes free from all state control in September.

"Circumstances" don't make it a hate crime. Hate crimes require very specific intent. Here, it is obvious his intent was to rob, not to kill someone based on their race, BIG difference.

I do support the death penalty in this case though, this guy has had his chance.

If we all started crying "hate crime" whenever these things happen without intent, we are going to look as loony and emotionally driven as those that already do. It just results in greater devisiveness overall, and reinforces racist beliefs of those that hold them.

Solleks:

I remember that crime, and it was a Daniel J. Rodgers:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=TO&Date=20020215&Category=NEWS17&ArtNo=102150027&Ref=AR

September 5, 2010 is the date at which Rodgers no longer has to comply with any treatment/supervision plans:

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060131/NEWS02/601310385/0/NEWS10

Re: "Hate crime"

If there are no witnesses to indicate that Lawrence James expressed race or ethnicity as the reason why he attacked UT student Casey Bucher, this is all idle speculation. Besides, he is facing aggravated murder charges, which carry penalties much higher than any hate crime statutes, so I am not sure why the issue of "hate crime" is even being brought up.

Because some people see race no matter what they are looking at.

Rev. Wright comes to mind.

Rev Floyd Rose

Pastor Pitts... no, wait a minute.

Just shoot him.

It's not a "hate" crime. Don't like that term anyway. It's stupidly divisive, only applied to racial problems, and doesn't lead to any greater resolution.

If it's known to my social circle that I hate fish, hate the smell of fish, hate the taste of fish, then I go out and attack someone who happens to be a fisherman, will I be prosecuted as a hate crime? The answer is (most likely) no...because the reason why I attacked him may be due to something completely different.

A crime is a crime. Delving into someone's thoughts to make the crime more heinous doesn't leave the victim any more alive than he is right now.

I vote for the bullet in the head for that mothersmucker.

dbw8906 Amen....!

http://toledoblade.com/article/20100725/NEWS16/7240418

Ok, I take back what I said in my original post. The student killed wasn't killed for nothing...he was killed for 35 cents. Less than the 70 cents the first guy got stabbed over.

What is the point of this article? I fail to see it.

How does a person drop out of middle school?

Agreed, what is the point of that article? Are we supposed to feel sorry for the murderer because he had a sad childhood story??
Maybe because he CHOSE to use drugs that further diminished his allegedly fragile mental capacities, and now will be his "excuse" or some mitigating factor for murder ?!

Wow, what an article in today's paper. I didn't think it was possible to lose any more respect for The Blade. Putting the murderer's sob story on the front page and inferring the "tragedy" extends to the murderer is beyond me.

Yes, we know the murderer had issues but the last thing we need is any public sympathy for him. He has already had his chance to rehabilitate and will now be a taxpayer burden the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, a local event that dozens of local employers sponsor that had 8,000 people at gets relegated to page 13. After the front page elephant photos and now this, it seems that shock journalism and a tabloid mentality is all that "One of America's Great Newspapers" aspires to.

I clicked on the link but couldn't find the story :(

Puleeez.....I find it difficult to shed tears or concern of any kind for this punk who from the age of 9 has been a problem. The Blade story is pure crap. "Kind heart" my butt. The space could have been put to better use calling for a review of how guys like this get released back into society and for this guy,and others like him, to be shown the chair.

I don't understand how a kid in middle school can drop out, either. Where's the mom's responsibility in this decision?

In the new "comments" section below the story, it looks like the sentiment of "what kind of BS story is this" is shared by quite a number of commentators. Wonder how long it will be before comments are "disabled" for this story.

As one commentator put it, the author of the piece should be "ashamed of herself" for linking the murderer and his victim as some sort of dual tragedy.

For a serious article, perhaps the author could ask the following questions:

1.) What kind of mother allows her kid to drop out in middle school?

2.) If he's been having mental problems since the age of 9, why was this not a concern in either his education, counseling, initial sentencing, or eventual release?

3.) If he has mental problems, Mom couldn't make sure he took his medication while living at home? Why? Did anyone in the family give enough of a f&*k to get him to some sort of counseling or perhaps have him put in a psychiatric facility? Is hearing voices normal in this family?

4.) With a demonstrated proclivity for violence (i.e. already stabbing someone in the back), did any hint of this manifest itself in prison? ** Sorry--I find it hard to believe that this guy with "mental issues" spent 2 years in lockup and never did ANYTHING violent, but somehow when he gets on the street, he stabs people over a few pennies. Unless, of course, he spent the entire stint drugged to the gills.

5.) How truly dangerous is the University of Toledo surrounding area? I'm talking about the area past the Westwood/Douglas overpass on Bancroft that gets pretty "hood-ish" pretty quick. I'm sure the university doesn't put that area on it's glossy brochoures.

Please add to this list. Obviously, journalism isn't the Blade's strong suit...

If the mother knew her son was a potential danger to others after he got out of prison, she should have locked-up all the KNIVES in her house.

Why did the victim's mother do an interview with The Blade so soon ? or even do an interview at all ?

I always wonder WHY so many people who are victims of some sort of tragedy, grant interviews with The Blade ? The same goes for national stories, where people go on Larry King Live ?

Does The Blade (and CNN) hand out small donations & checks to families, to help pay for funeral expenses, and then try to get an interview, after attempting to make it look like they're helping the families out ?

It sounds like a lot of people in this thread are volunteering to pay higher taxes in order for society to build more prisons/hire more police/provide more social services/hire more truant officers.

In middle school, a kid's parents should be operating as truant officers!

In middle school, a kid's parents should be operating as truant officers!

(no idea why there's a double post - I only hit enter once!)

It's our fault this man exists. We have created a system that funds people to have children they don't give a rat's ass about. We allowed this mother to live rent / work free for the time period of this young man's life. We allowed her to be an absentee parent because if you say something about someone you get "IT'S MY CIVIL RIGHT TO LIVE AS I PLEASE". This woman would have likely sued the state or declared him emancipated if we pressed to hard. He has never her seen her place value on anything in this world because other people have done that for her. He doesn't understand the value and joy you can achieve by attaining something for himself because he has never seen it from his parent. His whole life has been living off of things other people have provided, why would that change as an adult? His whole life has been a cycle of taking from others, this is just a continuation of this pattern.

End a broken welfare system that does nothing but neuter people from birth and create programs that help people. Is it a miracle that most crime comes from areas where Section 8 is the land lord? No surprise most Section 8 families are 1 parent homes, because Dad can leave because he knows the tax payer will pickup the bill. No skin off his back. This is not a racial epitaph because Kentucky Bob on meth mountain rotting his teeth out in front of his kids is just as bad.

This is the giant elephant in the room nobody wants to talk about but it's the truth. You can teether an adult elephant with a string of twine, because at birth he was taught he could never get away. That is what our broken welfare system does, it rewards people for failure so why try. Mom or Dad never had to work to pay the bills, why should I? My whole life has been given to me by other people, so if I break into your car to steal you radio you wont mind. Hands out are not hand ups.

Update: Looks like the "act" didn't work on Judge Franks.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101117/NEWS02/11160325

BTW, can one of our lawyer friends explain this sentence to me:

"The judge also thoroughly explained speedy trial laws to determine if he would be willing to waive those rights and consent to a January trial date."

Aside from a speedy trial being a Constitutional right, not a "law" (Ms. Blake, please read the Constitution sometime, 'K), why does this guy have to waive his rights to a speedy trial to have a trial date in January? A couple months (after psychological testing, re-testing, etc.) for a trial date doesn't seem unusually long nowadays.

The oldhometown wrote: "The judge also thoroughly explained speedy trial laws to determine if he would be willing to waive those rights and consent to a January trial date."

Aside from a speedy trial being a Constitutional right, not a "law" (Ms. Blake, please read the Constitution sometime, 'K),"

In Ohio, there is a statute that also ensures a person's right to a speedy trial. So, therefore, a speedy trial is also a "law."

Maybe now would be a good time for you to publicly apologize to Erica Blake, as she was correct and you were erroneous and condescending toward her.

Horrors. She'll read this board and go to pieces because I was "condescending". But you are a true southern gentleman for protecting her honor.

Didn't know about the Ohio law. Constitution applies to every US citizen and applies in every level of court proceedings. It is far more fundamentally a United States Constitutional right than it is a state law.

The essence of my question remains (no matter how condescending I am): why does this guy have to waive his right to a speedy trial to get a trial date in January?

Ooh, but I like being referred to as "THE oldhometown". Kind of like "THE Ohio State University". Thanks!

Apologies to Ms. Blake, but we're snarky here to each other. That's why we keep coming back.

Oldhometown,

While I don't have any direct knowledge of the actual circumstances, waiving the right to a speedy trial is merely a constitutional technicality. At one point another court this court was subject to must have determined a certain number of days that defined "speedy". It means the court's docket is currently backed up and they cannot get the trial in within that prescribed number of days. Therefore, the accused must waive his right to have a "speedy" trial, because it's logistically difficult for the court to get it done. If he doesn't he risks pissing everyone at the courthouse off, which in a criminal trial, is always a bad thing.

Thought it might be something like that. Thanks!