Killer Evades Execution Because Jury Consulted Bible

[Rusty24]

DENVER -- Convicted killer Robert Harlan has been resentenced to life in prison after having his death sentence overturned because the jury consulted a Bible during deliberations.

In March, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that the jury went beyond evidence at his trial for the 1994 kidnapping, rape and murder of a cocktail waitress. Harlan also was convicted of shooting and paralyzing a motorist who tried to help the victim escape.

Harlan's defense attorney said the jury was wrong to consult the Bible because, "An eye for an eye is not the law of Colorado."

The U.S. Supreme Court in October refused to consider reinstating Harlan's death sentence.

[Grimmy]

Yep, there's no concerted and organized attack on Christianity or those that practice it.

Everyone has freedom of expression (except those nasty Christians), of course.

[CoastieDrummer]

you know, now a days, i believe that a christian white male is the most discriminated person on the planet........ everyone else can do so much more than we can and get away with it

[333MP]

I don't think that it has anything to do with Christianity. In America when you decide someones fate there is a line between State and Religion. Look at it from a different view. Would you want a jury who is predomitaly Muslim to look at the Koran for guidence on the sentancing of a female?

[Grimmy]

^ from what's written in the article, I think you miss the point.

The jury options were death or life in prison...one or the other. The simple act of having a Christian Bible present is enough to discredit the deliberation.

And turnspeak dosent help much. This isn't a muslim culture, never has been but it is a Christian culture and always has been, regardless of how popular it might be with the trendy folk to claim otherwise.

And, regardless, if it had been a predominatly muslim jury and they had consulted or taken comfort from reading the koran..as long as they stuck to the either or...why would that be a basis to disregard their deliberations...they had 2 choices..they picked one.

[SGRock]

U.S. Law has its primary basis from the Bible. It is another attack on Christianity, My wife teaches first grade, she is not allowed to say "Merry Christmas". There is even a debate whether or not to say "Happy Holidays". The Christmas break is called the Winter break. I know that skirts a little away from the subject but the society we live in was based on CHRISTIAN principles and was and still is primarilly a CHRISTIAN society. Fire stations cannot put up a manger scene, the courthouse cannot display the Ten Commandments which our law is based on, because it might hurt somebodies feelings. TOO BAD! If I were to go to India, Somalia, Pakistan, China, Japan or Nigeria and become a citizen of one of those countries I would have to abide by their laws, even if I did NOT become a citizen I would have to. But the United States is expected to RESPECT other cultural identities so much that it changes our culture and law.


Whew! By the way MERRY CHRISTMAS!