Pennsylvania death row's biggest threat: dying of natural causes

Ten years ago, Gary Heidnik had two slices of cheese pizza and a couple of cups of black coffee, met with his daughter, and spent the rest of the day on his bed or pacing his cell.

[Oh give me a break]

Some of us have been waiting 15 years for the just execution of someone deserving from Lehigh County. No matter how long this drags out, we'll be waiting.

After all these years, now this certain someone claims to have a brain issue which he's hoping will absolve him of his sentence.

If having been found guilty without a shadow of a doubt for raping and murdering 3 women, including a minor and leaving 2 others, including another minor, for dead after their assaults isn't enough grounds to lose their rights, what is?

In this aspect, we should be more like Texas. Less talk, more action. It's called justice and that's what's kept many from losing faith in the entire system. Executing someone found guilty through overwhelming factual evidence isn't executing someone "innocent", it's delivering justice.

So let's end the doubts and the hand holding for these cowards and get on with "the show" of justice!

[Common Sense]

Isn't it ironic that we choose to keep criminals alive who have proven to be people who are not productive members of society. They have taken the lives of productive members, been found guilty and sentenced to death. Instead in the current health proposal there is a provision in that from the age of 65 a government bureautic is required to talk to you every 5 years on the end of life issues. They want to deny medical care to productive members of society but those in prison will always receive medical care, after all if they are to sick to execute we are required to help them get well before they can be executed. Up is down and down is up in this country. Where will it end.

[Nautilus1]

Common Sense wrote:

Isn't it ironic that we choose to keep criminals alive who have proven to be people who are not productive members of society. They have taken the lives of productive members, been found guilty and sentenced to death. Instead in the current health proposal there is a provision in that from the age of 65 a government bureautic is required to talk to you every 5 years on the end of life issues. They want to deny medical care to productive members of society but those in prison will always receive medical care, after all if they are to sick to execute we are required to help them get well before they can be executed. Up is down and down is up in this country. Where will it end.

Who is we? Time to contact your elected officals.

[easton pa--]

The commonwealth has recorded more than a thousand executions in it's history, starting with public hangings, hundreds in electric chairs, let's go back to the old ways, hang them and let everyone watch!!!

[boomers death watch]

Common Sense wrote:

Isn't it ironic that we choose to keep criminals alive who have proven to be people who are not productive members of society. They have taken the lives of productive members, been found guilty and sentenced to death. Instead in the current health proposal there is a provision in that from the age of 65 a government bureautic is required to talk to you every 5 years on the end of life issues. They want to deny medical care to productive members of society but those in prison will always receive medical care, after all if they are to sick to execute we are required to help them get well before they can be executed. Up is down and down is up in this country. Where will it end.

And what Congress wants to "give" us for health care is something they won't accept themselves.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1247869461657...

Congress has and wants to keep the Cadillac of Healthcare Plans (paid by the American TAXPAYERs) for themselves AND their families, while the rest of us our relegated to rationed care.

Call and email your representatives and tell them NO!

The guy sculpting Nationalized Healthcare is Dr. Death, Zeke Emanuel.

Check out his "biosketch" which lists his specialties (in the second paragraph)...End of Life issues, Ethanasia, etc. note the title of the book he published.
http://www.cc.nih.gov/about/SeniorStaff/ezeki...

Zeke Emanuel is Rahm Emanuel's brother and Rahm is Obama's Chief of Staff, well actually, President in Secret.

[Johnny -The See- ILDee]

Oh give me a break wrote:

Some of us have been waiting 15 years for the just execution of someone deserving from Lehigh County. No matter how long this drags out, we'll be waiting.
After all these years, now this certain someone claims to have a brain issue which he's hoping will absolve him of his sentence.
If having been found guilty without a shadow of a doubt for raping and murdering 3 women, including a minor and leaving 2 others, including another minor, for dead after their assaults isn't enough grounds to lose their rights, what is?
In this aspect, we should be more like Texas. Less talk, more action. It's called justice and that's what's kept many from losing faith in the entire system. Executing someone found guilty through overwhelming factual evidence isn't executing someone "innocent", it's delivering justice.
So let's end the doubts and the hand holding for these cowards and get on with "the show" of justice!

You left out uh, the uh, name. This article should have engendered a flurry of outrage as regards what was done to Nicholas Yarris but there is nothing.
10 New-Mandments (U.S.)
1. Love "state control."
2. Yield to "state violence."
3. Repeat: "God bless America" 63 xs per day.
4. Favor 3rd-world immigrants.
5. Attend all Wal-Mart grand openings.
6. Support ALL development.
7. Be a Humanististic Species-ist, love vivisection.
8. Worship the Drug War.
9. Loathe Punk Rock.
10. Keep mouth shut except for those: "GBAs."
Extra--Be a clone, a robot, a prole--utter inanities 24/7.

[fed-up]

I know the state of Pa. is in financial trouble but 5 bucks for a 6 ft. peice of rope should be ok by the tax payers after all you can reuse it. make room in the prison fast Eddie and John Karoly will have reservations and we dont want them to wait for ther rooms.

[SomeRealityPleas e]

It's a good thing that PA has had so few executions, as more and more of those sentenced to death are found to be innocent. You rush-to-judgment types love the idea of swift and sure executions, but that's not 'justice'-- it's just preventing anyone from finding out about the misconduct by prosecutors [and in some cases, the police].

For example: The most recent Lehigh County case where the convict was released from death row [Dennis Counterman]. The prosecuting DA whited out info on the police reports and worked with the lead investigator to solicit incriminating testimony and eliminate anything that conflicted.

The death penalty, like much of the rest of the criminal justice system, shows a huge bias against the poor and racial and ethnic minorities. The Supreme Court found this and the ABA has confirmed it, but the DAs and legislators refuse to deal with it.

Learn some facts before you support state-run homicide.

[Give Death to Thous]

Give Death to Thous who desire the death penalty.

It's dangerous to give the state so much power. Only dummies would think such practice would lead to any good result.

[Truth is]

Give Death to Thous wrote:

Give Death to Thous who desire the death penalty.
It's dangerous to give the state so much power. Only dummies would think such practice would lead to any good result.

I believe it's "those". Bottom line...this is the failure of the criminal system. The criminals know that there is no carrying out of the death penalty even if they get it. Worse case is 3 meals a day in a safe and protected part of the prison and endless appeals. Maybe you get out, maybe you just get to spend a quiet life at the expense of the tax payers.

[Bill from Coopersburg]

We could solve that very easily if we wanted to. It's time to put those who killed without caring about our lives, to death. All the Gov has to do is stop sitting back and do his job. No appeals, no crying foul, simply one by one march them into the death chamber and end their lives. Greater than 75% of voters support putting this scum to death, its time for action and clean out the cells that harbor this garbage. Let God handle the issue by handing them over to him sooner rather than later.

[Winston]

easton pa-- wrote:

The commonwealth has recorded more than a thousand executions in it's history, starting with public hangings, hundreds in electric chairs, let's go back to the old ways, hang them and let everyone watch!!!

Why do you want to watch? Do you get off watching people die? Maybe you are as sick as the people commiting these terrible crimes.

[Nautilus1]

Winston wrote:

<quoted text>
Why do you want to watch? Do you get off watching people die? Maybe you are as sick as the people commiting these terrible crimes.

Maybe if they saw just how wonderful executions are, murder rates might fall substantially . Executions should not be in a hospital environment but in one that no one would wish to find themselves.

[easton pa--]

Winston wrote:

<quoted text>
Why do you want to watch? Do you get off watching people die? Maybe you are as sick as the people commiting these terrible crimes.

I am not sick, it would be my pleasure to watch, front row seats! Oh, and much, much, cheaper for the taxpayers.

[Mondays]

We need another system, PLEASE!!

[Oh give me a break]

Only reason I left it out is because within the last year there's been other news about this person and some innocent people are still hurting very much over it.

With a little research of your own, you could easily find his name. If this would help you any, I believe the murder spree started in '92 and ended THANK GOD in '93.

I agree that if someone is actually innocent, some of these laws make sense. This may be especially true for those found guilty before DNA testing was commonplace.

However the person I refer to was found guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. Through multiple witnesses and DNA evidence from the victims, which was processed by the FBI labs in D.C.

In other words, there was absolutely no doubt about it, there never will be and the guy has absolutely no problem spending hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars to hire all kind of experts in hopes of allowing him to live some more on our dole for the rest of his life.

As another user put it, it only costs $5 to string up a good rope and willing or not, the killer I'm referring to is more than ripe and ready for it.

[Oh give me a break]

The message above was in response to the user "Johnny -The See- ILDee"

[Dummer]

HANG ALL THE FREAKS AT MIDNIGHT, PROBLEM SOLVED. qUIT DRAGGING YOUR A-S RENDELL LIKE YOU ARE WITH THE STATE PAY. WILL THAT TAKE 20 YEARS TOO?

[Dummer]

WHILE YOU'RE AT IT QUIT SPENDING THE TAX DOLLARS ON YOUR CHEESESTEAKS, FAT BIT-H.

[Dummer]

HEY THERE RENDELL, YOU ARE ONE WORTHLESS EXCUSE FOR A GOVERNOR WE HAVE HAD FOR YEARS, EVEN NIXON WOULD HAVE BEATEN YOU, OK FATTY? WO HOO WAP WAP YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..........