Leave it to the "law enFarcement" bureauRats to "make work" and justify their BLOATED unreal paychecks and "job security". These scum will do ANYTHING for that job security, even their own moms.

PhantomBeast.......

This is NOT about the law enforcement officials who are doing their jobs. It is about a MURDERER who is getting a reduced sentence on a dad gum PLEA BARGAIN.

It is disgusting that you hammer our law enforcement officials for no reason at all.

Yep, you seem to be living up to your screen name.

You may want to take the time to re-read the excellent post #1 by Wm. Sanders.

This is outrageous!!

Here an idea let all the pot smokers out so you have room in the JAILS for killers!

This is the reason it is called the Legal System, not the Justice System. Because it lacks Justice.

All states should adopt the three strikes and your out. This thug had seven. I think its three felonies and you spend the rest of your life in prison, which is what this guy should be doing. 15 years for murdering someone? You have to be f**king kidding me!

At least cut his schlonz off so he can't reproduce.

I hear law enforcement protesting this all the time, but they are also busy re-arresting repeat offenders. You can't blame the "beat" cops for guys like this getting out early, blame the system. And what does complaining do anyway? Not a damn thing. You don't like the system, vote for judges and politicians that are tough on crime. Better yet YOU do something aside from blaming everyone else.

When you see for profit private prisons opening up all over the USA then it comes in clear as a bell the message that the powers that be are sending to the public and that message is that they in fact DO NOT WANT TO SEE CRIMINALS REHABILITATED BUT IN FACT WANT GUARANTEED RETURN CUSTOMERS!!!

A private prison has a vested interest in seeing return customers and so they in fact will keep someone who has not hurt anyone IE; someone who gets caught with a baggie of cocaine or selling some pot, for years and years on end and max them out yet they will kick a rapist or murderer, child molester, gang bangers with colors to earn respect for, out on the street with next to zero time served, so they can get out there and commit more and more crimes for the media to report on so the flames get fanned and the lawmakers can enact more and more "get tough on crime " laws so they can be re-elected and repeat the process while in fact not making anyone in this country safer but making others just a sh*tload of money!!!!! Nice eh?

Hey, it's Florida. nuff' said.

What happened to the three strikes law? Don't tell me..... Florida doesn't have one! Felons with this kind of record should NEVER be eligible for early release!

The police bust their asses and the judicial system lets these thugs out early.This guy needs to live right next door to the judge that let him out.Then we may see a change in the system but not til then.

Sunatymrolls,

You hit it right on the head! Its all about money.

Corrupt and out of touch public officials in bed greedy business interest.

We don't need to have three strike laws that put non-violent offenders in jail for life (felonies or not), it the violent offenders who should be held to these guidelines.

Its Florida. Lots of good things about Florida. But obviously its legal system and thus public safety are not a strength.

pot smokers are not in prison. the people incarcerated for drug crimes are there for sales and distribution, not possession.

If you say your guilty we'll give you a plea deal..The courts are BS from the start.

They probably need to make room for some minor drug offender that got busted for a joint.

@Ido, I don't think Sanders was hammering on law enforcement, his point was why bother having them if the system is just going to let the criminals out again.

I just read a couple pre-trial stories about this case, and another one after the plea deal for 27 years. Seems the whole world knew this guy was guilty, everyone except the one juror who held out and made the vote 11-1 in favor of prosecution. What I couldn't find in my brief search was the reason juror number 12 held out.

Money appears to be the reason there wasn't a second trial. And the prosecution was given a guaranteed conviction with the plea bargain - as opposed to a second trial. Also, they would run into the double jeopardy laws that say you can't keep trying a person until you obtain a conviction. There was no guarantee that a second trial would have won all 12 jurors. Where would society be then?

AGREE with AKRandy #1.3. that makes much more sense to me and anybody with any common sense. BUT common sense and brains are in short order these days. a pitty for this poor baseball player's widow. this just AIN'T right. tie that sucker up to a batting cage and put the pitching machine on fast pitch and keep feeding balls until the dude is DEAD as a door nail!!!! let his widow feed the balls into the machine if she wishes. this kind of crap really gets me upset. YOU TELL 'EM AKRANDY!!!!!! Pot smokers, some in jail for LIFE, yes for life because of a 3 strike law for having a joint. IT'S TRUE!!!!! AND this P.O.S. is walking the streets to do more harm. YUP! Hats off to our great lawmakers. It's ALL working great......NOT!

When the man he killed is able to get up and go about his life again, then the guy who did it can go

free!!

It's that simple.

BTW....Adam Henry, you could not be any WRONGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know absolutely not of what you speak. NADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must be living under a rock someplace for the last 30 years. PLENTY of people in jail for smoking. YES! JUST for smoking. You just have NO idea of what you are talking about. Read up on the subject. I think you might be surprised who is in jail that does not belong and who is walking around that deserve to be 6 feet under, including this P.O.S.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

a repeat offender then gets convicted of murder and gets out 12 years early... stupid

Its okay. The DA will put him back in jail after he kills another person. You go, justice system!

In a lot of states "prior bad acts" are not admissable at trial. That means he can be a repeat offender with multiple prison terms and still get out early and get off easy.

They are not admissible in court, but can be considered in sentencing.

Firing Squad, Hanging, Electric Chair. That is how this story should have ended. You kill somebody during a robbery attempt ? , you get killed.

ClamChop, you are absolutely correct. But that is why, if the victim was one of my family members, I would WANT this POS out on the street and not incarcerated. As trust2112 said above, it's the legal system, not the justice system. If this had struck close to home for me, I would have my JUSTICE. I was in a SOG unit in Nam. We specialized in Search and Destroy, assasinations without anyone knowing we were ever there. This is what Mr. Evans would be looking forward to.

Wm. Sanders

why have any jails at all by that thinking put a bullet in their head and move on. right.

Trex-4442244 i'm with you on that one.

He didn't hammer on them for nothing at all. He hammered on them because they are overpaid union scum. Precious tax dollars are going to subsidize their fat, undeserved paychecks at the cost of facilities and resources to actually house convicted criminals. He has a valid point. If you can't see it, you're an ignorant twit.

Trex-4444224 - Thank you for your service.

AKRandy said it right. Before letting out ONE MURDERER let out people with less offenses to make room.

Where are all these private prisons at? I keep reading about them on the newsvine, and I've never seen one. What states do they do this in? It's not in the south that I know of.

They shoudn't allow gain time for repeat offenders, that's a crock.

Increased application of the death penalty for an increased variety of felonies would remove the repeat offenders and eliminate the revolving door in prisons. Our "justice" system is far too lenient. I wish that many parts of it would revert back to the 1800's when a bank robber, cattle rustler and horse thief would be hung. Yes, hang car jackers; I said it. Hang armed robbers. Hang rapists. Hang repeat offenders. Three strikes and you're out permanently.

stc1993, There are some in Colorado, Arizona and several in Kansas near the military prison at Fort Leavenworth.

It's not just Florida. Anymore with the jails being flooded with prisoners they are lowering the sentences based on so called good behavior. Murders can go free, and yet women and men who accidentally kill someone in self defense are in for life.

Yes, Florida is really stupid.

Florida... Home of the hanging chad.... stand your ground rule.....hide your home from bankruptcy, and obviously NOT 3 strikes and you're out.

And don't forget home of adopt-your-girlfriend-to-avoid-a-civil-suit-payout.

I lived down there and move back. Not a bit surprised that this guy got turned loose. Still haven't arrested the killer in Sanford. Thank goodness the FBI is conducting a parrell investigation.

In NC you serve at least the minimum sentence. There is no early pardon for good behavior.

@ Wm. Sanders. I not going to lecture but there are a lot of people who deserve a second chance (Look up James Joseph Minder), but that doesn't mean that they should be exempt from punishment. What galls me is that the ultimate victim in this case Felicia Shotkoski did not get the opportunity to confront this guy or to speak to the parole board.

I think her acceptance of his contrition should have been the deciding factor in his release!

@Ycaintuseait5- I do not think the victim's family should be involved until the convict has served at least 80% of his maximum sentence. He is not a first time offender. This is his SEVENTH conviction! This is exactly the person who should not get early release. Who cares how he behaved while behind bars? It is his conduct on the outside that endangers society. Wow! I can't believe I ever thought of moving to Florida. Is that state populated by idiots? How many more killers have been released early? (Or not convicted at all?)

We can only hope releasing this monster will mean there is a larger pool of people willing to return the "favor". Florida is "gun city". I can only hope someone out there is bigger and stronger and will give him what he deserves...1 in head, 2 in chest...

mob justice way to uphold the law.

People bag on Florida all the time, but the reality is one state doesn't decide elections. Had Ohio not went Republican in that election, Florida wouldn't have mattered.

The real "ignorant" states are ones like Michigan, who mindlessly vote for a single party ad nauseum, because their citizens are to stupid to know their interests are not parallel with those of the union scum who manipulate all elections in that state.

wow twisted... amazing... you actually turned a discussion about crime and punishment into a tirade on unions... Must work for the Koch Bros.... We bag on Florida because they are home to some of the worst laws in the country. Tax haven for the wealthy and the scum bags who game the system. Adopt your daughter to avoid a court award? Buy a 5 million home with money skimmed from a business and know it can't be taken away? Do the same knowing you are going to file bankruptcy and put all available money in your home so you will have it later? Stand your ground rule? the list is long bucko. Let's stay on conversation...

Fla.'s stand your ground law simply does not apply in the Martin/Zimmerman case-despite the news media trying to make it an issue in the case-not only in Fla.-but in ALL states which have stand your ground laws it is NOT a justified use of force if you pursue the victim,or otherwise instigate/start the dispute that leads to the use of deadly force.

No matter what you hear from MSLSD-the law does NOT apply.

NBC edited the 911 tape to make Zimmerman sound racist-where's your outrage over that?

Self defense is a basic human right,no one has a duty to retreat,and not defend themselves when they are being attacked,or forced to do something under threat of violence,death,or great bodily harm.

The story is about a murderer being released early from prison for 'good behaviour"-and this was his SEVENTH trip through the Fla. prison system-which should never be allowed to happen-
the story has nothing to do with politics,the Koch bros. or your personal opinions concerning the laws of the state of Fla.-other than whatever laws effect prisoners,and sentencing.

And if they don't want to have a 3-strikes rule, then at least change the sentencing for felony repeaters. On the second conviction, the punishment is this: first the con serves the remainder of the first sentence (if he/she was let out early - the repeat conviction demonstrates lack of 'good behavior'.) Then start the second sentence (with no possibility of early release except for the governor's pardon, which should only be used when the con has a terminal illness and medical care is too expensive.)

After a second felony conviction (federal or any state), a criminal should be ineligible for early release or reduced sentence on any subsequent felony.

Mailman8--good thoughts and ideas. Send it to your state legislature and your congressional reps.

The guy was arrested for cocaine possession and I would bet was robbing this guy to satisfy his drug habit, fact is 98% of people in prison have an issue with addiction, it IS the druggies committing these crimes and you just called to let them all out of prison.

It was second degree murder, not first, make sure you read the whole story.

Mike, try to keep up here: It is precisely because some drugs are illegal that they are so expensive that addicts who aren't wealthy often resort to theft to try to support their addictions. If we legalize the drugs, the prices drop, reducing theft/burglary rates and getting armed gangs out of the drug biz due to lack of profits for them. Sales are taxed, the tax money can go to honestly educate people to avoid the more dangerous drugs, and to pay to treat addictions (some folks will always mess up) through the healthcare system instead of through the criminal justice system, saving billions and reducing prison overcrowding so we can afford to keep really violent people locked up. Get it?

Yea. Mike. I am a recovering addict. 3 years clean. Most addicts re troubled. They dont commit murder. I was never arrested. I am a vet who got addicted to pain pills. Its a nasty addiction. i never would have murdered someone for it. Most people I know that are addicts would not. So few rehab places. And jail does not help an addict or someone who smokes pot and gets in trouble. Addiction is an affliction and disease. Not curable. But with hard work something people can get past even over many times. Most dont commit murder. So if you think me saying people in jail for pot that take the space up that allows these murderes to walk is the same I am sorry you feel that way. I am an recovering addict. had i ever been sent to prison, although I never did anything illegal other then at times posses more pills then I was supposed to cause of is, then I could have ended up in jail taking the sppace of this guy walking free. And ya know what. Iw ould have gladly taken a rehab for it. But I dont have 15k and the state ones put you along people arrested for even violent crimes and required drug programs. Thats why I am not studying to be an addciton specialist. Addicts dont commit murder. Murderes who may be addicts might just like any other person in the world may commit a murder. Labling addicts as murders means your blessed not to have ever been adicted to something. And my addiction started after serving because of injuries. I still never would have robbed or murdered and addicts I met in rehab never did either. And if rehabs were more availible. Then even less addicts would feel ostricized. Its why I also volunteer while I work and am studying to be able to help addicts. Your mom, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin or anyone could become an addict. And eople in for marijuana are surely not commiting murder to get there drugs.

Why I am NOW* studying not not studying

MikeD:

As opposed to the old days when they were able to hold down a job to support their habits? That's the purpose of drug screening -- to keep drug users from holding jobs, so that they steal, so that the government can "justify" the war on drugs. It's one big circle.

The trial ended with a hung jury. There were two choices, file for another trial or plea deal. Cost and an overwhelmed system is the reason for this. The fix is simple. Remove drugs from the criminal justice system, and we will have a criminal justice system that is not only cost effective, but also more efficient.

The high cost of drugs is because it is illegal. Drugs would be literally dirt cheap if legal since Marijuana and Poppy grow almost anywhere. The fact is that the 100 year war on drug use is a failure of unbelievable proportions, much worse then the idiotic alcohol prohibition which was wisly given up on after only 14 years of failure. People are going to get on high something, be it alcohol or other drugs. Yes alcohol is a drug, and a very powerful one at that. 73% of all violent felony's committed were committed under the influence of alcohol, and spousal beatings are 80%. So why are drugs illegal, yet alcohol is not. It is alcohol that makes people violent, not drug use. The drug world is a violent place simply, and only because it is illegal which has made it very expensive and therefore ungodly profitable.

Fix this legal boondoggle, and we can fix our broken justice system so things like this don't happen.

Prison is not about reforming people; it is about isolating these people from society so we are safer. Its secondary purpose is to act as a disincentive to crime. If you think prison is about reformation, consider the national recidivism rate is more than 60% within three years of release.

We need to realize that an extraordinary number of prisoners are incarcerated for "crimes" which are not dangerous for society (i.e. marijuana, drug addicts) and to make space we will necessarily release many of the dangerous, violent offenders for which prison was made for at our expense. Crimes involving deliberate violent behavior should not be eligible for early release under any circumstances. Every state should have a three strikes law, lest we hold onto that hopeless dream of reformation so tightly that we lose sight of the fact that it comes at the cost of law abiding citizens being robbed, raped, assaulted, and murdered.

Amen Noah. Amen.

"If you think prison is about reformation, consider the national recidivism rate is more than 60% within three years of release."

Maybe its time to change what we do with them while they are in prison.

But the problem is that with a conservative court like we had since the time of Rehnquist, the laws become more punitive than reformative. And we put criminals in jail that would not pose a threat to society, while allowing hard core criminals to walk free because the system is 'saturated.' Jails are our today's dumping grounds, and then we are naive enough as to expect those people to re-insert into society. Recidivism in rampart because as a society we move those people to that situation. How many people you hired with a criminal record? (Obviously I am not talking at hard-core criminals, those have no interest to return to society). I had an argument once with a hiring manager because of that. A person who filled and application and was hired, but then we found out that he had a criminal record. My hiring manager wanted to fire him because he lied in his application. And upon review we found out that he didn't lie. (the form asked for convictions in the last 7 years and the guy was convicted 10 years ago). But besides the fact, he ended being one of the best employees we had. Always on time, never procrastinating, a hard working person. What do you think it would have happened if I would have followed my HR person's advise? I know, that is only one case, but if we don't work to keep incarcerated those who really deserve a hard prison sentence (repeat offenders, major criminals, etc.) and give a chance to those who did their time and do not pose a threat to society, how can we expect the system to work? You want an example? Look at Merle Haggard, one of the best country singers there are. He served 3 years for armed robbery in San Quentin...

Most judges don't care about the outcomes, but about numbers. Besides, it isn't like the murderer will likely go after a lenient judge. So what does the judge care at this point?

He'll get it eventually in S. FL, live by the sword die by the sword.

Dont worry. I live here for 20 years. We have many good, smart people. But still a ton of idiots in the capital that we are going to be removing soon

Ok, your point is???? Did he murder her too? How many times was he in prison before that? I am not saying he didn't do something wrong, just this story is about murderers getting out after killing someone. Until a person can rise from the dead, you can't recover from death. This widow is now fearing for her life, as well as her family, because as we all know, if he wants to, he can google all that info. He can continue to terrorize. Her deceased husband cannot do anything about it. Just saying.

That is really sad! I sure wouldn't let my kids out of sight with that monster in the neighborhood! I'm sure with that short of time, he'll have no qualms about doing it again.

A slap on the wrist!

There are certain crimes that simply should never be allowed time off for good behavior. Killing someone is one of those crimes. The public should demand the laws be changed to reflect this and vote out any politician who refuses to go along.

we have to pay for the socal programs one way or the other.

Hey Davy doofus, the governor of Florida is what......A REPUBLICAN!!!!

And the last few governors of Florida have been republican also! Yes, liberals have compassion. But not when it comes to murderers! Geez, what an idiot Davy doofus is.

Like Haley Barbour? Oh wait, he was another corrupt Republican! My bad!

David = U can kiss my RR a**...keep your bigotry to yourself, jerk!

Hey David-1090551, these responses aren't going at all like you thought they would, are they. If this had been a fight, they would have stopped it.

Pray.......? That somebody drops this piece of crap off in Zimmerman's neighborhood? If that then, yes, pray.

GA.......... You are missing the point completely. The "pot" represents all of the NON-violent petty crime.

The point is............. "drum-roll"......................... Keep the murderers, rapists, child molesters, attempting murderers and ALL violent and dangerous criminals INSIDE THE PRISON.

Duuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

If there is not enough room for violent criminals then start releasing petty criminals first. That means letting the least dangerous people out before you ever consider releasing the dangerous scumbag criminals.

Do you not understand that????????????????

I had a friend in Tampa that got life because he helped a friend unload a plane of cocaine. He died in there no parole in the federal system.

What does Spike Lee have to do with this? This is a decision made by the state of Florida.

Three strikes in CA doesn't always work out so great-what about the guy who's third strike was stealing a slice of pizza-and he got a life sentence for it-that is not right-the punishment does not fit the crime.

Before you get too many people riled up, perhaps you'd better check on exactly who permitted the release. The police, ADA's, and judges often have no say. They make a deal with the accused in return for a guilty plea, but can only hope the sentence will be served. The problem rests with the state's Probation & Parole Board. They may know a lot of things, but prison savvy isn't included, so they follow a formula. Any prisoner eligible for a hearing, quickly learns that formula: Behave and express remorse.

If a prisoner has been a good boy in prison, and expresses remorse for his deed, the P&P Board will often parole the guy. The problem with this is that most sociopaths can do quite well in prison, because they have no decisions to make; they are told what to do 24/7. And you don't even have to be a convict to know that "expressing remorse" is essential for parole. You just have to practice to sound convincingly remorseful; you don't really have to be remorseful. Once released, of course, the parolee must make his own decisions, and is doing well if he makes the right one even 25% of the time. And the door revolves again.

Sue: Even though I agree with you, I have one exception. How in hell the judge approved the plea-deal? The judge did have a saying when looking at the plea deal and looking at the record of this guy. That should have raised a red flag, yet he ignored it.