A state judge in Oklahoma added two new murder counts to the 160 murder charges against Terry Nichols, the Oklahoma City bombing conspirator.
Two of the women killed in the bombing were pregnant. One was 32 weeks pregnant and the other was approximately 28 weeks pregnant.
The two additional counts were added because The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals decided last year the unnatural death of fetuses 24 weeks and older can be charged as first-degree murder.
Nichols is presently serving a life sentence for conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter and could face the death penalty. The judge that convicted Nichols of the initial charges gave him life without parole because the jury was deadlocked over whether to give him the death penalty.
Nichols should be punished for his involvement in the bombings, but should he receive lethal injection?
Some people say there is no reason to continue spending millions of dollars in court costs. Some say we should not spend money to house him in prison. Some might say whatever the cost, he should be executed. But is killing him going to inflict real punishment on him?
The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a terrible event where victims, survivors and families suffered, but killing Nichols is not going to bring the victims back. Nichols will suffer momentarily from lethal injection, but a lifetime of prison in solitary confinement is worse.
There is no freedom, no light, nothing. One of the most valuable rights we have as humans is freedom and solitary confinement can take that from him. Just as he took the lives from the people in the federal building, his life can be taken from him. But this way he will suffer longer.
Death penalties are used as a form of rage, a sense of "an eye for an eye." When someone has committed a crime, people want that person to have the most severe punishment possible, but the death penalty will not afflict that suffrage. There are a lot of people dying in our society and we shouldn't add to the death count.
Instead of Nichols being able to enjoy the remainder of his life with a last meal request, why not deny him of the simple pleasures we enjoy as humans? Taking away his privileges and desires will take away his life and that is the best way to ensure Nichols suffers.
