Ind. woman condemned for killing at 15 is freed
By | Associated Press – 2 hrs 13 mins ago- Associated Press/Lake County Police Depatmrnt via The Indianapolis Star - In this May 29, 1985, photo provided by the Lake County, Ind., Police Department is Paula Cooper who was sentenced to death when she
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 after she confessed to her part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old bible studies teacher has been released from an Indiana prison after spending a quarter century behind bars.
Paula Cooper, whose death sentence in 1986 enraged human rights activists and drew a plea for clemency from Pope John Paul II, left the state prison quietly in a state vehicle and wearing donated clothing, Department of Correction spokesman Doug Garrison said.
The prison, about 60 miles west of Indianapolis, gave the now-43-year-old woman $75 to help her make a fresh start.
When asked where Cooper was being taken, Garrison said, "We have something arranged but that's not something I can talk about."
Cooper was 15 years old when she used a butcher's knife to cut Ruth Pelke 33 times during a robbery in Gary that ended in Pelke's death. Her three companions received lighter sentences but Cooper confessed to the killing and in 1986, at age 16, she became the youngest person on death row in the country.
Shortly after, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of young people who were under 16 at the time they committed an offense could not be sentenced to death, saying it counted as cruel and unusual punishment and was thus unconstitutional. Indiana legislators then passed a state law raising the minimum age limit for execution from 10 years to 16, and in 1988, the state's high court set Cooper's death sentence aside and ordered her to serve 60 years in prison.
In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to execute anyone who is younger than 18 years when they commit an offense.
Cooper's sentence was reduced due to her behavior in prison, where she earned a bachelor's degree. She will remain on parole for a few years, Garrison said.
"We're just wanting her to be successful, that's all," he said. "She needs to get back to living."
1. GLIB and SUPERFICIAL CHARM
ReplyDelete2. GRANDIOSE SELF-WORTH
3. NEED FOR STIMULATION or PRONENESS TO BOREDOM
4. PATHOLOGICAL LYING
5. CONNING AND MANIPULATIVENESS
6. LACK OF REMORSE OR GUILT
7. SHALLOW AFFECT
8. CALLOUSNESS and LACK OF EMPATHY
9. PARASITIC LIFESTYLE -
10. POOR BEHAVIORAL CONTROLS
12. EARLY BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
13. LACK OF REALISTIC, LONG-TERM GOALS
14. IMPULSIVITY
15. IRRESPONSIBILITY
16. FAILURE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR OWN ACTIONS
17. MANY SHORT-TERM MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS
18. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
19. REVOCATION OF CONDITION RELEASE
20. CRIMINAL VERSATILITY
http://sociopathicstyle.com/traits/classic.htm
When someone fails a test you allow them a second chance but when they act out in such a way as to harm innocent people do they really deserve a second chance? Are the levels of violence that will not be tolerated?
ReplyDeleteCan one be made to "feel" compassion for their fellow human being? No, it is either there or it is not.
It always amazed me that when you observe babies they actions are so pure. Have you ever noticed that when you are in a store and a baby is crying and fussing other babies are very curious and look towards that baby - quietly. If they are starting to fuss and hear another baby break out into an all out crying mode the fussy baby with stop, look, and listen. Are they "concerned" or just curious.... If you move in closer they become more engaged and fixate their eyes on the meltdown in front of them. I have noticed apathy in their eyes - at least that how I would describe it.
I also noticed that when my youngest was walking around (11 months) he would get upset when he say his sister put her doll into the toybox. He actually screamed and rescued the "baby"... after the "rescue" and comforting the doll he realized that it was not real...
DeleteAt a young age he showed compassion as MANY babies do -- but not all......
I'm sure it was just an accident that she stabbed the woman 33 times. Probably got some dust in her eye or something and couldn't see well... plus the pain. After so many years in our reform system, I'm certain that she is a refined Christian woman now and will never be back in prison. In fact, she is probably on her way to a convent right now. Besides, how many 15 year olds know that it's wrong to kill another person? I bet she was convicted by a bunch of old racist white men.
ReplyDeleteIMO she is a sociopath; she lack the ability to show compassion towards others. The questions is what is that condition. Is it a defect in "wiring" of the brain and can it be "fixed". I do not believe it can be fixed and so people like her should not be able to move about freely with the general public. While it is true that not all sociopaths are murders, those who are should never get out of prison once convicted of murder regardless of their age.
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