Mass murderers deserve death penalty

After reading The Bee’s Oct. 16 editorial “California death penalty is beyond repair and should be abolished,” my thoughts went to a convicted killer, Kenneth Allen McDuff.

Mr. McDuff and another man, Roy Dale Green, killed three teenagers in 1966 and were convicted of murder. Mr. Green was given a 31-year sentence and Mr. McDuff three death sentences. In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all death-penalty statues, commuting Mr. McDuff’s sentence to life in prison.

As with all cases, there was always the possibility of parole. This happened in 1989. During the time that he was released and his final apprehension in 1992, he killed at least six additional times and possibly more.

While I am not a supporter of the death penalty as it is carried out today, I believe that unless life without the possibility of parole is actually life, and will not be overturned by another court, then the death penalty, no matter how flawed, is needed.

The article mentioned above stated that Clarence Ray Allen directed the killing’s at Fran’s market in 1980 and was not executed until 2006. This to me, should be the real outrage.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Mass murderers deserve death penalty."