Robert Latimer is a murderer. He freely admitted his guilt, that he did kill his twelve year old daughter Tracy in 1993. He used the exhaust fumes from his pickup truck to gas her to death. He was duly arrested and charged with second degree murder. He was convicted in two trials of second degree murder and following appeals up to the Supreme Court of Canada he was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for ten years. He maintains that he killed his daughter Tracy, because she was severely disabled and suffering a great deal of pain, that killing her was an act of mercy. He was prevented from using this argument as a defense in court, but to this day insists he did nothing wrong. He has just been granted day parole. He is to be gradually released back into society. It is true that he is unlikely to re-offend, but the fact remains his daughter's life was not his to take. Canadian law does not allow anyone to perpetrate a "compassionate" homicide. I sympathize with the plight he and his family faced in caring for their disabled child, and hope that he can rejoin his family and get on with his life before too long, but the public record must show that he is a convicted murderer.
posted by Geoffrey @ 9:44 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Why doesn't life in prison without parole for 10 years actually mean what it says?
If I understand correctly, he was granted something called day parole. He is getting out of prison, but remains under strict supervision. He is to be released to a halfway house for the time being. He is not returning to his home and family right away.
Ok but I am arguing, I guess, that the statute says no chance of parole: isn't day parole a type of parole? I think he should have remained incarcerated for ten years and then got day parole for a while after that. The sentence is life after all. My understanding is that a life sentence means a sentence of indeterminant length, subject to the statutory minimum (if any).
By all accounts this is a case where there was no way of avoiding harm. His daughter was severely disabled, in pain and facing more surgery. She was never going to recover from her disability. She required constant care, but was not on life support. She did get some enjoyment from living. It was said that she enjoyed trips to the circus. She was loved by her family.
Her father finally decided for her that her life was not worth living. He took matters into his own hands and killed her. That he chose a method that many see as painless and benign, he gassed her, really does not matter. One wonders if he would have garnered as much sympathy and support for his action if he had put a shotgun next to her head and pulled the trigger.
He was judged for his crime and handed a life sentence, but having served seven years justice has been served. Society has demonstrated soundly that what he did was unlawful. He made his choice and suffered the consequences. He still has a wife and family to support. I see no harm in allowing him to return as it is highly unlikely he will re-offend.
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