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Quote:

Ohio executes cult leader for 5 killings
By JOHN McCARTHY, Associated Press Writer

LUCASVILLE, Ohio - Ohio executed a religious cult leader Tuesday for murdering a family of five followers who were taken one at a time to a barn, bound and shot to death. The youngest was a girl just 7 years old.

Jeffrey Lundgren, 56, died by injection at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. "I profess my love for God, my family, for my children, for Kathy (his wife). I am because you are," Lundgren said in his final statement.

The evidence against him in the deaths of the Avery family — Dennis, 49, Cheryl, 46, Trina, 15, Rebecca, 13, and 7-year-old Karen — was compelling.

Upset by what he saw as a lack of faith, Lundgren arranged a dinner hosted by cult members. Afterward, he and his followers led the family members one by one — the father first, young Karen last — to their deaths while the others unknowingly cleaned up after dinner.

Lundgren shot each victim two or three times while a running chain saw muffled the sound of the gunfire.

Lundgren argued at his trial in 1990 that he was prophet of God and therefore not deserving of the death penalty.

"It's not a figment of my imagination that I can in fact talk to God, that I can hear his voice," he had told the jurors. "I am a prophet of God. I am even more than a prophet."

Lundgren formed the cult with about 20 members in the northeast Ohio town of Kirtland after he was dismissed in 1987 as a lay minister of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of the Mormon church.

He said God commanded him, through interpretation of Scriptures, to kill the Avery family, who had moved from Missouri in 1987 to follow his teachings.

Lundgren's attorneys had tried to put off the execution, arguing that he should be allowed to join a lawsuit challenging Ohio's use of lethal injection as cruel and unusual punishment. They said his execution had more of a chance of being painful because he was diabetic and overweight at 275 pounds.

Late Monday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati issued an order allowing the execution to go forward. The U.S. Supreme Court refused a last-minute request to stop his execution Tuesday, and Gov. Bob Taft denied clemency.

Thirteen cult members were charged in the case, including Lundgren's wife, Alice, now 55, and their son, Damon, now 35, both serving life prison terms.

Things that get me...

... "...execution has more of a chance of being painful..." You're going to die. Unless you are in more pain than those you killed, don't talk to me about it. And if you are... I may just say "good".
... Killing everyone in order, down to the seven-year-old. My daughter is nine, my son seven next week... too painful to think about.

Earlier this week in lovely West Michigan, a drunk driver ran over an Amish family's buggy, killing the horse and a young girl. Note I said ran over, not into. He didn't even brake. He's unharmed. The buggy is firewood. The family... they're broken too, and their faith is being put to the test.

Too much killing of innocents. And of innocence. Here and elsewhere in the world.

You know that seems to be the way of the world these days, the slaughter of innocents. is it the times or the end of days. Just the other day in the next town a senior citizen was almost beaten to death by a group of young thugs (ages 15 to 20) armed with lead pipes. No reason, they didn't know him, they didn't rob him they just did it. I guess there motive was boredom. Just ridiculous. I truly fear for my little one in this world today, either that he will become one of those thugs, or he will be a victim of some crime. I am not sure which is worse. The government tried to impose a 3 strikes rule for violent and sexual offenders as many keep reoffending. Some lame brain in the opposition said that it would not reduce crime. If you look at one of the offenders rap sheets it would prevent all but three of the offenders crimes, it is just so logical. I felt like going out and beating the politician for being an idiot. I guess we will have to wait to see if the 3 strikes rule passes.

[ 10-24-2006, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: pritchke ]

We have a three-strikes law in California. From what I've heard, it does work. Only now there are people trying to limit it or get rid of it by finding sob stories of how someone gets life in prison from strike 3, which itself might be fairly minor.

The lastest one is a guy who helped a relative get a driver's license (the relative was an illegal immigrant). The felony fraud conviction was this guy's third strike, and we've got political groups trying to stir up opposition to three strikes with his story.

My perspective is that if you already have 2 strikes, and you're stupid enough to risk committing additional felonies, why should I feel sorry for you? The way our law works, all three strikes have to be felonies, and at least one of them has to be violent for the 3 strike penalty to go into effect. Plus, if they charge you with a number of crimes at the same time, all of those together count as one strike. In the case above, the politicians try to gloss over the previous armed robbery conviction that makes him eligible for the tougher sentencing.

These are hard times when our faith is being tested... :(

The problem sometimes is having 'wrong friends'. While I don't sympathize, I can understand it's pretty hard to remove the influence by such people, especially if you're an insecure youngster with a bad childhood or whatever. And people are not thought to think for themselves in western society.

"They said his execution had more of a chance of being painful because he was diabetic and overweight at 275 pounds."

As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as a death that is "too painful" for someone who can shoot an innocent, 7-year old child in cold blood.

My perspective is that if you already have 2 strikes, and you're stupid enough to risk committing additional felonies, why should I feel sorry for you?

Exactly! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]