Death penalty anyone?

In yet another one of those “Life’s an ironic bitch” incidents, I’m actually going to have to look head-long into one of my most discussed and debated philosophies.

On Christmas, 2010, my best friend from grade school was murdered in his home along with his partner of thirty years.

I met Kevin in Lander, Wyoming while we were both attending a Seventh Day Adventist church school (but at least I wasn’t homeschooled). We both had step dads who were violent and abusive (and giant-assed drama queens), and we were both gay. We didn’t know about the gay thing until we were in our twenties, after both of us had moved away from Wyoming. There was such a connection between us that keep us friends even to his death. We had spoken on the phone earlier that month so we could wish each other Merry Christmas.

I didn’t find out until early January 2011 because the police didn’t find them until the 27th. They were supposed to show up at Stephen’s sister’s house, and when they didn’t, didn’t answer their phones, they asked the police to check on them.

After seven years of trying to get this thing through the justice system, and false starts, and every ploy by the defense team to delay, it finally went to trial in November, 2017. And the jury returned a guilty verdict…

For years I have debated the death penalty. I’ve never been totally against it, but I’ve never been comfortable with the way it’s been administrated in the U.S. either. And I do see it as quite barbaric.

While I have no say in the judge’s final decision, I’m left to consider what’s about to happen, and no matter what the judge decides, I have the feeling it’s going to be disconcerting, and that emotionally it will haunt me for the rest of my life.