Clifford Boggess, was a murderer. He admitted to doing it. He was waiting on death row for the last of his appeals, and the only thing he could try and prove was that he was not worthy of the death penalty. He had to try and prove that he was a changed man, through his paintings and his bible studies. Clifford Boggess was a mentally unstable man, and I think that is something that should have been seen. He killed without any guilt at the time, and after the fact, years later, he hopes for the families forgiveness. Claiming to have found God, he thinks that when he gets to heaven the people he murdered are just going to forgive him. Even if that was possible, I don't think that was going to happen. In his last days, Boggess was happier then ever, accepting death, he was ready to go. He took advantage of the moment, finishing his last paintings. He had potential with those paintings, in which if he was able to keep doing I believe that there was some promise. But Clifford Boggess life had come to an end, on his birthday, the day he chose. He felt it was sort of symbolic for him to go out on the same day he came in. Clifford Boggess was given the death penalty, lethal injection, and the families of his victims were there to watch. Some of his last words were "Remember today that I'll be with Jesus in paradise." Clifford Boggess was a mentally insane man, his belief of finding God, was actually more reason to believe that he was insane. He did not deserve the death penalty, nobody does, he deserved to be sentence to the care of a mental institution because the guy was unstable. I think the fact that years later he still hadn't accepted that his murders were wrong, and that he was just going to be forgiven by the families, is the main factor that his appeals of death penalty were not held up. If he had actually learned something on his time in death row, then maybe, but he did not show any improvement, besides his artwork and his religous belief. I think originally the families were anticipating the day and wanted this guy to get what he deserved, but when it was all over, I don't think they felt the same way walking on of the building. They seemed disturbed and they think that he got the easy way out. The death penalty is creul, it is not the easy way out. The two main mitagating factors in this case are that he tries to prove to the jury that he is changed through his art and through religion. As he awaits the death penalty he has become a born again Christian and claims to have found Jesus. And his paintings, which he does of life on death row, he sells by having pen pals. The problem is that the aggrivating factors of the case are to strong on the jury. The thought that he had not learned the wrong in what he had done is strong enough for the jury to uphold the sentence.
This is where my real opinions come out to play:
Clifford Boggess was a terrible man, who killed old men with no real cause except to put money in his pockets. What he did was so terrible that he may have been worthy of capital punishment. Here is the opinion. NOBODY DESERVES THE DEATH PENALTY! It is cruel and it is basically saying that you killed someone, we are going to kill you now, on this date at this time. Nobody deserves to die that way. If there is really a God, which is in question, then it will all be made up for in the long run. Death for these actions should not be considered the easy way out, it is inhumane and that is what is in question. Clifford Bogges although his actions are terrible and horrific, he should not have gotten the death penalty.
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