Betty Broderick up for parole

The case (suprise!) spawned a L&O episode.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/21/california.betty.broderick.parole/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Betty was the scorned wife who snuck into her ex-husabnd's house and murdered him and his 28-year-old second wife in 1989.
She is up for pariole next week, having spent more time in prison than married.
Think she deserves parole?
My initial thought is no.

 

First, that CNN story was written a bit over the top -- one angry Betty?

Sure, let her out. She's no threat to society anymore. Who's dumb enough to marry her then fool around?

 

Is she Swedish and blond?

 

Cold blooded murder.

Why should she be let out?

 

Because she's not a threat any more, so you don't have to incarcerate her to deter her.

On the other hand, proper punishment and general deterrence of the public come into play.

It would be so much easier if we just didn't have crime.

 

Hell no. If cold blooded murderers aren't going to be executed, at the very least they should never spend a single minute of their remaining days outside prison walls.

 

She's not a threat as long as she doesn't get married again or start dating, and then find out her husband/boyfriend is cheating on her.....

The proper punishment/deterrence comment is the bigger issue. What's the impact of the message being sent that your price for pre-meditated murder is 20 years, but you'll have bonus free time beyond that?

I will be very, very surprised if her parole gets approved, btw. Leslie Van Houten might be pulling for her, though.

 

How do you know she's not a threat?

 

Just because it seemed like a one-time crime of passion.

But, yeah, if it can be shown that she's a threat - which I'm sure it can - I'm certainly open to that. I was speaking hypothetically based on Ace's post.

 

She seems quite the opposite of a cold blooded murderer. Sounds pretty hot-blooded to me.

 

Kill that bitch along with the two brothers that killed my friends cousins wife!!!!! [\crossthread]

 

I was living in San Diego when this case happened. It was a huge deal.

I don't think she gets parole, because she would have to throw herself on the mercy of the parole board and accept responsibility for her actions. She's NEVER been able to do that. Everything is her ex's fault in her eyes. But then again, she is a pretty good actress. Hell, they should have blown off Meredith Baxter and just let Betty out of jail to play herself in the movies.