On August 22, 2006, Selwyn P. Davis, 25, killed his ex-girlfriend's mother, Regina Lara, in Austin Texas. Not only is Davis being accused of murdering Regina, he is also accused of "breaking his ex-girlfriend's jaw, slicing his uncle with a knife, sexually assaulting a teenager and trying to run over a police officer with a car," during a "two-day crime spree." The Austin American-Statesman reported in "Jury deliberations begin in capital murder trial," that today, October 4, 2007, the jury on Davis' case left the courtroom to decide whether Davis is guilty of capital murder or just guilty of murder.
One might ask, "Isn't being guilty of capital murder or being guilty of murder the same thing?" The answer is no. Capital murder is defined as intentional murder during the course of committing or attempting to commit kidnapping, burglary, robbery, or aggravated sexual assault. Murder is planned murder for the purpose of evil. These two types of murders also differ in punishment. Murder is punished up to life imprisonment, but capital murder is subject to the death penalty. So that's the big question for Davis' case: Should or will Davis be accused of capital murder or murder?
The article tells us of both sides of the story. The defendant's lawyer said that 'The murder is not part of a scheme to rob, not part of a scheme to burglarize. It's from hate and anger and should be punished.' On the other hand, the prosecutor said that Davis took 'Lara's checkbook from under her mattress after stabbing her to death.' The truth I do not know, but personally, I believe the prosecutor because lawyers are paid to defend the defendant whether innocent or guilty. What I do know is that Selwyn Davis killed Regina and should be punished.
Regardless of the fact that I believe that Davis committed and should be accused of capital murder, I do not agree with the punishment. I believe that someone who has deprived someone else of live should suffer, and to me the death penalty does not bring suffering to the accused. It terminates their life with a "painless" injection. Even if the injection was painful, the pain would not last long. On the other hand, depriving someone of liberty for life, would really affect that person. I trust that Davis will be accused of capital murder, but since right now the death penalty, by means of the lethal injection, in Texas has been put on hold and is waiting for the ruling of whether or not it is constitutional, we will have to wait and see what the punishment will be. Hopefully, it will be one that really affects the criminal.
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