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Comments - Read people's opinions and views on this
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Rebecca:
"In America we are
supposed to seek the truth and find/fight for justice. The big question
is...can we agree on what the definition of justice is? Some may say
justice has been served in Tonya's case, but until all the facts have
been presented to a jury of her peers justice has most definitely NOT
been served! Tonya deserves, as would any American in her situation, to
have the whole truth heard. The fact that a man confessed to this
murder and it was kept from the jury who convicted her is CRAZY! I know
that information would have had a major impact on my decision if I were
a juror. Tonya ran...she was young and afraid. She may not have spoken
up for fear of her life during the days she and this man went on this
so-called killing spree. I'm not sure I'd be too quick to test a man
that I've just seen kill 3 people! Elizabeth Smart, the teen girl who
was taken from her home in Utah and kept by that couple for over a
year, was seen in public many times and she never attempted to escape
these people out of fear for her life and her families lives. We cannot
judge what a person could have or should have done in such a situation
unless we ourselves stand in their shoes. Tonya has made a good life
for herself and her family since she ran from prison that day. What
purpose does putting her in jail serve? She has already rehabilitated
herself...she probably didn't need any rehabilitating in the first
place. She was taken for a misfortunate ride when she was 18 by a man
who was found mentally incapable of standing trial for murder. She is
NOT a threat to society and that's what prison is designed for. I hope
and pray for this family and for Tonya. What harm will giving her a new
trial bring?...a little dirt in the face of the State of
Tennessee~maybe?!?! If the State of Tennesse is so sure of the original
decision then they wouldn't have any reason to deny this woman a new
trial...if they were SO right the decision of the jury will be the same
and they could lay all of the questions and controversy to rest. I hope
that someone with some pull & courage will put aside the politics
and do what's right and help Tonya get a new trial."
mikrophon:
"An All-American Fugitive When
Margo Freshwater escaped from prison 32 years ago, she began a happy
and law-abiding life, becoming a devoted mother, grandmother and wife.
Now she's back behind bars . . . And unless she's given a new trial or
is granted clemency . . . she will remain behind bars until she is an
old woman . . . Meanwhile, the man who confessed to the killing
probably will die a free man."
Banky_Edwards:
It's a bitch when your past
catches up to you. I really feel bad for this woman, who so obviously
cleaned her life up pretty well. And I wouldn't be opposed to clemency.
But she had a few chances to do the right thing in the past (i.e. run
for help), and she shouldn't be surprised that running away didn't
solve anything. I hope I never make such bad decisions.
omidius:
"I find it scary that some 21
or so states do not allow for ruling reversals based on DNA evidence.
Since introduction in VA 10 years ago, over 500 inmates have had
reversals based on dna evidence. Scary to think what mistakes those 21
states are trying to keep behind bars....quiet."
ex.pr.ni:
"I wouldn't say her past caught
up with her as much as someone else past caught up with her.
She stands trial several times, while her boyfriend confesses, for
murder and then a reduced charge of accomplice to murder. She's
basically being accused of being a murders girlfriend. A murderer who
she and other witnesses testified to in court she was afraid of and
threatened by.
The suggestion that the right thing to do in this situation was to run
for help is absurd. Who is she supposed to run to? She's already in
custody, in court, in the press. She had two realistic options, wait
out the trial or run. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt
because she was actually present for these events and assume the trial
was going badly enough to eliminate waiting out the trial. In the face
of god knows how many years in prison for a crime that it is barely
even disputed she's innocent of and a life on the run what kind of fool
would choose prison.
She's a hero because she took her life into her own hands, snatching it
back from these invisible authority figures we're supposed to depend on
to 'help us'. If they exist then they failed her.
It's surprising how often we're told we shouldn't stand up for
ourselves and how often those who do, even if it is a terrible mistake,
are criticized for not knowing there place. She resisted and ran and
when she was caught she went with out a complaint. Hero."
Mushkelley:
"I believe prosecutors thought
she should have attempted to flee in the time between the first murder,
and when the pair got caught. And then when they were caught, she
didn't seem to be distressed by Nash. She also kept up a sexual
relationship with him during the multi-state killing spree, and she
never claimed to have been "raped."
She isn't a hero for standing up for herself, she is a scoundrel for
fleeing her punishment for being an accessory to murder. She didn't
complain because she new she was rightfully found and brought back to
justice."
Fat Buddha:
"Well she seems to have had an
unlucky life, but she is neither hero nor scoundrel. This is a bit of a
vexed issue really, when I read of nazi war criminals still being
caught in their eighties I believe they should be shown no mercy,
Ronnie Biggs on the other hand, who was clearly a criminal I have more
sympathy for.
This woman I have loads of sympathy for if the account of her life is
accurate. If her account of events is true it is astonishing that she
should have been found guilty and received such a harsh sentence. That
the authorities should invest so much time and money finding her also
astonishes me, she does not appear to have represented much of a threat
to the public.
If prison is about rehabilitation (is it?) it generally seems to make a
pretty bad job of it. This woman appears to have made an excellent job
of rehabilitating herself. I do not really see what purpose is served
by sending her back to jail, certainly not justice as her previous
treatment appears to have been unjust.
It's a crying shame, going right back to her early life and penchant
for making bad decisions. I hope someone, somewhere, with enough
influence can find some mercy in their hearts and send her back to her
family."
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